Peru, La Libertad, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Peru La Libertad

What is in the Collection?
Births, marriages, deaths, indexes and other records created by civil registration offices in the department of La Libertad, Peru 1903-1998. Some of these records have been indexed and are searchable as part of this collection. Additional images and indexed records will be published as they become available. Originals are kept at the Archivo Regional de La Libertad en Trujillo, Peru.

These records are written in Spanish; see the section "For Help Reading these Records" for access to translation helps.

For a list of localities currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Collection Content
The information in each record varies by year. The earlier records are handwritten in a narrative format. The later records are also handwritten but on a printed form.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
Birth records generally include the following information:


 * Child’s name and gender
 * Date and place of birth
 * Names and ages of parents
 * Birthplaces of parents
 * Witnesses of birth

Marriage records usually include the following:


 * Names and ages of groom and bride
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Birthplaces of groom and bride
 * Names and ages of groom’s parents
 * Names and ages of bride’s parents
 * Who performed the marriage
 * Names of witnesses

Death records may include:


 * Deceased’s, gender, name and age (keep in mind that death records for women may be filed under their married name)
 * Date and place of death
 * Date and place of birth
 * Marital status/name of spouse
 * Names of parents
 * Birthplaces of parents
 * Names of informant/witnesses
 * Date and place of burial

How Do I Search the Collection?
When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname and an estimated birth, marriage, or death year, some identifying information such as residence, age, and family relationships.

Some record sets have indexes; these indexes were created at the end of the year. Copy errors 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 helpful way to find the actual record.

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.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To browse the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the appropriate “Department or Region” ⇒ Select the appropriate “Province” ⇒ Select the appropriate “District or Municipality” ⇒ Select the appropriate "Record Type and Years" which takes you to the images.

Look at the image and compare the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination

For help reading these records:

These records are in Spanish. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:


 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records
 * Script tutorial for Spanish

To learn more about using the information in civil records, view these lessons for free:

genealógica] - Spanish
 * Documentos esenciales para buscar a sus antepasados - Spanish

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. 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 1800.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * 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 of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * Use the marriage number to identify previous marriages.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

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

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.

If you are unable to find your ancestor(s) in these civil registers, then try searching in the areas surrounding La Libertad. These regions neighbor La Libertad:


 * The Pacific Ocean on the West,
 * Lambayeque, Cajamarca, and Amazonas in the North,
 * San Martín in the East, and
 * Ancash and Huánuco in the South

Church records are also a good substitute when birth, marriage, and death records can’t be found or are unavailable. 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
 * Peru Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Deaths (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Or your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records.
 * Peru Emigration and Immigration

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: