Nicaragua, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Nicaragua

What is in This Collection?
This collection of baptisms, marriages, and burials was created by authorized parish priests in the years 1740 to 1960. Most of the inhabitants of Nicaragua were Roman Catholics, therefore these records may cover about 95 to 100 percent of the population from the 16th to the 20th century.

It is common to see the sacramental ordinances of baptism, marriage, and burial in separate registers; however, in smaller towns these records may all be recorded in one yearly book. The entries were normally made in chronological order. Some confirmations may be found within the baptisms. The earlier parish records were all handwritten in narrative form, and later records were handwritten in formatted entries. All records were handwritten in Spanish.

The parish registers may be the only records available for genealogical research before civil registration was implemented in 1879.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish. For help reading them see: If you speak Spanish, the following free online lesson may be helpful to learn how to use the information in these records:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2
 * Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish

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

Baptism records
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's date and place of birth
 * Parents’ names
 * Names of godparents
 * Sometimes, names of grandparents

Marriage records
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Name of groom
 * Groom's age and civil status
 * Groom's place of baptism
 * Names of groom's parents
 * Name of bride
 * Bride's age and civil status
 * Bride's place of baptism
 * Names of bride's parents
 * Names of witnesses

Death records
 * Name of deceased
 * Age and civil status of deceased
 * Parents’ names
 * Sometimes, name of the spouse, if married
 * Cause of death
 * Place of burial

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event

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
 * If available, check the image for additional information
 * Analyze the entry to see if it provides additional clues to find other records of the person or their family

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

 * If available, check the image for additional information
 * Analyze the entry to see if it provides additional clues to find other records of the person or their family
 * Search civil registration (records begin in 1879)
 * Search for variant spellings of names
 * You ancestor may be using a nickname or alias. Download a handout on Spanish name abbreviations
 * A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring area. Search the records and indexes of neighboring cities, provinces, and regions

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Nicaragua.
 * 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.

Nicarágua, Diocese de Manágua, Registros da Igreja Católica (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch) Nicaragua, diócesis de Managua registros parroquiales y diocesanos (Registros Históricos de FamilySearch)