Chile Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Foreign Language Title
Registros Civiles de Chile

Collection Time Period
The collection of civil records for Chile includes the years 1885-1920. For the municipalities of Lota and Santa Juana in the Province of Concepcion, it covers the years 1885-1932. For the municipality of Lota, it covers births, marriages, and deaths from 1889 to 1901, with separate indexes for the records from 1885-1932. For the municipality of Santa Juana, it covers births from 1885-1903, marriages from 1887-1901, and deaths from 1885-1901.

Record Description
The majority of the records have been well-preserved. Some may be faded but are still readable if the image is enlarged. Some earlier records were written in narrative form; however, the majority of the records were handwritten in formatted registers with a similar style as to a ledger.

Record Content
The key genealogical facts found in most birth records are: * Date of registration * Name and sex of the child * Date and place of the birth * Parents’ names, nationality, occupation, and residence * Name, age, occupation, and residence of the registrant * Witnesses’ names

The key genealogical facts found in most marriage records are: * Date and place of the marriage * Names and nationality of the betrothed * Ages of the betrothed * Marital statuses of the betrothed before the marriage * Residences of the betrothed at time of marriage * The names of the betrothed parents * Occupations of the betrothed * Witnesses’ names

The key genealogical facts found in most death records: * Date of the registration * Name of the deceased * Deceased’s sex, nationality, age, occupation, and marital status * Deceased’s residence * Names of the deceased’s parents * Date and place of death * Cause of death * Burial place * Name of the registrant * Registrant’s age, occupation, and residence * Witnesses’ names

How to Use the Records
Civil records are important documents for genealogical research after 1884. One can also find additional information of related ancestors to further their genealogical research. In order to find an entry in these records, it is necessary to know the name of an ancestor, a date of an event (birth, marriage or death), and a place where the ancestor lived. Search the index first if there is one. A register may have an index at the end or some at the begining and there could also be separate index registers.

Some records have indexes at the end of the volume. Frequently, these indexes are arranged by the given name of the individual and sometimes use the Latin form of the name. Those volumes without indexes need to be searched chronologically for the individuals sought.

Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Use the locator information 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 ancestor to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination. Be aware that as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information about other people listed in the record. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. For example:

• Use the birth date and place to find the family in census records. • Use the residence and names of the parents to locate civil and land records. • The father’s occupation can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as military records. • The parent’s origin places can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family. • Marriage date and place may help find their children • Burial place may also help to know of their migration patterns

It is often helpful to extract the information on all children with the same parents. If the surname is unusual, you may want to compile baptism entries for every person of the same surname and sort them into families based on the names of the parents. Continue to search the records to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same or other generations who were born, married, and died in the same place or nearby.

Keep in mind:

• The information in civil 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 1800s. • There is also some variation in the information given from record to record.

Record History
The law over civil registration in Chile was enacted in July of 1884. The office of a civil registrar was then created, whose responsibility was and is to keep in duplicate the registers of birth, marriage, and death. These registers keep all the fundamental information for these events, which relate to the legal make up of the family. The greatest purposes of the state are to legally organize the family, preserve the identity of individuals, and provide secure citizenship.

The collection of the civil registry from the province of Concepcion covers the municipalities of Santa Juana and Lota. About 90 to 95% of the population was registered for these localities.

Why This Collection Was Created
The civil registration is a public service under the supervision of the Justice Department, responsible to superintend the legal constitution of the family. Through civil registration, it is possible to exercise the people’s rights related to civil status, identity, real estate, and other specific acts guarded by the law.

Record Reliability
The civil records of birth, marriage, and death in Chile are absolutely reliable for obtaining important genealogical data of ancestors.

Related Web Sites
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Related Wiki Articles
Chile Civil Registration

Sources of Information for This Collection:
"Chile, Concepción Civil Registration, 1885-1903," database, FamilySearch; from Ministerio de Justicia, Santiago, Chile. "Chile civil registration." Archivo del Registro Civil, Santiago, Chile. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Original records are also housed at local Civil Registry Offices:

Lota (Concepción). Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación. Registros Civiles, 1889-1901. Santa Juana (Concepción). Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación. Registros Civiles, 1885-1903.

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections

Please add sample citations to this article following the format guidelines in the wiki article listed above.

Examples of Source Citationsfor a Record in This collection:
"Chile, Concepcion, Civil Registration, 1885-1903." Database and images,  FamilySearch:  accessed March 18, 2011). entry for Blanca Rosa Pincheira Gonzales, born 26 October 1903; cining Birth Records, FHL film 1160381; Archivo del Registro Civil, Cantiago, Chile..