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Guide to Province of Abra ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

'''Most of your genealogical research for Abra will be in two main record types: civil registration and church records. This article will teach you methods for locating and searching these two record groups.''' 

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History
Abra is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. It was first created in 1846 as a political-military province with Lepanto as a sub-province. It remained so until the arrival of the Americans in 1899. On March 9, 1917, the Philippine Assembly re-established Abra as a province. It is bordered by Ilocos Norte on the northwest, Apayao on the northeast, Kalinga on the mid-east, Mountain Province on the southeast, and Ilocos Sur on the southwest. The Province of Abra is divided into 27 municipalities and the capital is the city of Bangued.

Civil Registration (Registros Civiles)

 * The recording births, marriages and deaths, provides important information of events in a person's life and required valid evidence, making these records very important.
 * Most vital records from before 1889 come from Catholic parish and diocesan archives.
 * In 1889, the Spanish government created the Central Office of Statistics, which required each parish priest to give the government a detailed list of the births, marriages, and deaths in his area.
 * After the Philippine Revolution of 1898, the church and state became separate. Within the first few years, officials responsible for civil registration were appointed in each municipality.
 * In 1930, civil registration became mandatory and, in 1932, the Bureau of Census and Statistics was created to oversee all civil registration in the Philippines. It was not until 1940 that most registrations began to be recorded.
 * Contents:
 * Births: Child’s name, birth date and place; parents’ names, residence, and occupation; witnesses’ ages, relationships, residences.
 * Marriages: Bride and groom names, ages, residences, occupations, marriage date and place; sometimes ages and/or birth dates and places; parents' names;  residences, occupations; witnesses and officer who performed ceremony; former spouses.
 * Death registers: Name of deceased, age, death date and place, occupation, name of surviving spouse, informant’s name and residence, cause of death, sometimes birth date and place, parents’ names, children’s names.
 * Fetal deaths: Record of all stillbirths, includes information similar to birth and death data shown above.
 * Population coverage: Before 1922, 20%; after 1922, 90%.

1. Online Civil Registration Records
There are some civil registrations records available online and indexed but collections are incomplete.
 * 1706-1911 - Philippines Civil Registration (Spanish Period), 1706-1911 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection — browsable  images.
 * 1888-1986 - at FamilySearch — index and images, incomplete.
 * 1888-1984 - at FamilySearch — browsable images, incomplete.
 * 1902-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images, incomplete.
 * 1902-1945 - Abra, Philippines Civil Registration (Archives Division), 1902-1945 at FamilySearch — browsable images, incomplete.
 * 1945-1984 -  at FamilySearch — index and images, incomplete.
 * 1945-1984 - Philippines Civil Registration (National), 1945-1984 at FamilySearch — browsable images, incomplete.

2. Microfilmed Civil Registration Records in the FamilySearch Catalog

 * a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Philippines, Abra.
 * b. Click on "Places within Philippines, Abra" and a list of towns and cities will open.
 * c. Click on the town or city you wish to search.
 * d. Click on "Civil Registration" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor. "Nascimentos" are births. Matrimônios and "Casamentos" are marriages.  "Óbitos" are deaths.  "Índice" is the index.
 * f. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm 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 microfilm.

3. Ordering Certificates From the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)

 * Civil registry records beginning with the year 1945, researchers can solicit the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) for copies of civil registration certificates.
 * Detailed information on how to order these certificates online is found at PSA SERBILIS. It will take you through the process step by step.
 * Requesting certificate copies by mail see Requesting for a Civil Registry Document. All requests by mail should be addressed to:


 * THE CIVIL REGISTRAR GENERAL
 * NATIONAL STATISTICS OFFICE
 * P.O. BOX 779, MANILA CPO
 * 1000 MANILA
 * PHILIPPINES




 * Civil registry records prior to 1945, contact the National Archives of the Philippines.
 * You will find instructions and forms for ordering records from the National Archives from the Archives Collection and Access Division.
 * See Abra, Philippines Civil Registration (Archives Division) collection listed above under 1. Online Civil Registration Records to find the starting date for your province.

4. Writing to the Civil Registry of a Municipality
NOTE: All lines of the international delivery address should appear in all capital letters. If possible, the address should have no more than five lines. For more information see USPS International Mail Manual. The correct format for Philippine postal addresses requires the Zip Code be placed to the left of the province as shown below in the table below.


 * Many records were lost or damaged in the war. Checking both the national office and the local office might help find a surviving record.


 * Local civil registry offices have retained copies of the civil registry records. The Directory of Civil Registrars provides office telephone numbers, fax numbers, and sometimes email addresses. Request by mail, email or fax is accepted. Write, email, or fax a brief request for the certificate copy using the address formats below:




 * Write a brief request to the proper office. Send the following:
 * Full name and the sex of the person sought.
 * Names of the parents, if known.
 * Approximate date and place of the event.
 * Your relationship to the person.
 * Reason for the request (family history, medical, etc.).
 * Request for a photocopy of the complete original record.
 * Check or cash for the search fee ($20.30).

English is the official language of the Philippines. The Letter Writing Guide will help you with organizing your letter and phrasing your requests.

Church Records
Church records are very important for family research. Civil authorities did not consistently register vital events in the Philippines until the nineteenth century. Church records, on the other hand, were well kept from 1569 (in accordance with the directives of the Council of Trent), with some records dating even earlier. They are generally an excellent source—and many times the only source—of names, dates, and places of births, marriages, and deaths. Key records are baptisms/christenings, marriages, and deaths/burials.

Generally registers exist for the following denominations: Other religious groups in the Philippines:

Contents:
 * Islam (Muslim immigrants and converts 11th-15th centuries, also called Moros)
 * Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian (Some Chinese immigrants arrived in the 16th-19th centuries, but many more arrived in the 20th century)
 * Hindu (East Indian immigrants arrived in the 20th century)
 * Jews (Arrived in the 20th century)
 * Baptismal records: Baptism dates; children’s names; parents’ residence and names (sometimes mother's maiden name is given); witnesses’ and godparents’ names, and sometimes their residence and relationship to infants; sometimes grandparents’ names.
 * Marriage records: Candidates’ names; marriage and/or proclamation dates; often birth places, residence, witnesses, former spouses and parents’ names.
 * Death/burial records: Name of deceased; burial date; often age and cause of death; residence; spouse’s name, especially for women; parents’ names for deceased children.

1. Online Church Records
The limited record collections below include some church records.
 * 1642-1994 - at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, incomplete; Also at: Ancestry ($), MyHeritage ($)
 * 1723-1957 - at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, incomplete; Also at: Ancestry ($); MyHeritage ($)
 * 1726-1957 - at FamilySearch — How to Use his Collection; index, incomplete; ''Also at: Ancestry ($), MyHeritage ($)

2. Microfilmed Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog

 * a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Philippines, Abra.
 * b. Click on "Places within Philippines, Abra" and a list of towns and cities will open.
 * c. Click on the town or city you wish to search.
 * d. Click on "Church Records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor. "Bautismos" are baptisms. Matrimônios and "Casamentos" are marriages.  "Óbitos"  and Defunciones are deaths.  "Índice" is the index.
 * f. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm 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 microfilm.

3. Writing to Request Church Records
NOTE: All lines of the international delivery address should appear in all capital letters. If possible, the address should have no more than five lines. For more information see USPS International Mail Manual. The correct format for Philippine postal addresses requires the Zip Code be placed to the left of the province as shown below.


 * Unless you know your ancestor was of another religion, begin by searching Catholic Church records. The Province of Abra in the Cordillera Administrative Region is in the Diocese of Bangued.


 * Before you contact the Catholic clergy, please see the New Advent article Ecclesiastical Addresses and scroll down to the section titled English-speaking countries to find the proper forms of address. Write, telephone, or email to inquire whether the diocese holds the parish records:


 * THE MOST REV. BISHOP OF BANGUED
 * BISHOP'S HOUSE
 * BANGUED
 * 2800 ABRA
 * PHILIPPINES


 * Tel.: (63 74) 752-8040
 * Fax: (63 74) 752-8028
 * Email: rcbbabra@hotmail.com


 * Or you may want to write directly to the parish using the Abra, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) city list to search for parish addresses. Use the address shown in the first column of the table below as a template, filling in the parentheses with the specific information for the parish. An example of a parish address is shown in the second column. Please use the third column for detailed instruction using the parish table and map on the Diocese of Bangued page:




 * Write a brief request to the parish or church and send the following:
 * Full name and the gender of the person sought.
 * Names of the parents, if known.
 * Approximate date and place of the event.
 * Your relationship to the person.
 * Reason for the request (family history, medical, etc.).
 * Request for a photocopy of the complete original record.
 * Check or cash for the search fee (usually about $10.00).

English is the official language of the Philippines. The Letter Writing Guide will help you with organizing your letter and phrasing your requests.

For other religions, Google the denomination and the location. Many churches maintain websites. Write or personally visit the parish or church. Ask for permission to study their records or make arrangements for them to search for you. It is usual to pay for their help in the form of a donation to the church.

Reading the Records

 * Many records are written in Spanish. You do not have to be fluent in Spanish to read your documents. Genealogical records usually contain a limited vocabulary. Use this Spanish Genealogical Word List to translate the important points in the document. Handwriting skills are taught in BYU Spanish Script Tutorial.


 * Online Learning Center class on reading Spanish handwriting:
 * Deciphering Spanish Handwriting


 * Detailed instructions for reading Spanish records, examples of common documents, and practice exercises for developing skills in translating them can be found in the Spanish Records Extraction Manual.
 * The Spanish Documents Script Tutorial also provides lessons and examples.

Tips for finding your ancestor in the records
Effective use of church records includes the following strategies.


 * Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find his birth record, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
 * Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
 * You can estimate the ages of the parents and determine a birth year to search for their birth records.
 * Then repeat the process for both the father and the mother.
 * If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.
 * Search the death registers for all known family members.

Cemeteries

 * BillionGraves - States or Provinces in Philippines
 * BillionGraves - Cemeteries in Cordillera Administrative Region
 * Find A Grave - Philippines

Family History Library

 * FamilySearch Catalog
 * Philippines Civil Registration (Archives Division) - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Philippines Genealogy
 * Family History Library Research Outlines

Websites

 * Abra Province Facebook
 * Abra Province, Philippines
 * Abra Map
 * ZIP Codes & Phone Area Code of Abra, Philippines