Mexico, Querétaro, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Registros Paroquiales de la Iglesia Católica del Estado de Querétaro, México

Record Description
This Collection will include records from 1590 to 1970. The text of the records is in Spanish.

For additional details about the history of these records and help using them, see the wiki article Mexico Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

Record Content
Records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Child's name and gender
 * Legitimacy
 * Child's date and place of birth
 * Parents' names
 * Names of godparents and their parents
 * Before 1820, social class of parents

Records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's name and age
 * Groom's date and place of birth, baptism and confirmation
 * Groom's legitimacy, civil status, occupation, and residence
 * Names of groom's parents, their origin and residence
 * Bride's name and age
 * Bride's date and place of birth, baptism and confirmation
 * Bride's legitimacy, origin and residence
 * Names of bride's parents, their origin and residence
 * Names of the witnesses
 * Witnesses' birth date and place, legitimacy, occupation, religion, parents' names, residence, and time they have known the bride and groom

Records usually contain the following information:


 * Name and age of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Name of person making declaration
 * Declarant's relationship to deceased
 * Sometimes, the names of parents
 * Sometimes, the name of spouse, if deceased was married
 * Sometimes, burial information

How to Use the Records
To begin your search, it is helpful to know the name and some other identifying information such as the birth place or birth date.

Search the Collection
For a collection that is searchable by name: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. 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.

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 and 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.

To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the "Ciudad o pueblo" ⇒ Select the "Parroquia" ⇒ Select the "Tipo de registro y años" which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image 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.

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.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:


 * Mexico Language and Languages
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List

Related Websites
Queretaro State Genealogy

Related Wiki Articles

 * Mexico Church Records
 * Querétaro

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Mexico, Querétaro, Catholic Church Records, 1590-1970

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 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.