Paraguay, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
'''Paraguay. Registros Parroquiales de la Iglesia Católica'''

Record Description
This collection of Catholic Church parish records includes the years 1754-1981.

This collection of Catholic Church parish records includes baptisms, marriages, deaths, and miscellaneous parish records covering localities for the country of Paraguay. The text of the records is handwritten in Spanish, mostly in narrative form. In later years, the text was handwritten in formatted records.

Church registers are created by the priest in charge of the parish where the ordinance was performed. The original records are kept in a register in the local parish archive and a duplicate copy is usually sent to the corresponding diocese or archdiocese for archival preservation.

Catholic Church parish registers of birth, death, and marriage are the primary source and most reliable records for genealogical research in Paraguay. After 1880, it is recommended to also use the civil records.

The priests were authorized and requested to create the registers in order to keep a record of all the sacramental ordinances, such as baptisms, marriages, and deaths, in the life of his parishioners. Before the civil registration was implemented in 1880, civil authorities used the church records as a civil documentation.

For a list of records by department currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Record Content
Baptismal records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Name and gender of child
 * Child's birth date
 * Parents’ names
 * Godparents’ names

Marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's age, civil status, residence and origin
 * Names of groom's parents
 * Bride's age, civil status, residence and origin
 * Names of bride's parents
 * Names of witnesses
 * Names of officiant at marriage

Burial/death records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of death
 * Name of the deceased person
 * Age, civil status and residence of deceased
 * Sometimes, the name of spouse, if married
 * Sometimes, names of parents
 * Burial place

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 "Department" category ⇒ Select the "City or Town" category ⇒ Select the "Parish" category ⇒ Select the "Record Type and Years" 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. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:

Spanish Genealogical Word List

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Catholic Church Hierarchy in Paraguay

Related Wiki Articles

 * Paraguay

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Paraguay, Catholic Church Records, 1754-1981

When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did 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 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.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.