Spain, Province of Cádiz, Notarial Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection of notary public wills is for the years 1531-1920 from the province of Cádiz.

This is a collection of wills created before a notary public, who kept the original document until the death of the person that created the will; another copy was kept at the General Registry of Wills (Registro General de Actos de Última Voluntad). Through the life of the testator, the General Registry kept the will as a secret document, unauthorized to be viewed by anyone until the death of the testator. At the death of the person, the family would inquire at the General Registry of Wills to find out which will was the latest created by the testator and where it was created, especially if the family did not know which notary public was holding the original copy.

A wealthy person usually created a will in order to leave properties and goods as an inheritance to his or her children and others. In order to do this, the person would hire a notary public. The notary had the knowledge to write this kind of document, which needed to fulfill legal formalities.

The vital information contained in these wills may be reliable since the testator had to provide his or her legal identification and proof of property and goods ownership, as well as the names and personal identification of the inheritors.

Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading these records see the following guides:


 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records
 * Script tutorial for Spanish

Collection Content
Wills may contain the following information:


 * Name of testator
 * Place of birth
 * Current residence
 * Spouse's name
 * Parents’ names
 * Marriage date and place of testators
 * Names of children/heirs and their vital information
 * Executor’s name
 * Witnesses’ names
 * Burial request

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Province
 * 2) Select City
 * 3) Select Notary and Years of Service
 * 4) Select Volume 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.

What Do I Do Next?
Use these records to learn information that would lead to finding baptismal/birth, marriage, and/or death/burial records. 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.


 * Use the age to calculate a birth date
 * Use the names of family members and look for their records
 * Use the place of residence as a starting point and search nearby towns for further records and ancestors

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct

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

 * A boundary change could have occurred that changed where records were kept. If you are unable to find your ancestor(s) in these civil registers, then try searching in the areas surrounding Barcelona
 * Church records are also a good source for birth, marriage, and death information
 * Spain Baptisms
 * Spain Catholic Church Records
 * Spain Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Or your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records:
 * Spain Emigration and Immigration

Record Finder

 * Consult the Spain Record Finder Table to find other records

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:"España, Provincia de Cádiz, testamentos, 1531-1920." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : Archivo Histórico Provincial de Cádiz, Cádiz (Cádiz Province Historical Archives, Cádiz).

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