Peru, La Libertad, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Registro Civil de La Libertad, Peru

Record Description
This collection will include records from 1903-1998.

Civil registration in Peru identifies residents and issues certificates regarding their identity. The registration of births, marriages, and deaths documents the civil status of the residents The information in civil records may be the most accurate available for finding an ancestor who lived in Peru. Parish records would be next best since they were created much earlier than the civil records.

The earlier records are handwritten in a narrative format. The later records are also handwritten but on a printed form. The text of the records is in Spanish. Some of the text may also vary slightly. Before the government instituted civil registration in Peru, the Catholic Church was the only institution tracking the births, marriages, and deaths of the population. In 1852, during the Republican Era, the government instituted civil registration. This was first done by political authorities, such as prefecture, subprefecture, and state. In 1856, this responsibility was given to municipalities. Currently, civil registration is in the hands of RENIEC, which delegates the registration process to municipal registrars.

In 1876, Peru’s census counted a population of 2.6 million residents, with just over 100,000 of those living in Lima. By 1900, Peru’s population numbered 3.8 million, with 223,807 in Lima. The Family History Library’s collection includes civil registers from the following municipalities:


 * Lima o Cercado de lima
 * Ancón
 * Barranco
 * Chorrillos
 * Lurigancho
 * Magdalena del Mar
 * Magdalena Vieja
 * Miraflores
 * San Miguel (previously known as San Miguel del Mar)
 * Santiago de Surco (previously known as San José de Surco)

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

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.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Important information found in birth records include:


 * Date and place of registration
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's date and place of birth
 * Legitimacy of child
 * Parents’ names, their ages and residence
 * Names of witnesses

Important information found in marriage records include:


 * Date and place of registration
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's name, age, marital status, occupation, nativity and residence
 * Names of groom's parents
 * Bride's name, age, marital status, occupation, nativity and residence
 * Names of bride's parents
 * Statement of religious affiliation
 * Names of the witnesses

Important information found in death records include:


 * Time, date, and place of the registration
 * Name, age and gender of deceased
 * Date, place and time of death
 * Cause of death
 * Names of parents
 * Names of witnesses, their age and residence
 * Name of person registering death and their relationship to deceased

How to Use the Record
To search the collection: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the appropriate “Department or Region” ⇒ Select the appropriate “Province” ⇒ Select the appropriate“District or Municipality” ⇒ Select the appropriate "Record Type and Years" which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one 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. For genealogical research, the birth, marriage, and death records contain important information for at least two and sometimes three generations of ancestors in one document. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

When browsing this collection it is helpful to know the following:


 * The place where the event occurred
 * The name and surname of the person
 * The approximate date of the event
 * The name of the parents or spouse

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

Spanish Genealogical Word List

Related Websites

 * Peru Surname Search
 * Peru - The WorldGenWeb Project

Related Wiki Articles

 * Peru
 * Peru Civil Registration
 * Peru History

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: Peru, La Libertad, Civil Registration, 1903-1998

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.