Bohol Province, Philippines Genealogy

Guide to Province of Bohol family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

History
Created by virtue of Act 2711 of March 10, 1917, this island province of Bohol is the tenth largest island in the Philippines. This oval-shaped island has an area of 4,117 sq. km. and is located in the central portion of the Visayas lying between Cebu to the northwest and Leyte to the northeast. To its south is the big island of Mindanao which is separated from Bohol by the wide Mindanao Sea. Aside from the mainland, Bohol has 61 smaller offshore islands and islets. Bohol is about 700 kilometers directly south of Manila and is about 70 kilometers southeast of Cebu City. The people of Bohol are said to be descendants of the last group of inhabitants who settled in the Philippines called Pintados (the tattooed ones). Before the Spaniards arrived in 1521, Boholanos already had a culture of their own as evidenced by the artifacts dug at Mansasa, Tagbilaran, and in Dauis and Panglao using designs during the Ming dynasty (960-1279). They had already a system of writing but most of the materials used were perishable like leaves and bark. They spoke a language similar to that of the nearby provinces.

The name Bohol is thought to be derived from the name of the barrio of Bo-ol, a barangay found in Tagbilaran City which was among the first places toured by the Magellan expedition. History has it that one of the Spanish ships of Magellan (the Concepcion) was burned in this province after Magellan was killed by Lapulapu in Mactan. In 1565 Miguel Lopez de Legazpi anchored in Jagna, one of the eastern municipalities of Bohol. He made a blood compact with the Chiefs Sikatuna and Sigala in a small village near the present capital of the province, Tagbilaran City, signifying they were blood brothers. The province became a Jesuit mission in 1595. At this time, Bohol was a part of the province of Cebu and was called a residencia. It became a separate politico-military province on July 22, 1854, together with the island of province of Siquijor. In 1879, there were 34 towns belonging to the province with a total population of 253,103.

Two significant revolts were recorded during the Spanish regime. The Tamblot Uprising in 1621 led by a native priest or Babaylon, and the Dagohoy Rebellion from 1744 to 1829 led by Francisco Dagohoy which is considered as the longest revolt recorded in the annals of Philippine history. American forces seized the province in March 17, 1900. Bohol is the home province of the fourth President of the Republic of the Philippines, Carlos Polistico Garcia (1957-1960) who was born in the municipality of Talibon.

Research Methods
'''The vast majority of your family research will be in civil registration and church records. This article explains different methods for obtaining these records.'''

Civil Registration (Registros Civiles)

 * The recording births, marriages and deaths, provides important information of events in a person's life and required valid evidence, making these records very important.
 * Most vital records from before 1889 come from Catholic parish and diocesan archives.
 * In 1889, the Spanish government created the Central Office of Statistics, which required each parish priest to give the government a detailed list of the births, marriages, and deaths in his area.
 * After the Philippine Revolution of 1898, the church and state became separate. Within the first few years, officials responsible for civil registration were appointed in each municipality.
 * In 1930, civil registration became mandatory and, in 1932, the Bureau of Census and Statistics was created to oversee all civil registration in the Philippines. It was not until 1940 that most registrations began to be recorded.
 * Contents:
 * Births: Child’s name, birth date and place; parents’ names, residence, and occupation; witnesses’ ages, relationships, residences.
 * Marriages: Bride and groom names, ages, residences, occupations, marriage date and place; sometimes ages and/or birth dates and places; parents' names;  residences, occupations; witnesses and officer who performed ceremony; former spouses.
 * Death registers: Name of deceased, age, death date and place, occupation, name of surviving spouse, informant’s name and residence, cause of death, sometimes birth date and place, parents’ names, children’s names.
 * Fetal deaths: Record of all stillbirths, includes information similar to birth and death data shown above.
 * Population coverage: Before 1922, 20%; after 1922, 90%.

1. Online Civil Registration Records
The following online collections may have records for your town. There is a small possibility that some of the records for your town have been indexed. A comprehensive index will search all the available indexed records of these collections at once: Search Historical Records. Do not be discouraged if records for your town are not found in these collections. The next section of this article '''2. Microfilm Copies of Civil Registration Records in the FamilySearch Catalog''', should lead you to many more records.
 * 1706-1911 Bohol, Philippines Civil Registration (Spanish Period), 1706-1911, images, incomplete.
 * 1888-1986 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1888-1984 at FamilySearch — images, incomplete.
 * 1902-1945 Bohol, Philippines Civil Registration (Archives Division), 1902-1945 at FamilySearch — images, incomplete.
 * 1945-1984 -  at FamilySearch — index, incomplete.
 * 1945-1984 - Bohol, Philippines Civil Registration (National), 1945-1984 at FamilySearch — images, incomplete.

2. Microfilm Copies of Civil Registration Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
You can also search microfilmed copies of available civil registration records. If the locality and time period you need are not included in the online records, the next step is to try to find them in the microfilm collection of the FamilySearch Library. Currently, they are being digitized, and plans are to complete that project by 2020. Check back occasionally to see if your records have become available. In the meantime, some of them might be available at a FamilySearch Center near you. To find a microfilm:


 * a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Philippines, Bohol.
 * b. Click on "Places within Philippines, Bohol" and a list of towns and cities will open.
 * c. Click on the town or city you wish to search.
 * d. Click on "Civil Registration" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor.
 * f. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

3. Writing for Records

 * Civil registry documents that can be obtained from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), 1945 -.Click here for detailed instructions for requesting certificates by mail.  Click here to order records online.
 * Civil registry records from the National Archives, prior to 1945. See Philippines Civil Registration (Archives Division) collection listed above under 1. Online Civil Registration Records to find the starting date for your province. Click here for the Archives Collection and Access Division. . Here you will find instructions and forms for ordering records from the National Archives.
 * A copy of the records have been retained in local civil registry offices. Because many records were lost or damaged in the war, checking both the national office and local office might help find a surviving record. Click here for a directory of office telephone numbers, fax numbers, and sometimes e-mail addresses. To write to them, address your letter to:

City Civil Registry (postal code--find it here) (City) Bohol, Philippines

English is the official language of the Philippines. This Letter Writing Guide will help you with organizing your letter and phrasing your requests.

Church Records
Church records are very important for family research. Civil authorities did not consistently register vital events in the Philippines until the nineteenth century. Church records, on the other hand, were well kept from 1569 (in accordance with the directives of the Council of Trent), with some records dating even earlier. They are generally an excellent source—and many times the only source—of names, dates, and places of births, marriages, and deaths. Key records are baptisms/christenings, marriages, and deaths/burials.

Generally registers exist for the following denominations: Other religious groups in the Philippines:

Contents:
 * Islam (Muslim immigrants and converts 11th-15th centuries, also called Moros)
 * Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian (Some Chinese immigrants arrived in the 16th-19th centuries, but many more arrived in the 20th century)
 * Hindu (East Indian immigrants arrived in the 20th century)
 * Jews (Arrived in the 20th century)
 * Baptismal records: Baptism dates; children’s names; parents’ residence and names (sometimes mother's maiden name is given); witnesses’ and godparents’ names, and sometimes their residence and relationship to infants; sometimes grandparents’ names.
 * Marriage records: Candidates’ names; marriage and/or proclamation dates; often birth places, residence, witnesses, former spouses and parents’ names.
 * Death/burial records: Name of deceased; burial date; often age and cause of death; residence; spouse’s name, especially for women; parents’ names for deceased children.

1. Online Church Records
These very limited collections include some church records:
 * 1615-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1642-1994, index, incomplete.
 * 1723-1957, index, incomplete.
 * 1726-1957, index, incomplete.

The Ancestry.com collections are the same, but their search engine seems more powerful.
 * 1642-1994 Philippines, Select Births and Baptisms, 1642-1994, index, incomplete ($).
 * 1723-1957 Philippines, Select Marriages, 1723-1957, index, incomplete ($).
 * 1726-1957 Philippines, Select Deaths and Burials, 1726-1957, index, incomplete ($).

The collections are also available on MyHeritage.
 * 1642-1994 Philippines, Births and Baptisms, 1642-1994, index, incomplete ($).
 * 1723-1957 Philippines, Marriages, 1723-1957, index, incomplete ($).
 * 1726-1957 Philippines Deaths and Burials, 1726-1957, index, incomplete ($).

2. Microfilm Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
You can also search microfilmed copies of available church records. If the locality and time period you need are not included in the online records, the next step is to try to find them in the microfilm collection of the FamilySearch Library. Currently, they are being digitized, and plans are to complete that project by 2020. Check back occasionally to see if your records have become available. In the meantime, some of them might be available at a FamilySearch Center near you. To find a microfilm:


 * a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Philippines, Bohol.
 * b. Click on "Places within Philippines, Bohol" and a list of towns and cities will open.
 * c. Click on the town or city you wish to search.
 * d. Click on "Church Records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor. "Bautismos" are baptisms. Matrimônios and "Casamentos" are marriages.  "Óbitos"  and Defunciones are deaths.  "Índice" is the index.
 * f. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

3. Writing to Request Records
Unless you know your ancestor was of another religion, begin by searching Catholic records. Bohol Province is split between the Dioceses of Talibon and Tagbilaran. Talibon is a town on the northern coast of the island. The territory covered by the diocese extends from the town of Inabanga on the northwest, through Carmen in the interior, and down to Jagna on the southeast. Its inland boundary bisects the island northwestward, or southeastward, with the other half of the island falling under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Tagbilaran.

Or write directly or call the parish. See The Catholic Directory for addresses and telephone numbers for parishes.

For other religions, Google the denomination and the location. Many churches maintain websites.

Write, call, or personally visit the parish or church. Ask for permission to study their records or make arrangements for them to search for you. It is usual to pay for their help in the form of a donation to the church. When you write, send the following:


 * Full name and the gender of the person sought.
 * Names of the parents, if known.
 * Approximate date and place of the event.
 * Your relationship to the person.
 * Reason for the request (family history, medical, etc.).
 * Request for a photocopy of the complete original record.
 * Check or cash for the search fee (usually about $10.00).

English is the official language of the Philippines. This Letter Writing Guide will help you with organizing your letter and phrasing your requests.

Reading the Records

 * Many records are written in Spanish. You do not have to be fluent in Spanish to read your documents. Genealogical records usually contain a limited vocabulary. Use this Spanish Genealogical Word List to translate the important points in the document. Handwriting skills are taught in BYU Spanish Script Tutorial.


 * Online Learning Center class on reading Spanish handwriting:
 * Deciphering Spanish Handwriting


 * Detailed instructions for reading Spanish records, examples of common documents, and practice exercises for developing skills in translating them can be found in the Spanish Records Extraction Manual.
 * The Spanish Documents Script Tutorial also provides lessons and examples.

Tips for finding your ancestor in the records
Effective use of church records includes the following strategies.


 * Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find his birth record, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
 * Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
 * You can estimate the ages of the parents and determine a birth year to search for their birth records.
 * Then repeat the process for both the father and the mother.
 * If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.
 * Search the death registers for all known family members.

Cemeteries

 * Agahay Cemetery
 * Public Cemetery
 * Tagbilaran United Church of Christ in the Philippines Cemetery
 * Find A Grave

Websites

 * Bohol Wikipedia
 * Bohol Province Website
 * Bohol