Dominican Republic, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
'''República Dominicana. Registros parroquiales de la Iglesia Católica.'''

Record Description
This collection of baptisms, marriages, and burials covers the years of 1590 through 1955.

This collection contains baptism, confirmation, marriage, and death records, as well as some indexes originally created in local Catholic Church parishes of the Dominican Republic. They were handwritten in Spanish by the priest in charge of the jurisdiction where the event took place. Most of the records are written in narrative style. Depending on the priest, some records have more information than others.

The records in this collection were created in different Catholic Church jurisdictions throughout the Dominican Republic. Authorized priests received an order from the Queen of Spain to record the events of baptism, marriage, and burial of his parish jurisdiction. These records were to be recorded in registers that were kept at the parish level archive, and a copy was sent to the diocesan archive for preservation. Earlier records were handwritten in narrative style, and later records were handwritten in formatted registers. All records are written in Spanish; some may include some Latin words.

Catholic Church priests were requested to record events, such as baptisms and confirmations, marriages, and deaths or burials, in the life of members under their jurisdiction. Priests also kept registers for other ecclesiastical records related to the administration of their parishes. A copy of each record was to be sent to the diocese of the area.

The Catholic Church records of the Dominican Republic are the best reliable source for genealogical research. For research after the civil registration implementation in 1944, it is suggested to research both civil and church records and to compare the information.

For a list of records by date or locality currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page

Citations for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
The key genealogical facts found on most baptism records include the following:


 * Place of event
 * Date of event
 * Name of the child
 * Parents’ names
 * Grandparents’ names
 * Godparents’ names

The key genealogical facts found on most marriage records include the following:


 * Place and date of the event
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Personal information of the bride and groom
 * Parents’ names of the bride and groom
 * Place of residence

The key genealogical facts found on most death or burial records include the following:


 * Date and place of death
 * Name of the deceased person
 * Sometimes the names of the parents or spouse of the deceased person
 * Cause of death
 * Burial place

How to Use the Records
To search the collection, select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the Provincia ⇒ Select the Ciudad o Pueblo ⇒ Select the Parroquia ⇒ Select the Tipo de Registro y Años which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Name indexes to baptisms, marriages, and deaths or burials make it possible to access a specific record quickly. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings and misinterpretations. If the information was scanned, there may be optical character recognition errors.

When browsing the collection, it is helpful to know the following:


 * The place where the event occurred
 * The name and surname of the person
 * The approximate date of the event

Keep in mind:


 * The information in church records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Dominican Republic Genealogy GenWeb Project
 * Genealogy Resources for Dominican Republic

Related Wiki Articles

 * Dominican Republic
 * Dominican Republic Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Dominican Republic Vital Records Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should 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
“Dominican Republic, Catholic Church Records, 1590-1955,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 27 June, 2012), Barahona &gt; Barahona &gt; Santa Cruz &gt; Bautismos 1874-1925 &gt; image 982 of 991 images, Miguel Angel, 1898; citing Parroquia Santa Cruz, Barahona, Dominican Republic.