Uruguay, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

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

Record Description
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.

Record 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 to Use the Record
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.

Search the Collection
To search by image: To browse the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the 'Departamento' (State) category ⇒ Select the 'Ciudad/Pueblo' (City/Village) category ⇒ Select the 'Parroquia' (Parish) category ⇒ Select the 'Tipo de registro y años (tomo)' (Record type and years (volume)) category which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing 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.

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence, age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

Using the Information

 * 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.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?
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.

Citations for 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:

Image Citation: