Peru, Lima, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes birth, marriage, and death records from 1874-1996 for the city of Lima and other surrounding municipalities.

Before the government instituted civil registration, the Catholic Church was the only institution tracking the births, marriages, and deaths of the population. Civil registration in Peru started on June 21, 1852. This was first done by political authorities, such as prefecture, subprefecture, and state. In 1856, this responsibility was given to municipalities. Currently, civil registration is in the hands of RENIEC, which delegates the registration process to municipal registrars.

Peru's civil registration identifies all its residents and issues certificates regarding their identity. These records include births, marriages, and death of the residents. In 1876, Peru’s census counted a population of 2.6 million residents, with just over 100,000 of those living in Lima. By 1900, Peru’s population numbered 3.8 million, with 223,807 in Lima.

The earlier records are all handwritten in a narrative format. The later records are also handwritten but on a printed format. Some of their text may also vary slightly. Additional information about these records can be found in the wiki article Peru Civil Registration. The Family History Library’s collection includes civil registers from the following municipalities:
 * Lima o Cercado de lima
 * Ancón
 * Barranco
 * Lurigancho
 * Magdalena del Mar
 * Magdalena Vieja
 * Miraflores
 * San Miguel (previously known as San Miguel del Mar)
 * Santiago de Surco (previously known as San José de Surco)

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish. For help reading them see: FamilySearch Learning Center videos: 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
 * 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:

Births
 * Date and place of the registration
 * Child's name and gender
 * Place and date of birth
 * Legitimacy
 * Parents' names and their age and residence
 * Names of the witnesses

Marriages
 * Date and place of registration
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's full name and age
 * Groom's occupation, nationality, and residence
 * Names of groom's parents and their residence
 * Bride's full name and age
 * Bride's occupation, nationality, and residence
 * Names of bride's parents and their residence
 * Couple's statement of religious afflilation
 * Names of witnesses

Deaths
 * Time, date, and place of the registration
 * Deceased’s name, gender, and age
 * Date, place and time of death
 * Cause of death
 * Parents’ names of deceased
 * Sometimes, name of spouse
 * Names of witnesses, their age(s) and residence
 * Name of person registering death and their relationship to the deceased

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence
 * Estimated marriage or birth year
 * Family relationships

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
 * Check the image the index was taken from to see if there is additional information
 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference
 * Use the information to find more. For instance, use the age listed in the record to estimate a year of birth, if that is yet undetermined
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each spouse to find a couple's birth records and parents' names
 * 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

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

 * If possible, look at the actual image of the record to verify the information found in the online description
 * 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
 * It was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or 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
 * Your ancestor may have also immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or Peru Emigration and Immigration
 * Before the government instituted civil registration in Peru, the Catholic Church was the only institution tracking the births, marriages, and deaths of the population. Peru Church Records are also a good substitute when birth, marriage, and death records can’t be found or are unavailable
 * If you are unable to read a document, or if you’re not sure where to go next in your research, you can ask for help through Hispanic Genealogy Research community on Facebook is a page sponsored by FamilySearch. Here you may also post a question or upload an image of a document for further assistance. The Hispanic Genealogy Research page is designed especially for those who have Hispanic ancestry but may not be fluent in Spanish. Be sure to click like on the page on your first visit so you can receive information and updates from the page in your news feed

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Peru.
 * Peru Record Finder
 * Peru 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.

es=Perú, Lima, registro civil (Registros históricos de FamilySearch)