El Salvador Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
El Salvador, Registros de la Iglesia Católica

Record Description
This collection of church records for El Salvador includes the years 1655-1976.

This collection of Catholic Church records covers parishes throughout El Salvador and includes records such as baptisms, marriages, and burials. The entries were normally made in chronological order. Some confirmations may be found within the baptisms. The earlier parish records were all handwritten in narrative form; later records were handwritten in formatted entries. All the records are written in Spanish.

For a list of records by date or locality currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page

In 1563, the Council of Trent formalized record-keeping practices already being followed in much of the Catholic world. Separate record books were to be maintained for baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and deaths or burials, and the format was standardized. However, in smaller areas all records may be recorded on one register. Following this format, the Catholic Church was the primary record keeper until the civil registration started in 1859. A large percentage, if not all, of the population of El Salvador is listed in these records. The entries were normally made in chronological order.

Authorized Catholic priests created separate parish registers in order to record the church sacraments of baptism, confirmation, marriage, and burial of parishioners in his parish jurisdiction.

Catholic Church parish registers are a reliable source of information for family history research and the primary source for baptism, marriage, and death records in El Salvador prior to 1859. Catholic Church parish records after 1859 can be used to complement information found in civil registers

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in baptisms may include:


 * Place and date of baptism
 * Name of child
 * Age or date and place of birth
 * Names of parents
 * Names of godparents
 * Names of witnesses

Key genealogical facts found in marriages may include:


 * Place and date of marriage
 * Name of bride and groom
 * The couple's ages, place of residence, occupations, and civil or marital statuses
 * Parents’ names
 * Witnesses’ names

Key genealogical facts found in deaths/burials may include:


 * Place and date of death
 * Name of deceased
 * Deceased's age and gender
 * Sometimes birth date, birth place, and marital status
 * Cause of death
 * Spouse's name, if married, and sometimes names of children
 * Sometimes parents' names
 * Witness's name
 * Burial date and place

How to Use the Record
To search the collection, select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the Nombre del departamento ⇒ Select the Nombre de ciudad/pueblo ⇒ Select the Nombre de la parroquia ⇒ Select the Tipo de registro y años which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Name indexes to baptisms, marriages, and death or burials make it possible to access a specific record quickly. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

When searching the index it is helpful to know the following:


 * The place where the event occurred
 * The name and surname of the person
 * The approximate date of the event
 * The name of the parents or spouse

Use the locator information found in the index (such as page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestors in the records. Compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.

For example:


 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * 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.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records.
 * Use the parents’ birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion or 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.
 * 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.
 * Use the marriage number to identify previous marriages.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Keep in mind:


 * The information in church records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another.

If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following:


 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.

Related Websites

 * Iglesia Católica en El Salvador
 * Catholic Church Hierarchy

Related Wiki Articles

 * El Salvador
 * El Salvador Church Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
“El Salvador, Catholic Church Records, 1655-1977,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 27 June, 2012), San Salvador &gt; Apopa &gt; Santa Catarina &gt; Bautismos 1921-1934 &gt; image 117 of 305 images, Marcos Criollo, 1927; citing Parroquia de Santa Catarina de Alejandria, Apopa, El Salvador.