Chile Cemetery Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Chile

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes municipal cemetery records from cemeteries in Antofagasta, Santiago, Valparaíso, and Viña del Mar. The earliest records found in this collection are from 1821 and include up to 2015.

More records will be added as they become available.

Cemetery registers and a variety of documents were needed for the burial. The work orders correspond to transfers or grave-site reductions. The judicial declarations give family relationships with the buried person and sometimes include birth or marriage records. The authorization document is a legal approval to give burial to an individual, and receipts (comprobantes) include the burial service payment. The daily log register includes the name of all cadavers entering the cemetery through a specific door and includes the service requested.

Some records you may find in this collection are:


 * Burial Registers and Card Indexes
 * Burial Authorizations (also Transfer Requests, Payment Records, Receipts, and Proof of Income)

These records were usually made close to the date of burial.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish. For help reading these records see the following guides:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2

If you speak Spanish, the following free online lesson may be helpful to learn how to use the information in these records:
 * Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish

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

Burial registers and card indexes
 * Name of deceased (keep in mind that death records for women may be filed under their married name)
 * Plot location
 * Date of the site was renovated
 * Date the site expires
 * Receipt number

Burial authorization papers relate to each burial and may be comprised of various record types:
 * Work orders correspond to transfers or reductions of cadavers
 * Sworn declarations contain family relationships with the buried person, sometimes including birth or marriage information
 * Authorization documents are legal approvals to bury an individual
 * Receipts include burial service payment.

These records
 * Cemetery name
 * Name of the deceased
 * Date and time of death
 * Place of death
 * Age at death
 * Gender
 * Cause of death
 * Amount paid for any burial/grave-site expenses
 * Family relations to the deceased (children, extended family, etc.)

How Do I Search This 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

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.

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

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Check the image the index was taken from to see if there is additional information
 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference; see the section Citing This Collection for assistance. Save or print a copy of the image
 * Use the information to find more. For instance, use the age listed in the record to estimate a year of birth, if that is yet undetermined
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find your ancestor in census records
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate Civil Records and Church records
 * Use the estimated birth year and birthplace to locate the baptism record
 * Use the locality and the spouse's name to locate a Catholic Church marriage record
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the deceased who may have been buried in the same cemetery or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify

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

 * New information is constantly being indexed, microfilmed or updated. Periodically check back and see if your ancestor’s records have been added.  You can see if the area you’ve been looking in has been recently updated by going to Historical Records Collections and notice the asterisk for recently added or updated records
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral records, which often include the names and residences of other family members
 * 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

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Chile.
 * Record Finder
 * 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.