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.

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. The Archdiocese of Merida registers have been published separated from this collection.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collectionn 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
Information found in baptismal records include:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Name and gender of baptized person
 * Child's date and place of birth
 * Legitimacy
 * Parents’ names, and their residence
 * Names of godparents

Information found in marriage records include:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Groom's name and age
 * Groom's civil status, origin and residence
 * Names of groom's parents
 * Bride's name and age
 * Bride's civil status, origin and residence
 * Names of bride's parents
 * Name of witnesses

Information found in death records include:


 * Name and age of deceased
 * Civil status of deceased
 * Sometimes, spouse's name if married
 * Date and place of death
 * Names and residence of parents if deceased is a minor
 * Burial information

How to Use the Record
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.

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. 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.

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

Related Wiki Articles

 * Venezuela
 * Venezuela:Church Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
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 Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Venezuela, Catholic Church Records, 1577-1995," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org https: accessed 22 May 2012) Falcon &gt; San Luis &gt; San Luis &gt; Bautismos 1803- 1896 &gt; Image 2 of 2022; citing Josef Santiago Rivera, baptism 23 January 1803, born 24 December 1802; Records of baptisms, marriages, burials, confirmations, marriage dispensations, pre-marriage investigations and other miscellaneous records for Catholic parishes of Venezuela. Archdioceses and Dioceses Archives throughout Venezuela.