Peru, Lima, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Peru, Lima, Registro Civil

Record Description
This collection includes birth, marriage, and death records from 1874-1997 for the city of Lima and other surrounding municipalities.

The records are in Spanish; see the section "For Help Reading these Records" for access to translation helps.

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)

Record Content
Birth records may include the following information:
 * Date and place of the registration
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's date and place of birth
 * Legitimacy
 * Parents’ names, their age and residence
 * Names of witnesses

Marriage records may include the following:
 * Date and place of the 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 affiliation
 * Names of witnesses

Death records may include:
 * Time, date, and place of registration
 * Name, age, and gender of deceased (keep in mind that death records for women may be under their married name)
 * 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

How to Use the Record
Some record sets have indexes; these indexes were created at the end of the year. Copy errors could have been made in the index, so you want to find the actual record to verify the information is correct. Using the index is a helpful way to find the actual record.

See the sections below for tips and uses for searching and finding the record of your ancestor in this collection and using the information in the record.

If you are unable to find a record for your ancestor in this collection, see the corresponding section below.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

Search the Collection
To search by index: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

To search by image: To search the collection using the browse, you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Provincia" ⇒Select the appropriate "Distrito o municipalidad" ⇒Select the appropriate "Tipo de registro y años" which takes you to the images.

Look at the image and compare the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence, age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading the records see the following guides:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records
 * Script tutorial for Spanish

Using the Information
To learn more about using the information in civil records, view these lessons for free:
 * Encontré este registro ¿y ahora qué? - Spanish
 * Documentos esenciales para buscar a sus antepasados - Spanish
 * Tesoros ocultos en los registros originales - Spanish
 * ¿Y ahora qué? Cómo hacer la investigación genealógica - Spanish

Tips to Keep in Mind
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.

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.

The birth, marriage, and death records contain important information for at least two and sometimes three generations of ancestors in one document.

Unable to Find your Ancestor?
A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring region.

Church records are also a good substitute when birth, marriage, and death records can’t be found or are unavailable.
 * 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

Or your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records:

Peru Emigration and Immigration

General Information about These Records
Civil registration in Peru started on June 21, 1852. Before the government instituted civil registration in Peru, the Catholic Church was the only institution tracking the births, marriages, and deaths of the population. In 1852, during the Republican Era, the government instituted civil registration. 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.

Civil registration in Peru identifies all its residents and issues certificates regarding their identity. The registration of births, marriages, and deaths documents the civil status 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.

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

 * Archivo General de la Nación

Maps

 * Peru in the early 21st century
 * Part of Lima in 1983 (see Broer Map Library for more parts)
 * Southern South America in 1891, with a closeup of Lima
 * Peru in 1871

Local History

 * English wiki entry on Lima
 * Spanish wiki entry on Lima
 * Historia de Lima Peru
 * "Colección de Historiadores del Peru," a Google eBook, published in 1882

Other Genealogical Resources

 * FamilySearch research outline for Peru
 * Peruvian Institute for Genealogical Studies
 * Instituto Peruano de Investigaciones Genealógicas
 * Peru GenForum

Related Wiki Articles

 * Peru Civil Registration
 * Peru Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Deaths (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
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.

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.