Spain, Province of Málaga, Municipal Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The records in this collection come from the province of Malaga which is in the southern mediterranean coast of Spain. This province is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the and by the provinces of Cadiz, Granada, Seville.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish. For help reading them see: FamilySearch Learning Center videos: If you speak Spanish, the following free online lesson may be helpful to learn how to use the information in these records:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2
 * Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish

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

Birth
 * Child's name and gender
 * Place and date of birth
 * Parish where baptized
 * Parents’ names
 * Father's occupation
 * Parents' country of birth (if not more specific)
 * Paternal grandparents' names
 * Maternal grandparents' names

Marriage
 * Names and ages of bride and groom
 * Birthplaces of bride and groom
 * Groom's occupation
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Marital status of bride and groom before marriage
 * Parents' names
 * Parents' birthplaces
 * Father's occupation

Death
 * Deceased's name, and age (keep in mind that death records for women may be filed under their married name)
 * Date and place of death
 * Birthplace of deceased
 * Occupation
 * Marital status/spouse's name
 * Parents' names
 * Father's occupation
 * Burial date and place
 * Cause of death

Census
 * Name of head of the household
 * Names of every person living in the house
 * Relationship to the head of the household of every person in the household
 * Age
 * Occupation
 * Residence
 * Nationality or place of origin
 * Parents
 * Parish of baptism
 * Municipality
 * Event year

Military draft and enlistment
 * Name of draftees
 * Age of draftees
 * Parents’ name
 * Marital status/spouse's name
 * Address

Collection Content
For additional details about these records and help using them see Spain, Municipal Records - FamilySearch Historical Records.

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?

 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church records Spain Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family
 * The name of a marriage officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the province. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other provinces
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
 * Use the marital status (whether a divorce or death dissolved a marriage) to identify previous marriages
 * Witnesses often were relatives of the parents

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * For death records, the information in records is usually reliable, but depends upon the knowledge of the informant (the person who reported the death)
 * Regarding 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
 * 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

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names. Transcription errors could occur in any handwritten record; also, it was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name. Click here for a list of Spanish name abbreviations
 * A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring province
 * Church records are also a good substitute when birth, marriage, and death records can’t be found or are unavailable
 * Spain Baptisms
 * Spain Catholic Church Records
 * Or your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records
 * Spain Emigration and Immigration

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Spain.
 * Spain Record Finder
 * Spain Research Tips and Strategies

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.

Espanha, Província de Málaga, Registros Municipais (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)