Davao Oriental Province, Philippines Genealogy

Guide to Province of Davao Oriental family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records. Philippines Online Genealogy Records Ask the Community

History
When the Spaniards led by Portuguese Explorer Ferdinand Magellan came to the Philippines in 1521, the Southeastern part of Mindanao was then known as Calaghan Island. It is a name derived from the vernacular word “calag” which means spirit or soul. Thus Calaghan is interpreted as “island of spirited men”. So when the Spanish government created the territory of Caraga Province in 1609, they referred to it as “region de gente animosa” or “region of spirited men”.

The Caraga Province covered a long stretch of coastal area from Cape Surigao to Cape San Agustin originally inhabited by indigenous people invariably called “Calaghans” or “Caragan” that included the Mandaya, Mansaka, Manubo, Mamanua, Mangguangan and Tagacaulo. Their Muslim counterparts were similarly called “Calagan” until today.

Davao Oriental was then a part of Caraga Province and the “Encomienda de Bislig” through which a distinguished lawyer, Don Jose Uyanguren, upon the order of Spanish Governor General Narciso Claveria, organized settlements in the now City of Mati and Municipalities of Baganga and Gov. Generoso. The settlements continued to grow as far as Davao City. So in 1849, Governor Claveria decreed the partition of Caraga Province into Surigao Province in the north and Nueva Vergara in the south with the town of Caraga as provincial capital.

When the Amercians came, Nueva Vergara including its adjoining areas became popularly known as Davao, a district of the Moro Province, later the Department of Mindanao and Sulu. In 1898, Davao became a district of the Moro province created as part of Mindanao by the Americans. In 1916, Jones Law converted the Moro province into department of Mindanao and Sulu.

On July 1, 1967, under Republic Act 4867, Davao was divided into three provinces: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur and Davao Oriental.

Today, Davao Oriental proudly keeps its Hispanic heritage including the Catholic religion. Many municipalities and barangays have retained their Spanish names like Tarragona, Montserrat and San Isidro. Its native dialect still carries many Spanish words. And the oldest Catholic Church in Mindanao still stands in the town of Caraga, the old capital of Nueva Vergara. * article from the government of Davao Oriental

Research Methods
'''The vast majority of your family research will be in civil registration and church records. This article explains different methods for obtaining these records.'''

Civil Registration (Registros Civiles)

 * The recording births, marriages and deaths, provides important information of events in a person's life and required valid evidence, making these records very important.
 * Most vital records from before 1889 come from Catholic parish and diocesan archives.
 * In 1889, the Spanish government created the Central Office of Statistics, which required each parish priest to give the government a detailed list of the births, marriages, and deaths in his area.
 * After the Philippine Revolution of 1898, the church and state became separate. Within the first few years, officials responsible for civil registration were appointed in each municipality.
 * In 1930, civil registration became mandatory and, in 1932, the Bureau of Census and Statistics was created to oversee all civil registration in the Philippines. It was not until 1940 that most registrations began to be recorded.
 * Contents:
 * Births: Child’s name, birth date and place; parents’ names, residence, and occupation; witnesses’ ages, relationships, residences.
 * Marriages: Bride and groom names, ages, residences, occupations, marriage date and place; sometimes ages and/or birth dates and places; parents' names;  residences, occupations; witnesses and officer who performed ceremony; former spouses.
 * Death registers: Name of deceased, age, death date and place, occupation, name of surviving spouse, informant’s name and residence, cause of death, sometimes birth date and place, parents’ names, children’s names.
 * Fetal deaths: Record of all stillbirths, includes information similar to birth and death data shown above.
 * Population coverage: Before 1922, 20%; after 1922, 90%.

1. Online Civil Registration Records
The following online collections may have records for your town. There is a small possibility that some of the records for your town have been indexed. A comprehensive index will search all the available indexed records of these collections at once: Search Historical Records. Do not be discouraged if records for your town are not found in these collections. The next section of this article '''2. Microfilm Copies of Civil Registration Records in the FamilySearch Catalog''', should lead you to many more records.
 * 1706-1911 Davao, Philippines Civil Registration (Spanish Period), 1706-1911, images, incomplete.
 * 1888-1986 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1888-1984 at FamilySearch — images, incomplete.
 * 1902-1945 Davao, Philippines Civil Registration (Archives Division), 1902-1945 at FamilySearch — images, incomplete.
 * 1945-1984 -  at FamilySearch — index, incomplete.
 * 1945-1984 - Davao Oriental, Philippines Civil Registration (National), 1945-1984 at FamilySearch — images, incomplete.

2. Microfilm Copies of Civil Registration Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
You can also search microfilmed copies of available civil registration records. If the locality and time period you need are not included in the online records, the next step is to try to find them in the microfilm collection of the FamilySearch Library. Currently, they are being digitized, and plans are to complete that project by 2020. Check back occasionally to see if your records have become available. In the meantime, some of them might be available at a FamilySearch Center near you. To find a microfilm:


 * a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Philippines, Davao Oriental.
 * b. Click on "Places within Philippines, Davao Oriental" and a list of towns and cities will open.
 * c. Click on the town or city you wish to search.
 * d. Click on "Civil Registration" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor.
 * f. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

3.Writing for Records

 * Civil registry documents that can be obtained from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), 1945 -.Click here for detailed instructions for requesting certificates by mail.  Click here to order records online.
 * Civil registry records from the National Archives, prior to 1945. See Philippines Civil Registration (Archives Division) collection listed above under 1. Online Civil Registration Records to find the starting date for your province. Click here for the Archives Collection and Access Division. . Here you will find instructions and forms for ordering records from the National Archives.
 * A copy of the records have been retained in local civil registry offices. Because many records were lost or damaged in the war, checking both the national office and local office might help find a surviving record. Click here for a directory of office telephone numbers, fax numbers, and sometimes e-mail addresses. To write to them, address your letter to:

City Civil Registry (postal code--find it here) (City) Davao Oriental, Philippines

English is the official language of the Philippines. This Letter Writing Guide will help you with organizing your letter and phrasing your requests.

Church Records
Church records are very important for family research. Civil authorities did not consistently register vital events in the Philippines until the nineteenth century. Church records, on the other hand, were well kept from 1569 (in accordance with the directives of the Council of Trent), with some records dating even earlier. They are generally an excellent source—and many times the only source—of names, dates, and places of births, marriages, and deaths. Key records are baptisms/christenings, marriages, and deaths/burials.

Generally registers exist for the following denominations: Other religious groups in the Philippines:

Contents:
 * Islam (Muslim immigrants and converts 11th-15th centuries, also called Moros)
 * Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian (Some Chinese immigrants arrived in the 16th-19th centuries, but many more arrived in the 20th century)
 * Hindu (East Indian immigrants arrived in the 20th century)
 * Jews (Arrived in the 20th century)
 * Baptismal records: Baptism dates; children’s names; parents’ residence and names (sometimes mother's maiden name is given); witnesses’ and godparents’ names, and sometimes their residence and relationship to infants; sometimes grandparents’ names.
 * Marriage records: Candidates’ names; marriage and/or proclamation dates; often birth places, residence, witnesses, former spouses and parents’ names.
 * Death/burial records: Name of deceased; burial date; often age and cause of death; residence; spouse’s name, especially for women; parents’ names for deceased children.

1. Online Church Records
These very limited collections include some church records:
 * 1615-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1642-1994, index, incomplete.
 * 1723-1957, index, incomplete.
 * 1726-1957, index, incomplete.

The Ancestry.com collections are the same, but their search engine seems more powerful.
 * 1642-1994 Philippines, Select Births and Baptisms, 1642-1994, index, incomplete ($).
 * 1723-1957 Philippines, Select Marriages, 1723-1957, index, incomplete ($).
 * 1726-1957 Philippines, Select Deaths and Burials, 1726-1957, index, incomplete ($).

The collections are also available on MyHeritage.
 * 1642-1994 Philippines, Births and Baptisms, 1642-1994, index, incomplete ($).
 * 1723-1957 Philippines, Marriages, 1723-1957, index, incomplete ($).
 * 1726-1957 Philippines Deaths and Burials, 1726-1957, index, incomplete ($).

2. Microfilm Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
You can also search microfilmed copies of available church records. If the locality and time period you need are not included in the online records, the next step is to try to find them in the microfilm collection of the FamilySearch Library. Currently, they are being digitized, and plans are to complete that project by 2020. Check back occasionally to see if your records have become available. In the meantime, some of them might be available at a FamilySearch Center near you. To find a microfilm:


 * a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Philippines, Davao Oriental.
 * b. Click on "Places within Philippines, Davao Oriental" and a list of towns and cities will open.
 * c. Click on the town or city you wish to search.
 * d. Click on "Church Records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor. "Bautismos" are baptisms. Matrimônios and "Casamentos" are marriages.  "Óbitos"  and Defunciones are deaths.  "Índice" is the index.
 * f. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

3. Writing to Request Records
Unless you know your ancestor was of another religion, begin by searching Catholic records. Davao Oriental Province is in the Diocese of Mati. Write or telephone to inquire whether the diocese holds the parish records: Bishop of Mati Diocese of Mati St. John of the Cross, Clergy House Compound Madang, Miti, 8200 Davao Oriental Philippines

Telephone: (087)388.3707; 811.4190 Fax: 811.4190

Or write directly or call the parish. See The Catholic Directory for addresses and telephone numbers for parishes.

For other religions, Google the denomination and the location. Many churches maintain websites.

Write, call, or personally visit the parish or church. Ask for permission to study their records or make arrangements for them to search for you. It is usual to pay for their help in the form of a donation to the church. When you write, send the following:


 * Full name and the gender of the person sought.
 * Names of the parents, if known.
 * Approximate date and place of the event.
 * Your relationship to the person.
 * Reason for the request (family history, medical, etc.).
 * Request for a photocopy of the complete original record.
 * Check or cash for the search fee (usually about $10.00).

English is the official language of the Philippines. This Letter Writing Guide will help you with organizing your letter and phrasing your requests.

Reading the Records

 * Many records are written in Spanish. You do not have to be fluent in Spanish to read your documents. Genealogical records usually contain a limited vocabulary. Use this Spanish Genealogical Word List to translate the important points in the document. Handwriting skills are taught in BYU Spanish Script Tutorial.


 * Online Learning Center class on reading Spanish handwriting:
 * Deciphering Spanish Handwriting


 * Detailed instructions for reading Spanish records, examples of common documents, and practice exercises for developing skills in translating them can be found in the Spanish Records Extraction Manual.
 * The Spanish Documents Script Tutorial also provides lessons and examples.

Tips for finding your ancestor in the records
Effective use of church records includes the following strategies.


 * Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find his birth record, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
 * Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
 * You can estimate the ages of the parents and determine a birth year to search for their birth records.
 * Then repeat the process for both the father and the mother.
 * If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.
 * Search the death registers for all known family members.

Cemeteries

 * Japanese Peace Memorial Shrine/Cemetery
 * Santiago Cemetery (Santiago)
 * Cemetery/Crematoriums
 * Find A Grave

Websites

 * Davao Oriental Wikipedia
 * Davao Oriental Province Government Website
 * Directory of Cities and Towns in Province of Davao Oriental, Philippines
 * Davao Oriental Province, Philippines
 * Davao Oriental Map
 * ZIP Codes & Phone Area Code