Mexico, Chihuahua, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This is a collection of civil registration records for Chihuahua, Mexico. It covers the years of 1861 to 1997 (excepting 1909 and 1911-1913). Earlier records were handwritten in narrative style; later records were handwritten in formatted registers.

Civil records in Mexico cover about 90 to 95% of the population. Beginning in 1859, the Mexican government began requiring births, marriages, and deaths to be recorded by civil authorities on a municipality/district level.

Although these records are a great source of genealogical information, they are not complete as civil registration wasn't strictly enforced in Mexico until 1867 and people did not always comply. For this reason, church registers should be used alongside the civil records. The civil records of Mexico have been preserved relatively well. Only some of the older registers may have some physical damage. However, in general, they are in good condition to extract genealogical information.

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:

Birth Records
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Child's name and gender
 * Legitimacy
 * Child’s date and place of birth
 * Parents' names and their residence or place of origin
 * Paternal grandparents' names and their residence
 * Maternal grandparents' names and their residence
 * Names of witnesses
 * Witnesses' age, civil status, occupation and residence

Marriage Records
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom name and age
 * Groom's origin and nationality
 * Groom's civil status, occupation and residence
 * Names of groom's parents and their residence
 * Groom's parents' occupation, origin and nationality
 * Bride's name and age
 * Bride's origin and nationality
 * Bride's civil status, occupation and residence
 * Names of bride's parents and their residence
 * Bride's parents' occupation, origin and nationality
 * Names of witnesses and their residence

Death Records
 * Name of person making declaration and relationship to deceased
 * Declarant's age, gender, civil status, occupation and residence
 * Name and age of deceased
 * Occupation, origin and residence of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Spouse's name, if married
 * Parents' names, occupation, origin and residence
 * Names of witnesses, their age(s) and occupation
 * Sometimes place of burial

Collection Content
For additional details about these records and help using them see Mexico Civil Registration Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching 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 City or Municipality
 * 2) 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
 * 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
 * Compile information for every person who has the same surname as your ancestor; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent
 * 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 birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in 1930, Mexico National Census. The census can help you find if your ancestors were married civilly or by the Catholic Church or both. Then you can proceed looking in those records for more information

I Can’t Find The Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Mexico, Chihuahua, Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records) are also a good substitute when civil records of births, marriages, and deaths cannot be found or are unavailable
 * 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
 * Also, consider looking at collections for surrounding localities. Sinaloa is on the southwestern border, Sonora on the west, New Mexico on the north, Texas on the northeast, Coahuila on the east, and Durango on the south
 * 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 Mexico.
 * 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.