Spain, Diocese of Cartagena, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Spain

What is in This Collection?
This collection will include Catholic Church records from 1552-1948 created by parishes in the Diocese of Cartagena, Spain. These records include: baptisms, confirmations, pre-marriage investigations, marriages, burials and other miscellaneous church records. Images of indexes to these record groups are also included.

Depending on the year, some records may be completely handwritten or filled out on pre-printed forms.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish; also see the section For Help Reading These Records for translation helps.

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

Birth Records
 * Name and gender
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Date and place of birth
 * Legitimacy (biological or adopted son/daughter of …)
 * Father’s name and age
 * Mother’s name and age
 * First names of paternal grandparents
 * First names of maternal grandparents
 * Names of godparents
 * Names of witnesses

Marriage Records
 * Names and ages of bride and groom
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Birthplaces of bride and groom
 * Marital status of bride and groom prior to marriage
 * Legitimacy to parents
 * Occupations of bride and groom
 * Names of parents

Death Records
 * Name, age, and gender of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Names of parents
 * Marital status/name of spouse
 * Date and place of burial

Collection Content
The information in each record may vary by year. Confirmations don’t contain as much information as the baptismal records and may be found among the baptismal records.

How Do I Search This Collection?
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

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 

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

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?

 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find each of the couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * 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.

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.
 * Maybe your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search immigration/emigration records Spain Emigration and Immigration.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate civil records Spain Civil Registration - Vital Records.
 * 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

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.

"Spain, Diocese of Cartagena, Catholic Church Records, 1503-1969.” Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Diócesis de Cartagena, Murcia, España (Diocesan Archives, Murcia, Spain.
 * Collection Citation:

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