Colombia, Valle del Cauca, Miscellaneous Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains miscellaneous records that are housed at the Archivo Histórico de Buga. These records include censuses (padrones), will-related records (mortuorias and testamentarías), and voter identification cards (cédulas electorales) from 1549-1955.

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 information in these records usually include the following:

Census
 * Name
 * Age
 * Residence
 * Relationship to the head of household

Wills
 * Name of the deceased
 * Names of family members
 * Place and date of death

Voter identification
 * Name of the voter
 * Residence of the voter

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

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 


 * 1) Select Tipo de registro y años 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 age to calculate a birth date
 * Use the place of residence as a starting point and search nearby towns for further records and ancestors
 * Wills/testamentos are good for learning the death date and place, what family/friends he/she had at the time of death, his/her wealth status at the time of death; for example, if your ancestor gave parcels of owned land to descendants/relatives, then you know to look for land records
 * Censuses/censos help to also identify family relationships as well as ages and birthplaces which then help us find birth records

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

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * Colombia, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical RecordsChurch records are also a great source for finding information about your ancestor
 * Proof of information given during a census was not required, so it may contain some errors
 * Censuses were taken by ordinary civilians who may have misspelled names, so check for variant spellings of the names, especially phonetically
 * 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.