Uruguay Church Records

=Online Resources and Websites=
 * FamilySearch, index, incomplete.
 * Uruguay, Select Baptisms, 1750-1900, Ancestry.com, ($), index, incomplete.
 * Uruguay, Baptisms, 1750-1900, MyHeritage, ($), index, incomplete.
 * , FamilySearch, index.
 * Uruguay, Select Civil Registration Records, 1870-1930, Ancestry.com, ($), index.
 * Uruguay, Civil Registration, MyHeritage, ($), index, incomplete.
 * , index.
 * , FamilySearch, index, incomplete.
 * Uruguay, Select Marriages, 1840-1900, Ancestry.com, ($), index, incomplete.
 * Uruguay, Marriages, 1840-1900, MyHeritage, ($), index, incomplete.


 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, index and images, ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages,, index and images, ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, index and images, ($)

=Historical Background= Uruguay has no official religion; church and state are officially separated, and religious freedom is guaranteed. A 2008 survey by the INE of Uruguay showed Catholicism as the main religion, with 45.7% of the population and 9.0% are non-Catholic Christians. Among the sizeable Armenian community in Montevideo, the dominant religion is Christianity, specifically Armenian Apostolic. The first Anglican church in the country was erected in 1844 by British traders, and is considered a historical landmark. Other religious groups in Uruguay include the Jehovah's Witnesses.

=Information Recorded in the Records= Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario);

Baptisms
In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

Marriages
Marriage registers can give:

Burials
Burial registers may give:

=How to Find Records=

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of Uruguay.
 * b. Click on Places within Uruguay and a list of towns will appear.
 * c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records
You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. See the Spanish Letter Writing Guide for help with composing letters.

= References =