Spain, Diocese of Lugo, Catholic Parish Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
This collection includes digital copies of records of baptisms, marriages, and burials of the parishes of the Diocese of Lugo, Spain covering the years from 1550 to 1966. Some records have been indexed and are searchable as part of this collection. Most of the parish records from the Diocese of Lugo have been preserved well, but some earlier entries may have some damage.

Parish priests performed the baptisms, marriages, deaths, burials, and other holy sacraments in their assigned parish or parishes. All of the original parish records were kept in the parish archive, however, the older records were centralized into the diocesan archive. Usually separate registers were maintained for baptisms, marriages, and deaths, however, in localities with a small population the records of baptisms, marriages, and burials were recorded in the same register. Confirmations were usually recorded with the baptismal registers, but can also be found with deaths and/or marriages. Generally, entries were created in chronological order.

These records are in Spanish; see the section "For Help Reading These Records" for links to translation help guides. Early registers may have some ecclesiastical wording written in Latin.

Catholic Church parish records cover about 95 to 100% of the population. However, this collection only includes the parish records that have been centralized through the years into the diocesan archive.

Collection Content
The information in each record may vary by year.

Baptism records may include the following information:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Name and gender
 * Date of birth or age at time of baptism
 * Legitimacy to parents (whether biological or adopted)
 * Parents names, their residence, and place of origin
 * Names of paternal grandparents and their place of residence
 * Names of maternal grandparents and their place of residence
 * Name of godparents
 * Name of witnesses

Marriage records usually include:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names and ages of the bride and groom
 * Marital status, residence, and origin of bride and groom
 * Names of groom's parents, their residence, and place of origin
 * Names of bride's parents, their residence, and place of origin
 * Names of witnesses

Burial records usually include:


 * Date and place of death
 * Name and age of deceased (keep in mind that the records of women may be filed under their married name)
 * Marital status/name of spouse
 * Residence and/or place of origin
 * Cause of death
 * Date and place of burial
 * Sometimes, deceased may have left a testament
 * Sometimes, entries give the names of children

How Do I Search the Collection?
Some record sets have indexes; these indexes were created at the end of the year. Copy errors, altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors (if the information was scanned) 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 quick and helpful way to find the actual record.

See the sections below for tips and uses for searching and finding the record of your ancestor in this collection and using the information in the record.

If you are unable to find a record for your ancestor in this collection, see the corresponding section below.

Search the Collection
Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: 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.

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 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

What Do I Do Next?

 * 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 residence and names of the parents to locate civil records Spain Civil Registration - Vital Records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of a marriage officiator is a clue to their 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 is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Use the marital status (whether a divorce or death dissolved a marriage) to identify previous marriages.
 * Witnesses often were relatives of the parents.

I Found Who I was Looking for, Now What?
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 Who I'm Looking for, Now What?
Maybe your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search immigration/emigration records. Spain Emigration and Immigration

Civil registration records (birth, marriage, and death records) are also a good substitute for when a church record cannot be found. Spain Civil Registration - Vital Records

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.


 * Collection Citation:

"Spain, Lugo Diocese, Catholic Parish Records, 1550-1966" Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Archivos Diocesanos, Lugo, Spain.

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