Philippines, Biliran, Diocese of Naval Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes parish records from the Diocese of Naval in the island province of Biliran for the years 1818-1978. Original records are located in the Diocesan Archives of Naval, Biliran, Philippines. These records may be faded or show signs of water damage.

Record Categories
These parish records include four main record groups:
 * Baptisms
 * Confirmations
 * Marriages
 * Deaths/Burials

A small amount of other parish records, such as parish censuses, may be found in this collection. See the Record Content section below for more details on information included in each record type.

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. Images in this collection are available for viewing if you are a registered FamilySearch user. You can register for a free FamilySearch account here.

For additional information about image restrictions, please see the Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections page.

Reading these Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading these records see the following guides:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records
 * Script tutorial for Spanish

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Baptism
 * Name, age, and gender
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Names of parents

Confirmation
 * Name, gender, and age
 * Date and place of confirmation
 * Names of parents and, sometimes, grandparents
 * Names of godparents

Marriage
 * Names and ages of groom and bride
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Birthplaces of groom and bride
 * Groom’s parents’ names
 * Bride’s parents’ names
 * Marital status of groom and bride

Death/burial
 * Name, gender, and age of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Date and place of burial
 * Marital status/name of spouse
 * Names of parents
 * Names and residences of informants/witnesses

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Municipality (Parish)
 * 2) Select Record Type, Year Range (Volume Numbers) 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 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. Philippines Census
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate civil and land records. Philippines Land and Property
 * 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 to identify previous marriages (whether a divorce or death dissolved a previous marriage)
 * Witnesses often were relatives of the parents

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring state or region. The Biliran province is the newest and smallest province in the Philippines. It is an island province north of Leyte. It is connected to Leyte by a bridge-causeway.
 * Or your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records. Philippines Emigration and Immigration
 * Civil registration records are also a good substitute when church records are insufficient
 * Philippines, Civil Registration, Local (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * For death records, the information in records is usually reliable, but depends upon the knowledge of the informant
 * For marriage and death records, your ancestors may have used shortened names or nicknames, so pay attention to other relationships (parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc.) that can confirm whether you have the right person/record
 * 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 Philippines.
 * Record Finder

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.