Colombia, Diocese of Barranquilla, Catholic Church Records, - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes Catholic Church baptism, marriage, and death/burial records from parishes for 1808 to 1985 from the Diocese of Barranquilla (city) in the Atlántico Department (state). Original records are kept by the Diócesis de Barranquilla in Colombia. There may be some confirmation and other miscellaneous records mixed in.

For much of its history, the predominate religion in Barranquilla was Catholicism, which records and solemnizes important life events.

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:

Baptism
 * Name and gender
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Birth date
 * Legitimacy
 * Names of parents
 * Names of godparents

Marriage
 * Names and ages of groom and bride
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Birthplaces of groom and bride
 * Estimated birth years of groom and bride
 * Names of groom’s parents
 * Names of bride’s parents
 * Who performed the marriage
 * Names of witnesses

Death
 * Deceased’s name, gender, and age
 * Date and place of death
 * Date and place of burial
 * Estimated birth year
 * Marital status/name of spouse
 * Names of parents

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 or birth year

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 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.