Peru, Lima, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
This collection includes birth, marriage, and death records from 1874-1996 for the city of Lima and other surrounding municipalities.

Before the government instituted civil registration, the Catholic Church was the only institution tracking the births, marriages, and deaths of the population. Civil registration in Peru started on June 21, 1852. This was first done by political authorities, such as prefecture, subprefecture, and state. In 1856, this responsibility was given to municipalities. Currently, civil registration is in the hands of RENIEC, which delegates the registration process to municipal registrars.

Peru's civil registration identifies all its residents and issues certificates regarding their identity. These records include births, marriages, and death of the residents. In 1876, Peru’s census counted a population of 2.6 million residents, with just over 100,000 of those living in Lima. By 1900, Peru’s population numbered 3.8 million, with 223,807 in Lima.

The earlier records are all handwritten in a narrative format. The later records are also handwritten but on a printed format. Some of their text may also vary slightly.

Additional information about these records can be found in the wiki article Peru Civil Registration.

The Family History Library’s collection includes civil registers from the following municipalities:


 * Lima o Cercado de lima
 * Ancón
 * Barranco
 * Chorrillos
 * Lurigancho
 * Magdalena del Mar
 * Magdalena Vieja
 * Miraflores
 * San Miguel (previously known as San Miguel del Mar)
 * Santiago de Surco (previously known as San José de Surco)

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish; also see the section For Help Reading These Records for translation helps.

What Can these Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Birth Records
 * Date and place of the registration
 * Child's name and gender
 * Place and date of birth
 * Legitimacy
 * Parents' names and their age and residence
 * Names of the witnesses

Marriage Records
 * Date and place of registration
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's full name and age
 * Groom's marital status, occupation, nationality, and residence
 * Names of groom's parents and their residence
 * Bride's full name and age
 * Bride's marital status, occupation, nationality, and residence
 * Names of bride's parents and their residence
 * Couple's statement of religious afflilation
 * Names of witnesses

Death Records
 * Time, date, and place of the registration
 * Deceased’s name, gender, and age
 * Date, place and time of death
 * Cause of death
 * Parents’ names of deceased
 * Sometimes, name of spouse
 * Names of witnesses, their age(s) and residence
 * Name of person registering death and their relationship to the deceased

Maps

 * Peru in the early 21st century
 * Part of Lima in 1983 (see Broer Map Library for more parts)
 * Peru in 1871

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before using this collection it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence
 * Estimated marriage or birth year
 * Family relationships

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 
 * 1) Select Province
 * 2) Select District or Municipality
 * 3) Select Record Type and Years to view the images.

For Help Reading these Records
For help reading these Spanish records see the following guides:


 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records
 * Script tutorial for Spanish

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
To learn more about using the information available in these records, view these lessons for free:
 * Documentos esenciales para buscar a sus antepasados - Spanish
 * Registros Civiles y Parroquiales - Spanish

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * If possible, look at the actual image of the record to verify the information found in the online description.
 * Compile information for every person who has the same surname as your ancestor; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.

I Found Who I Was Looking for, What Now?

 * For death records, the information in records is usually reliable, but depends upon the knowledge of the informant.
 * For marriage and death records, name changes, shortened names, or nicknames may have been used by your ancestors, so pay attention to other relationships (parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc.) that can confirm whether you have the right person/record.
 * Witnesses were sometimes relatives of the deceased or the deceased's parents.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * Continue to search the indexes and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same area or a nearby area.
 * The birth, marriage, and death records contain important information for at least two and sometimes three generations of ancestors in one document.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

 * A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring region. Your ancestor may have also immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records:
 * Peru Emigration and Immigration


 * Church records are also a good substitute when birth, marriage, and death records can’t be found or are unavailable. Before the government instituted civil registration in Peru, the Catholic Church was the only institution tracking the births, marriages, and deaths of the population.


 * Peru Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Deaths (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Church Records

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached 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.

Citing this Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.


 * Collection Citation:

"Peru, Lima, Civil Registration, 1874-1996." Database with Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing National General Archives, Lima, Peru.}}

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