Mexico, Sonora, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Registros Paroquiales de la Iglesia Católica del Estado de Sonora, Mexico.

Record Description
This collection of parish records (such as baptism, marriage, death, and burial records) from several states in Mexico includes years from about 1657 to 1994.

For additional details about the history of these records and help using them, see the wiki article Mexico Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records. Digital images of original records housed at various Catholic Church archive repositories throughout the State of Sonora, Mexico. Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
The key genealogical facts found in most baptism records are:


 * Date of baptism
 * Place of the event and usually the parish saint name
 * Name of the person being baptized
 * Names of the parents
 * Age or birthdate of the person being baptized
 * Gender
 * Legitimacy
 * Before 1820, social class of the parents
 * Sometimes the person’s race

The key genealogical facts found in most marriage records are:


 * Date of marriage
 * Place of the event and usually the parish saint name
 * Names of the betrothed
 * Names of the parents
 * Names of the witnesses
 * Ages and marital statuses of the betrothed
 * Places of origin and residence of the betrothed and sometimes that of the parents
 * Legitimacy of the betrothed
 * Sometimes the race of the betrothed

The key genealogical facts found in most burial or death records are:


 * Date of death or burial
 * Place of burial or death
 * Name of the deceased person
 * Sometimes the names of the parents or the spouse, if the deceased was married
 * Age of the deceased person at time of death
 * Place of residence or origin of the deceased person
 * Sometimes the race of the deceased

How to Use the Records
To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the "_____________" category ⇒ Select the "_____________" category ⇒ Select the "_____________" category which takes you to the images

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

In most cases, Mexican Catholic parish registers are the only records before 1859 that identify individuals, parents, and spouses. After this date, civil authorities began registering vital statistics (nacimientos, matrimonies, y defunciones) that by law include people of all religions. The information in civil sources confirms and supplements the information in church records. Be sure to search both the parish and civil records after 1860. Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Name indexes to baptisms, marriages, and death or burials make it possible to access a specific record quickly. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

Related Wiki Articles

 * Mexico Church Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from the record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find th record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you do not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
“Argentina, Buenos Aires, Catholic Church Records, 1635-1981,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 28 February, 2012), La Plata &gt; San Ponciano &gt; Matrimonios 1884-1886 &gt; image 71 of 389 images, Artemio Avendano and Clementina Peralta, 1884; citing Parroquia de San Ponciano en la Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Matrimonios. San Ponciano, La Plata, Buenos Aires.