Philippines, Lingayen-Dagupan Catholic Archdiocese Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records





Record Description
Entries for baptisms, marriages, and deaths (burials) usually consist of a narrative paragraph. Dates are usually spelled out and the name of the principal person is usually written in the margin next to the entry. After about 1920, preprinted forms with columns were sometimes used.

This collection of registers covers the years from 1600 to 1982.

Since about 1600, up to 85 percent of people living in the Philippines have been members of the Roman Catholic Church.

Catholic Church records began to be recorded in the Philippines in 1569 with some records dating earlier.

There was no separation of church and state in the Philippines until the end of the Spanish administration in 1898. Generally, parish priests recorded civil and ecclesiastical documents.

Catholic Church parish registers in the Philippines were created to record the church sacraments of baptism, confirmation, marriage, and burial.

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.

Parish registers are the best records in the Philippines to identify individuals, parents, and spouses before the nineteenth century. After this date, civil authorities began registering vital statistics, which became equally important. The information in civil sources confirms and supplements the information in church records. For instance, the parish registers may list the godparents while the civil records may list the grandparents. Be sure to search both the parish and civil records after 1860 since some families did not consistently register their children with either the church or the government.

See the Philippines Church Records article for more details.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It may include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Parish registers consist primarily of entries for baptisms, marriages, and deaths (burials). The registers sometimes include confirmations or parish census records and the baptismal entries may include a birth date.

Key genealogical facts found in this collection may contain the following information:

Baptism Records


 * Name
 * Age
 * Gender
 * Legitimacy
 * Place and date of baptism
 * Names of the parents and grandparents
 * Names of the godparents

When looking for your ancestor’s baptismal record, remember that the entries are arranged chronologically. Baptisms for illegitimate children may be listed separately or in another set of records entitled “Confidential records,” which may have been microfilmed.

Marriage Records


 * Names of those married
 * Genders of those married
 * Place and date of marriage
 * Names of the parents and grandparents
 * Names of the godparents

Usually, marriages occurred about one year before the first child was born. Elopements were common, sometimes involving a civil marriage prior to the birth of a child. Church marriages may have taken place later. Surnames of a married couple may depend on the income of one spouse’s family, rather than on the husband’s name. It is therefore wise to search for a marriage record under the surnames of both the parents of the bride and the groom.

Death or burial records


 * Name
 * Age at time of death
 * Gender
 * Place and date of death
 * Name of the spouse
 * Sometimes the names of the parents
 * Names of the surviving children
 * Cause of death

Beginning Your Search
To search this collection, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of your ancestor
 * Residence of ancestor

Catholic Church records in the Philippines are generally an excellent source. They are often the only source of information about births, marriages, and deaths.

Searching the 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.

Unable to Find Information?

 * Note the founding date of the parish you are searching. If the date is after your ancestor would be recorded, search records of the parent parish. See the Catholic Directory of the Philippines. If your ancestor lived before the beginning date of the church records, the older parish may be far from the new one.
 * If you cannot find records at a parish, they may have been sent to the diocese. Find the diocese in the Catholic Directory of the Philippines.
 * Your ancestor’s records may have been sent to another municipality or province to protect them during a war. A thorough knowledge of the local history is critical to your family research.

Related Websites

 * Philippine History

Related Wiki Articles

 * Philippines
 * Philippines Church Records
 * Philippines Maps

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should also 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.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Philippines, Lingayen-Dagupan Catholic Archdiocese Parish Registers, 1615-1982" database and digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 30 September 2011), Silvestra Camorongan, 11 April 1919; citing Church Records, FHL micorfilm 1,213,758; Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, Dagupan City Pangasinan, Philippines.