Philippines, Negros Occidental, Roman Catholic Diocese of Bacolod, Parish Registers, - FamilySearch Historical Records

Philippines

What is in the Collection?
This collection will include records from 1755-1976. Records may include confirmations, marriages, deaths, parish censuses, diocesan orders and decrees. The records come from parishes in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bacolod, Philippines. Original records are located in the various parish archives of the diocese.

These records are written in Spanish.

Collection Contents
These records may mostly be hand-written (not on type-written forms), and may be difficult to read.

Death records may contain the following information:


 * Name, gender, and age of deceased (keep in mind that the death records of women may be filed under their married names)
 * Date and place of death
 * Date and place of burial
 * Marital status/name of spouse
 * Names of parents
 * Names and residences of informants/witnesses

How Do I Search the Collection?
When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know your ancestor's name and which type of record (baptism, confirmation, marriage, etc.) you are looking for.

Some record sets included in this collection have indexes. Try finding your ancestor's name in an index first, as it can help you narrow down which images you need to look through. Remember that these indexes were created at the end of the year and that copy errors could have been made. Always verify information in the index by looking at the image of the actual record.

Also, 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.

To search by image: To browse the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the 'Municipality (Parish)' ⇒ Select the '(Record Type, Year Range (Volume Numbers)' which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information you find with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images to make this determination.

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

What Do I Do Next?

 * Use an individual's birth date or age along with the place of birth to find a birth records and parents' names.
 * Use an individual's birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records Philippines Census.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate civil and land records Philippines Land and Property.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of a marriage officiator may be a clue indicating 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 may be especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Use the marital status to identify previous marriages (whether a divorce or death dissolved a previous marriage).
 * Witnesses often were relatives of the parents.

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.
 * For marriage and death records, your ancestors may have used shortened names or nicknames, so pay attention to other relationships (parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc.) that can confirm whether you have the right person/record.
 * Continue to search 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.

What if I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For?

 * Try searching the records of neighboring islands such as Guimaras and Panay.
 * Try searching immigration/emigration records if you think your ancestor may have migrated to another area. Philippines Emigration and Immigration
 * Civil registration records are also a good substitute when church records are insufficient. Philippines, Civil Registration, Local (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image. Collection Citation:

Image Citation: