Colombia, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Colombia

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes baptisms, confirmations, marriages, pre-marriage investigations, marriage dispensations, deaths, and indexes for parishes throughout Columbia from 1576-2017.

These records were created by priests. The earlier records from this collection are all handwritten in a narrative format. Some later records are handwritten on printed forms, which may vary slightly from one priest to another. Generally, these records were written in chronological order. In smaller parishes, one book was used for all the ordinances (such as baptism, marriage, and death). In larger cities, records of the different types of sacred ordinances were kept in separate books. Confirmations were generally written in the baptismal registers. Some of the older records are damaged, but most of the genealogical information can be extracted.

For a complete list of all the parishes included in this collection, see the Parishes in Colombia coverage table.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish. For help reading these records see the following guides:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2

If you speak Spanish, the following free online lesson may be helpful to learn how to use the information in these records:
 * Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish

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

Death 
 * Deceased’s name
 * Gender
 * Age
 * Date and place of burial
 * Cause of death
 * Legitimacy
 * Marital status of deceased
 * Name of spouse if married
 * Parents’ names
 * Residence of deceased

Marriage 
 * Marriage date
 * Marriage place
 * Name of bride & groom
 * Age of bride & groom
 * Origin of bride & groom
 * Legitimacy
 * Groom's parents' names
 * Bride's parents' names
 * Names of witnesses

Baptismal 
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Name and gender
 * Father's name
 * Father's marital status
 * Father's age
 * Father's place of baptism
 * Names of father's parents
 * Legitimacy of child
 * Mother's name
 * Mother's marital status
 * Mother's age and place of baptism
 * Names of mother's parents
 * Names of witnesses and their identification information

Child recognition 
 * Date of legal recognition
 * Name of the father
 * Father’s parents
 * Father’s place of baptism
 * Father’s marital status and spouse’s name
 * Father’s age
 * Father’s identification number and place of issue
 * Name of the child being recognized
 * Child’s place and date of baptism
 * Mother’s name
 * Mother’s parents
 * Mother’s place of baptism
 * Mother’s marital status and spouse’s name, if married
 * Mother’s age

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before using this collection it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence
 * Estimated marriage, birth or death year

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 


 * 1) Select Department
 * 2) Select City or Town
 * 3) Select Parish
 * 4) Select Record Type and Years 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.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Check the image the index was taken from to see if there is additional information
 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference; see the section Citing This Collection for assistance. Save or print a copy of the image
 * Use the information to find more. For instance, use the age listed in the record to estimate a year of birth, if that is yet undetermined
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate civil records Colombia Civil Registration
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each spouse to find a couple's birth records and parents' names
 * 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

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * A boundary change could have occurred, and the record of you ancestor is now in a neighboring area. Search the records and indexes of neighboring cities, provinces, and regions
 * Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names. Transcription errors could occur in any handwritten record; also, it was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name
 * Your ancestor may have immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or Colombia Emigration and Immigration records
 * New information is constantly being indexed, microfilmed or updated. Periodically check back to see if your ancestor’s records have been added.  You can see if the area you’ve been looking in has been recently updated by going to Historical Records Collections.  Watch for an asterisk for recently added or updated records

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

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.