Venezuela, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Registros Parroquiales de la Iglesia Católica en Venezuela.

Record Description
This collection of church records covers the years 1577 to 1995 and includes parishes in several dioceses and archdioceses of Venezuela. This collection of baptisms, marriages, and burials were created, registered, and kept in separate registers by the priest in authority of the parish jurisdiction. Regularly two registers were created, the original was kept at the parish archive and a duplicate copy was sent to the diocesan archive for preservation.

The entries were normally created in chronological order. Some confirmations may be found within the baptisms book. The earlier parish records were all handwritten in narrative form, and later records were handwritten in formatted entries.

All records were handwritten in Spanish; see the section "For Help Reading these Records" for translation helps.

The parish registers may be the only records available for genealogical research before civil registration was implemented in 1873. Most of the parish records in this collection were acquired from the diocesan archives. Other archdiocesan registers have been published separately from this collection (See "Related Wiki Articles").

Record Content
The information found in each record varies by year. Records were made by Catholic priests or their associates, recorded in Spanish, and mostly written on either lined paper or blank paper that contained pre-printed numbers.

Baptism records generally include the following information:
 * Name, age, and gender
 * Birth date and place
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Names of parents
 * Names of witnesses

Confirmation records/registers generally include:
 * Name, age, and gender
 * Date and place of confirmation
 * Names of parents
 * Names of godparents

Marriage records may include the following:
 * Names and ages of groom and bride
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Birthplaces of groom and bride
 * Names of groom’s parents
 * Names of bride’s parents
 * Who performed the marriage
 * Names of witnesses

Death records usually include:
 * Deceased’s name, gender, and age (keep in mind that death records for women may be filed under their married name)
 * Date and place of death
 * Marital status/name of spouse
 * Birthplace
 * Names of parents

How to Use the Record
Some record sets have indexes; these indexes were created at the end of the year. Copy errors could have been made in the index, so you want to find the actual record to verify the information is correct. Using the index is a helpful way to find the actual record.

Regarding marriage and death records, name changes, shortened names, or nicknames may have been used by your ancestors, so pay attention to other relationships (parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc.) that can confirm whether you have the right person/record.

Search the Collection
To search by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "State" ⇒Select the "City or Town" ⇒Select the "Parish" ⇒Select the "Record Type and Years" which takes you to the images.

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

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence, age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

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

Using the Information
To learn more about using the information available in these records, view these lessons for free:
 * Encontré este registro ¿y ahora qué? - Spanish
 * Documentos esenciales para buscar a sus antepasados - Spanish
 * Tesoros ocultos en los registros originales - Spanish
 * ¿Y ahora qué? Cómo hacer la investigación genealógica – Spanish

Tips to keep in Mind
In Latin America, two or three generations are often indicated in church registers, along with their birthplaces or residences. If, however, earlier generations are not listed with the relative or ancestor selected, try searching parishes located within a close proximity.

When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

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.

Continue to search the indexes and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same area or a nearby area.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?
A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring state or region, or your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records. Venezuela Emigration and Immigration

Civil registration records are also a good source of genealogical information. Venezuela Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Arquidiócesis de Caracas
 * Archdiocese of Maracaibo
 * Hispanic Genealogy Blog is written in English.
 * Blog de Genealogía Hispaña Blog is written in Spanish.
 * Genealogía Española-España GenWeb Website is in Spanish.

Related Wiki Articles

 * Venezuela Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Venezuela Church Records
 * Venezuela Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Venezuela Genealogy
 * Venezuela

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found it. This will help you or others to find the same record again.

Keep track of records where you did not find information about your ancestor so you and others will not waste time looking through these records in the future.

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