Mexico, Sonora, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Registros Paroquiales de la Iglesia Católica del Estado de Sonora, Mexico.

Record Description
This collection of parish records (such as baptism, marriage, death, and burial records) from several states in Mexico includes years from about 1657 to 1994. The text of the records is in Spanish.

For a list of records by localities, document type and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landindg page.

For additional details about the history of these records and help using them, see the wiki article Mexico Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records. Digital images of original records housed at various Catholic Church archive repositories throughout the State of Sonora, Mexico.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Most baptismal records contain:


 * Date of baptism
 * Place of the event and usually the parish saint name
 * Name of the person being baptized
 * Names of the parents
 * Age or birthdate of the person being baptized
 * Gender
 * Legitimacy
 * Before 1820, social class of the parents
 * Sometimes the person’s race

Most marriage records contain:


 * Date of marriage
 * Place of the event and usually the parish saint name
 * Names of the betrothed
 * Names of the parents
 * Names of the witnesses
 * Ages and marital statuses of the betrothed
 * Places of origin and residence of the betrothed and sometimes that of the parents
 * Legitimacy of the betrothed
 * Sometimes the race of the betrothed

Most burial or death records contain:


 * Date of death or burial
 * Place of burial or death
 * Name of the deceased person
 * Sometimes the names of the parents or the spouse, if the deceased was married
 * Age of the deceased person at time of death
 * Place of residence or origin of the deceased person
 * Sometimes the race of the deceased

How to Use the Records
To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the "City or Towno" category ⇒ Select the "Parish" category ⇒ Select the "Record Type and Years" category 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.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:
 * Mexico Language and Languages
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List

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

 * Sonora, Mexico Genealogy Forum
 * The Apache in Mexican Times
 * Searchable Spanish Mission Recordsof three Spanish missions (Tumacácori, Guevavi and Calabazas)

Related Wiki Articles

 * Mexico Church Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Mexico, Sonora, Catholic Church Records, 1657-1994

When you copy information from the record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find th record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you do 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.