Uruguay, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Uruguay

Title in the Language of the Record
Registros de la Iglesia Católica, Uruguay

What Is in This Collection?
This Collection will include church baptismal, marriage, and death/burial records from the Catholic parishes in Uruguay for the years 1726-2004.

These records are in Spanish; see the section "For Help Reading These Records" for links to translation help guides.

Collection Content
Baptism records generally contain the following information:


 * Name and gender
 * Birth date
 * Parents’ names
 * Godparents' names
 * Date and place of baptism

Marriage records usually contain the following:


 * Name and age of groom
 * Groom’s nationality
 * Groom’s residence
 * Groom’s marital status
 * Name of groom’s parents
 * Name and age of bride
 * Bride’s nationality
 * Bride's residence
 * Name of bride's parents
 * Names of witnesses

Death/burial records may contain the following information:


 * Name, gender, and age of deceased
 * Ethnicity (if not Hispanic)
 * Marital status/name of spouse
 * Date and place of last rites
 * Date of death

How Do I Search the Collection?
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.

Regarding marriage and death records, name changes, shortened names, or nicknames may have been used by your ancestors, so pay attention to other relationships (parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc.) that can confirm whether you have the right person/record.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Departamento (State)
 * 2) Select Ciudad/Pueblo (City/Village)
 * 3) Select Parroquia (Parish)
 * 4) Select Tipo de registro y años (tomo) (Record type and years (volume)) to view the images.

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.

What Do I Do Next?

 * 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 to find each of the couple's baptismal records and parents' names.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of a marriage officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the province. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other provinces.
 * 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.
 * Use the marital status (whether a divorce or death dissolved a marriage) to identify previous marriages.
 * Witnesses often were relatives of the parents.

Tips to Keep in Mind
When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

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.

Continue to search the indexes and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same area or a nearby area.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Uruguay.
 * Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

What If I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For?
Your ancestor may have immigrated to another country. Search immigration/emigration records for those countries surrounding Uruguay or the United States.

Civil Registration records are also a promising source of family history information.

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.