Venezuela, Archdiocese of Mérida, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Venezuela, Mérida Registros Parroquiales de la Iglesia Católica

Record Description
This collection will include records of baptism, marriage, and also death/burial, and other ordinances from 1654 to 2012 for the parishes under the Archdiocese of Merida.

These parish records have been preserved relatively well. In general they are in good condition to extract genealogical information. Some of the older registers may appear to have some physical damage, therefore, some data may have been lost or may be very difficult to read.

Parish priests performed the baptisms, marriages, deaths, burials, and other holy sacraments in their assigned parish or parishes. All the original parish records were kept in the parish archive. However, the older records were, and currently are, sent annually to the archdiocesan archive to be preserved and centralized in one place. Most of the earlier population were Roman Catholics, therefore, parish records cover 95 to 100% of a city’s population. This collection only includes the parish records that were centralized at the archive of the Archdiocese of Merida (Arquidiócesis de Mérida).

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

Catholic Church parish records are a reliable source for doing genealogical research in Merida, Venezuela.

Record Content
The information found in each record varies by year. Records were made by Catholic priests or their associates, recorded in Spanish, and mostly written on either lined paper or blank paper that contained pre-printed numbers.

Death/burial records usually include:
 * Deceased’s name, gender, and age (keep in mind that death records for women may be filed under their married name)
 * Marital status/name of spouse
 * Birthplace
 * Names of parents
 * Burial date and place

How to Use the Records
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.

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.

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 image by image you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "State" ⇒Select the "City or Town" ⇒Select the "Parish" ⇒Select the "Record Type and Years" which takes you to the images.

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 available in these 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
In Latin America, two or three generations are often indicated in church registers, along with their birthplaces or residences. If, however, earlier generations are not listed with the relative or ancestor selected, try searching parishes located within a close proximity.

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.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?
A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring state or region, or your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records. Venezuela Emigration and Immigration

Civil registration records are also a good source of genealogical information. Venezuela Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)

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

 * Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mérida
 * Arquidiócesis de Mérida
 * Archdiocese of Maracaibo
 * Hispanic Genealogy Blog is written in English.
 * Blog de Genealogía Hispaña Blog is written in Spanish.
 * Genealogía Española-España GenWeb Website is in Spanish.

Related Wiki Articles

 * Venezuela Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Venezuela Church Records
 * Venezuela Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Venezuela Genealogy
 * Venezuela
 * Mérida

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
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Keep track of records where you did not find information about your ancestor so you and others will not waste time looking through these records in the future.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information for collections published in FamilySearch.org. Source citations include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.