Philippines, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Philippines

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains Catholic church records of baptism, marriage, and burial from multiple parishes in the Philippines. Some records have been indexed and are searchable as part of this collection. A list of dioceses in the Philippines can be found at Philippines Catholic Dioceses.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Latin and Spanish. For help reading them see:
 * Latin Genealogical Word List
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Brigham Young University: Script tutorial for Spanish

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Baptism
 * Name, age, and gender
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Names of parents

Marriage
 * Names and ages of groom and bride
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Birthplaces of groom and bride
 * Names of groom’s parents
 * Names of bride’s parents
 * Who performed the marriage
 * Names of witnesses

Burial
 * Age at the time of death
 * Birth date
 * Birthplace
 * Deceased's given name
 * Death date
 * Father's name
 * Mother's name
 * Spouse's name if married

Inventory
For a list of all the titles included in these collections see Philippines, Catholic Church Records, 1794-1985 - Inventory and Philippines, Catholic Church Records, 1520-2014 - Inventory.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event
 * Names of other family members

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * If available, check the image for additional information
 * Analyze the entry to see if it provides additional clues to find other records of the person or their family

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * The person may be recorded with an abbreviated or variant form of their name
 * Try searching by surname only
 * Remember that spelling was generally not standardized until the early part of the 20th century

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Philippines.
 * Philippines Record Finder
 * Philippines Finding Town of Origin
 * Philippines Church Records

Citing This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information.