Philippines, Eastern Samar, Roman Catholic Diocese of Borongan, Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection will include parish registers of births, marriages, deaths, and confirmations for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Borongan in Eastern Samar, Philippines from 1842-1984. Original records are located in the Diocese Offices in Borongan.

Some records are in English and some are in Spanish. See the section For Help Reading these Records for translation helps.

Record Content
The information in each record may vary by year. The following lists are examples of what information each type of record generally includes.

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 Registers 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 to Use the Record
This section contains tips and information about how to search this collection.

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's name and possible area of residence. An estimated age is also useful for narrowing down time periods in which to search for records. Some record sets have indexes which were created at the end of the year. Using the index is a helpful way to find the actual record.

Searching the Collection
To search by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the 'Provincia' (Province) category ⇒ Select the 'Barangay' (Town) category ⇒ Select the 'Parish' (Parroquia) category ⇒ Select the 'Record Type, Year Range (Tipo de Registro y Años) category which takes you to the images.

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

For Help Reading These Records
Some of these records are in Spanish. For help reading Spanish records see the following guides:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Reading Handwritten Spanish Records
 * Script Tutorial for Spanish

Using the Information

 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date, age, and/or place of birth to find an individual’s birth record and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date, age, and/or place of birth to find the family in census records. Philippines Census
 * Use the place of residence and names of parents to locate civil and land records. Philippines Land and Property
 * Use parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of a marriage officiator may be a clue to your ancestor’s religion or area of residence in the province. Keep in mind, however, that ministers may have reported marriages performed in other provinces.
 * Compile marriage entries for each person who has the same surname as the bride or groom. This may help lead you to additional relations, especially if the family was living in a rural area or had an unusual surname.
 * Use the marital status to identify previous marriages. (Divorce or death may have dissolved a previous marriage.)
 * Witnesses were often relatives of the couple’s 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.
 * Information in death records is usually reliable but depends upon the knowledge of the informant.
 * In marriage and death records your ancestor may have used a shortened name or nickname, so pay attention to other relationships (parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc.) that can confirm whether you have the right person/record.
 * Continue to search 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.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?
Consider searching the records of a neighboring province. The province of Eastern Samar is on an island that includes Northern Samar province to the north, Samar province to the west, and Leyte province to the southwest.

Civil registration records are also good to search when church records are insufficient. Philippines, Civil Registration, Local (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Related Websites

 * Official Website of the Borongan Diocese
 * Catalog of Filipino Names

Related Wiki Articles

 * Eastern Samar Province, Philippines
 * Philippines Church Records
 * Philippines Civil Registration- Vital Records
 * Philippines Genealogy

Related FamilySearch Historical Records Articles

 * Philippines Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Philippines Deaths and Burials (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Philippines, Civil Registration, Local (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection citation:

Image citation: