Panama Canal Zone Records

Birth, Marriage, and Death

Introduction
The Panama Canal Zone was under United States government control from the early 1900s until 1999 when the territory was returned to Panama. The Family History Library does not have many records for the Canal Zone, however, there are some good resources for researching in the area.

Canal Zone Births, Marriages, Deaths
The first place to begin is the U.S. National Archives. All births, marriages, deaths, divorces, etc. are kept in the Civilian Records (NWCTC) section of the archive. The URL is: http://www.vitalrec.com/cz.html

U.S. Census Records

The Panama Canal Zone was included in the 1920 and 1930 U.S. Censuses. To learn more about what these census records visit:


 * United States Census Online
 * United States Census

Note: The following article from the National Archives contains useful information on available Canal Zone court records: http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2007/fall/panama.html