Argentina, Corrientes, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Argentina Corrientes

What is in the Collection?
These records are in Spanish. This collection of church records for the period of 1734 to 1977, includes confirmation, baptism, marriage and death records for the cities of Alvear, Bella Vista, Berón de Astrada, Concepción, Corrientes, Empedrado, General Paz, Itatí, Ituzaingó, Itá-Ibaté, La Cruz, Paso de los Libres, Saladas, San Cosme, San Luis del Palmar, San Miguel, San Roque, Santo Tomé and Yapeyú in the province of Corrientes.

The parishes included in this collection are Catedral Inmaculada Concepción, Nuestra Señora del Carmen, San Antonio, Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Santísima Cruz de los Milagros, Nuestro Señor Hallado, Nuestra Señora de Itatí, San Juan Bautista, Asunción de María Santísima, San José, Saladas, San Cosme, San Luis del Palmar, San Miguel, San Roque and Nuestra Señora de los Reyes.

Records from the city of Yapeyú are housed at the parish archive of San Fructuoso of Tacuarembó, Tacuarembó, Uruguay.

Earlier registers are handwritten in narrative style, and later records were handwritten on printed forms.

General Information About Church Records Church records are crucial for genealogical research, since civil authorities did not begin registering vital statistics until after 1886. After this date one should search in both church and civil records as there may be information in one that does not appear in the other. For instance the church records may only list the godparents whereas the civil records may list the grandparents.

Church records are the most important records for genealogical research in Argentina. The vast majority of Argentines were Catholic and were registered in the records of the local parish or diocese which are called registros parroquiales (parish registers). These records include entries for baptisms, marriage information, marriages, deaths, and burials. They can help you trace and link families. Often two and sometimes three generations are indicated in the records. In addition, church records may include church censuses, account books, confirmations, and other church-related records.

Some church records have been lost or have deteriorated due to natural effects, such as humidity and insects, and more dramatic events such as fire, floods and earthquakes. Civil and political strife have also caused the destruction of parish books. Some records were destroyed or damaged because of poor storage. However, many records considered lost are simply misplaced or misidentified.

In 1886 the civil government began keeping vital records (civil registration). If you are looking for ancestors who came before this time, then the Catholic Church parish registers are the best records available to identify these individuals, since church records were around for hundreds of years prior to civil registration. For civil vital records of births, deaths, and marriages after 1886, see Argentina Civil Registration (Registro Civil).

For a list of localities currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
Baptismal records usually include the following information:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's birth date
 * Parents' names, origin and province
 * Parents' marriage date and residence
 * Godparents names and their residence

Confirmation Records usually include the following information:


 * Name
 * Age
 * Legitimacy
 * Place of baptism
 * Parents
 * Godparents

Marriage records usually include the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Name of groom
 * Groom’s age, civil status, origin and residence
 * Groom's date and place of baptism and confirmation
 * Groom's parents' names, origin, dioceses, and provinces
 * Name of bride
 * Bride’s age, civil status, origin and residence
 * Bride’s date and place of baptism and confirmation
 * Bride’s parents’ names, origin, dioceses, and provinces
 * Witnesses' names and their residence

Death records usually include the following information:


 * Name of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Age, civil status and nationality of deceased
 * Cause of death

How Do I Search the Collection?
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 and 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.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page To browse this collection, you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select "Browse through images" link on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the “City or Town” category ⇒ Select the “Parish” category ⇒ Select the “Record Type and Years” 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 which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

For Help Reading These Records

These records are in Spanish. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:


 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Argentina Language and Languages

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. Keep in mind:


 * The information in church records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another.

I Found Who I was Looking for, Now What?

 * 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.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * Use the marriage number to identify previous marriages.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.

Citing 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: