Peru, Ancash, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
This collection includes birth, marriage, and death records created by civil registration offices in the department (state) of Áncash, Peru records from 1890-2005. Originals are kept by the Regional Archives of Áncash in Peru.

Prior to 1821, Áncash was known as Huaylás.

Additional images will be published as they become available.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish; also see the section For Help Reading These Records for translation helps.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Coverage Table
As of 14 December 2016 this collection included records from the following provinces.

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

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.

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

View The Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 
 * 1) Select Province
 * 2) Select District
 * 3) Select Record Type and Yearto view the images.

For Help Reading These Records
To learn more about using the information in civil records, view these lessons for free:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Script tutorial for Spanish
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records


 * Documentos esenciales para buscar a sus antepasados - Spanish

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?

 * When available, look at the original record. It often has more information than the indexed record.  Making a copy of the original record, or at least citing where you found it, is also useful.
 * It's always a good idea to keep your citation on a Research Log. This is an important tool to help keep track of what you have and have not found.  Family search wiki has a  Research Log that you can download and use.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * 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.
 * 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.

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

 * New information is constantly being indexed, microfilmed or updated. Periodically check back and see if your ancestor’s records have been added.  You can see if the area you’ve been looking in has been recently updated by going to Historical Records Collections and notice the asterisk for recently added or updated records.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * If you are unable to find your ancestor(s) in these civil registers, then try searching in the areas surrounding Áncash. These regions neighbor Áncash: La Libertad to the north, Huánuco and Pasco on the east, Lima Regions on the south


 * There may be more than one person with the same name.
 * 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. Click here for a list of Spanish name abbreviations
 * For death records, the information in records is usually reliable, but depends upon the knowledge of the informant.
 * Witnesses were sometimes relatives of the deceased or the deceased's parents.
 * Your ancestor may have immigrated to another country. Search the Peru Emigration and Immigration records.
 * Church records are also a good substitute when birth, marriage, and death records can’t be found or are unavailable. Before the government instituted civil registration in Peru, the Catholic Church was the only institution tracking the births, marriages, and deaths of the population. For a list of Catholic Church Records see:


 * Peru Church Records
 * Peru Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Deaths (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)


 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible candidates which can then be examined for matches. Or try expanding the date range; this is especially useful in searching baptismal records, as it was not unusual for a child to be baptized weeks or even months after birth.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find 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:

Record Citation

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