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
These records are in Spanish. This collection will include records from 1590 to 1955. For a complete list of all the parishes in contained in this collection, see the Parishes of the Dominican Republic coverage table.

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. The 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. Depending on the priest, some records have more information than others.

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

Record Content
Baptism records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Name of child
 * Birth date of child
 * Parents’ names
 * Grandparents’ names
 * Godparents’ names

Marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of bride and groom
 * Groom's age, origin, civil status and occupation
 * Groom's parents' names
 * Bride's age, origin, civil status and residence
 * Bride's parents' names
 * Witnesses' names

Burial records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of death
 * Name of deceased
 * Age, civil status, and origin of deceased
 * Cause of death
 * Parents' names
 * Burial place

How to Use the Records
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

Search the Collection
To search the collection, select "Browse" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the "Province" ⇒ Select the "City or Town" ⇒ Select the "Parish" ⇒ Select the "Record Type and Years" which takes you to the images.

If indexes are available, check these for the name first. Indexes are usually located at the beginning of a group of images, at the end or in individual folders. Find your ancestor’s name and look for the locator information next to the name (such as page, entry, or certificate number). This will help you find the record you are looking for in the collection.

Compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

Tips to 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.

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

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

 * Online maps
 * Online history
 * Online genealogical resources

Related Wiki Articles

 * Dominican Republic
 * Dominican Republic Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Dominican Republic Vital Records Index (FamilySearch Historical 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: Dominican Republic, Catholic Church Records, 1590-1955

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.

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.