Colombia, Diocese of Barranquilla, Catholic Church Records, - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Colombia, Diócesis de Barranquilla, Registros Parroquiales

Record Description
This collection includes Catholic Church baptism, marriage, and death/burial records from parishes for 1808 to 1985 from the Diocese of Barranquilla (city) in the Atlántico Department (state). Original records are kept by the Diócesis de Barranquilla in Colombia. There may be some confirmation and other miscellaneous records mixed in. For much of its history, Barranquilla was dominated by the Catholic Church, where important life events were recorded and solemnized. Some of these records have been indexed and are searchable as part of this collection. Additional indexed records will be published as they become available. The records are in Spanish; see the section "For Help Reading these Records" for access to translation helps.

Record Content
The information found in each record varies by year.

Baptism records generally include the following information:
 * Name and gender
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Birth date
 * Legitimacy
 * Names of parents
 * Names of godparents

Marriage records may include the following:
 * Names and ages of groom and bride
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Birthplaces of groom and bride
 * Estimated birth years of groom and bride
 * Names of groom’s parents
 * Names of bride’s parents
 * Who performed the marriage
 * Names of witnesses

Death/burial records usually include:
 * Deceased’s name, gender, and age (keep in mind that death records for women may be filed under their married name)
 * Date and place of death
 * Date and place of burial
 * Estimated birth year
 * Marital status/name of spouse
 * Names of parents

How to Use the Record
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. Regarding marriage and death records, name changes, shortened names, or nicknames may have been used by your ancestors, so pay attention to other relationships (parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc.) that can confirm whether you have the right person/record.

Search the Collection
To search by index: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

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 “Departamento” (State) category ⇒ Select the “Ciudad o Pueblo” (City or Town) category ⇒ Select the “Parroquia” (Parish) category ⇒ Select the Tipo de registro y años (Record Type and Years) category which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by index or 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 entries or images and compare the information about the individuals listed to your ancestors to make this determination.

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

For Help Reading these Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading the records see the following guides:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Colombia Language and Languages
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records
 * Script tutorial for Spanish

Using the Information
In addition to the suggestions below, watch these free videos about using the information in baptism and other records in your research (Videos are in Spanish):
 * Registros bautismales de Antioquia, Colombia
 * Uso de las Partidas bautismales
 * Registros o Partidas
 * 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 Colombia Census.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate civil records Colombia Civil Registration.
 * 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 the area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties.
 * 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. 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.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?
A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring state, or your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records Colombia Emigration and Immigration. Below is a video (in Spanish) about emigration and immigration within and to Colombia: El Transporte en Colombia y las Migraciones

Also, view this video (in Spanish) about other record types that can help you learn about your ancestor: Los Abundantísimos Registros no Eclesiásticos

Related Websites

 * Arquidiócesis de Barranquilla
 * Genealogías de Colombia Website is in Spanish.
 * Locality Analysis for Colombia
 * Colombia GenForum
 * Hispanic Genealogy Blog is written in English.
 * Blog de Genealogía Hispaña Blog is written in Spanish.
 * Genealogía Española-España GenWeb Website is in Spanish.

Related Wiki Articles

 * Colombia, Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Colombia Genealogy
 * Colombia

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Citation for This Collection
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