Mexico, Nuevo León, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
This collection of Catholic Church records from the Diocese of Nuevo Leon includes the years 1667 to 1981.

For additional details about the history of these records and help using them, see the wiki article Mexico Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish. Here is a link to a Spanish Genealogical Word List which may be helpful. Also, see the section For Help Reading These Records for translation helps.

What Can these Records Tell Me?
Baptism or confirmation records may include the following:


 * Place and date of the baptism or confirmation
 * Given name
 * Gender, place, and date of birth or age at baptism
 * If legitimate or illegitimate
 * Parents' names, sometimes their residence and/or places of birth
 * Names of maternal and paternal grandparents
 * Names of godparents

Marriage records may include the following:


 * Place and date of the marriage
 * Name of the groom
 * Age, place of birth, and/or residence of groom
 * Names of the groom’s parents
 * Name of the bride
 * Age, place of birth, and/or residence of bride
 * Names of the bride’s parents
 * Sometimes the parents' places of origin and/or civil status
 * Names of witnesses

Death or burial records may include the following


 * Place and date of the burial
 * Burial place
 * Name of the principal
 * Place and date of birth or age at time of death
 * Cause of death
 * Residence of the deceased
 * Place of death
 * Civil status of the principal
 * If married, may give name of the spouse
 * Whether principal left progeny

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. 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
 * Family relationships

Search the Index
Search by name by visiting the Collection Page.
 * 1) Fill in the search boxes on the Collection Page with the information you have.
 * 2) Click Search to show possible matches.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page.
 * 1) Select City or Town
 * 2) Select Parish
 * 3) Select Record Type and Years to view the images.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

For Help Reading These Records
For help reading these Spanish records, see the following resources:


 * Mexico Language and Languages
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 3

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.

What Do I Do Next?

 * 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 other church and land records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * 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. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.

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

 * If possible, look at the actual image of the record to verify the information found in the online description.
 * 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.
 * Civil registration records are also a good source of genealogical information. You should obtain copies of both church records and civil registration, when possible, since they do not necessarily provide the same information. For example, baptismal registers sometimes provide the names of the fathers of illegitimate children when the civil registration does not.
 * There may be more than one person with the same name.
 * You ancestor may be using a nickname or alias.
 * Even though this is an index there may still be inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.
 * Try looking through records in the surrounding localities. Coahuila is to the west, Tamaulipas to the east, and San Luis Potosí to the southwest. Nuevo León shares about a 10 mile border with Texas on the north and about a 7 mile border with Zacatecas on the southwest.
 * Your ancestor may have immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby countries or immigration/emigration records.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

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.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation:

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