Philippines, Biliran, Diocese of Naval Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

Philippines

What is in the Collection?
This collection includes parish records from the Diocese of Naval in the island province of Biliran for the years 1818-1978. Original records are located in the Diocesan Archives of Naval, Biliran, Philippines. These records may be faded or show signs of water damage.

Some records are in English and some are in Spanish.

Record Categories
These parish records include four main record groups:
 * Baptisms
 * Confirmations
 * Marriages
 * Deaths/Burials

A small amount of other parish records, such as parish censuses, may be found in this collection. See the Record Content section below for more details on information included in each record type.

Sample Images
The information in each record varies by year.

Baptism records may contain:
 * Name, age, and gender
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Names of parents

Confirmation Registers may contain:
 * Name, gender, and age
 * Date and place of confirmation
 * Names of parents and, sometimes, grandparents
 * Names of godparents

Marriage Registers may contain:
 * Names and ages of groom and bride
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Birthplaces of groom and bride
 * Groom’s parents’ names
 * Bride’s parents’ names
 * Marital status of groom and bride

Death/burial records may contain:
 * Name, gender, and age of deceased (keep in mind that the death records of women may be filed under their married names)
 * Date and place of death
 * Date and place of burial
 * Marital status/name of spouse
 * Names of parents
 * Names and residences of informants/witnesses

How Do I Search the Collection?
This section includes tips and information on how to search the collection.

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name, surname esidence, 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.

Some record sets have indexes. These indexes were created at the end of the year. Copy errors could have been made in the index, so you want to find the actual record to verify the information is correct. Using the index is a helpful way to find the actual record.

To search by image: To browse the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Municipality (Parish)" ⇒Select the appropriate "Record Type, Year Range" which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

For Help Reading these Records
For help reading the Spanish records see the following guides:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records
 * Script tutorial for Spanish

What Do I Do Next?

 * 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 Philippines Census.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate civil and land records Philippines Land and Property.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of a marriage officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the province. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other provinces.
 * 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.
 * Use the marital status to identify previous marriages (whether a divorce or death dissolved a previous marriage).
 * Witnesses often were relatives of the parents.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * For death records, the information in records is usually reliable, but depends upon the knowledge of the informant.
 * For marriage and death records, your ancestors may have used shortened names or nicknames, so pay attention to other relationships (parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc.) that can confirm whether you have the right person/record.
 * 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.
 * Continue to search the indexes and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same area or a nearby area.

What if I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For?

 * A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring state or region. The Biliran province is the newest and smallest province in the Philippines. It is an island province north of Leyte. It is connected to Leyte by a bridge-causeway.
 * Or your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records. Philippines Emigration and Immigration
 * Civil registration records are also a good substitute when church records are insufficient.
 * Philippines, Civil Registration, Local (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citing this Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

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