Mexico, Chihuahua, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Foreign Language Title
México, Registros Parroquiales de la Iglesia Católica en Chihuahua.

Collection Time Period
The Family History Library collection of the Roman Catholic Church parish records of the Diocese of Chihuahua, Mexico covers the years from 1622 to 1958.

Record History
Catholic Church parish records cover 95 to 100% of a city’s population. This collection only includes the parish records that were centralized into the diocesan archive.

Why This Record Was Created
Mexican Catholic Church parish registers were created to record baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and burials occurring in the parish.

Record Reliability
Catholic Church parish records are a reliable source for doing Mexican genealogical research.

Record Description
Usually separate registers were maintained for baptisms, marriages, and deaths. However, in localities with a small population the records of baptisms, marriages, and burials were recorded in the same register. Confirmations were usually recorded with the baptismal registers, but can also be found with deaths or marriages. Generally, entries were created in chronological order. Early registers may have some ecclesiastical documents written in Latin.

Record Content
Important genealogical information found in Catholic Church baptismal records include: 


 * Place and date of the baptism
 * Given name
 * Gender, place and date of birth or age at baptism
 * If legitimate or illegitimate
 * Parents names, sometimes their residence and/or place of birth
 * Names of maternal grandparents
 * Names of paternal grandparents
 * Name/s of godparents

Important genealogical information found in Catholic Church marriage records include: 


 * Place and date of the marriage
 * Name of the groom
 * Age of groom, his place of birth and/or residence
 * Name of the groom’s parents
 * Name of the bride
 * Age of bride, her place of birth and/or residence
 * Names of the bride’s parents
 * Sometimes, the parent’s place of origin and/or civil status
 * Names of witnesses

Important genealogical information found in Catholic Church burial records include: 


 * Place and date of the burial
 * Burial place
 * Name of the principal
 * Place and date of birth or age at time of death
 * Cause of death
 * Residence of the deceased
 * Place of death
 * Civil status of the principal, if married the name of the spouse may be given
 * If principal left progeny

Important genealogical information found in Catholic Church confirmation records include: 


 * Date and place of confirmation
 * Name of person being confirmed
 * Parents’ or godparents’ names

How to Use the Record
The Catholic Church parish records are an excellent source for genealogical research in Mexico. These may also be the only records available for Spanish research before civil registration was implemented in 1871.

Related Websites
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Related Wiki Articles
Mexico Church Records

Mexico Church History

= Known issues with this Collection =


 * Mexico, Catholic Church Records * Aguascalientes * Asientos * Nuestra Señora de Belén

You can find Bautismos, 1846-1848, Bautismos, 1855-1858, but 1848-1855 are missing


 * Mexico, Catholic Church Records * Nuevo León * Salinas Victoria * Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe * Bautismos 1790-1830 (Images 1 through 375 end 4 May 1818)

You can view the record images from 1790 through 4 May 1818 online but not the records from 4 May 1818 through 1830 because they are not digitized yet. They can be viewed on FHL INTL Film 605403.


 * Mexico, Catholic Church Records * Chihuahua * Juárez * Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe * Bautismos 1830-1834

This collection has two volumes. You can begin in 1830 and search until 1834 when the second volume appears at image 184 and contains additional records beginning in May of 1830.

Sources of This Collection
"Mexico, Chihuahua State Catholic Church Records," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org), 2009; from Arquidiócesis de Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México. Registros parroquiales, 1622-1958. Local parish archives in the state of Chihuahua. FHL 474 microfilm reels. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Digital images of original records housed at various local Catholic Church parish archives in the State of Chihuahua.

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