Ecuador Church Records

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Ecuador

Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Ecuador, go to the Religious Records page.

Online Resources and Websites

• 1565-2011 Ecuador, Catholic Church Records, 1565-2011 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1680-1930: Ecuador, Select Baptisms, 1680-1930 at Ancestry ($), index, incomplete; also at MyHeritage ($)
• 1680-1930: Ecuador, Select Marriages, 1680-1930 at Ancestry ($), index, incomplete; also at MyHeritage ($)
• 1800-1920: Ecuador, Select Deaths, 1800-1920 at Ancestry ($), index, incomplete; also at MyHeritage ($)

Findmypast

• British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, index & images ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages,, index & images ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials at Findmypast - index & images ($)
  

Historical Background

According to the Ecuadorian National Institute of Statistics and Census, 91.95% of the country's population have a religion, 7.94% are atheists and 0.11% are agnostics. Among the people that have a religion, 80.44% are Roman Catholic, 11.30% are Evangelical Protestants, 1.29% are Jehovah's Witnesses and 6.97% other.

There are many old and new churches throughout the country and many more are being built by the Catholic Church. The Evangelical Missionary Union represents many Protestants in Ecuador; Anglican churches in Ecuador belong to Province 9 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Other religions are present in small numbers: Eastern Orthodoxy, Mormonism, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism and Islam.

Information Recorded in the Records

Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms

In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

baptism date the infant's name parents' names father's occupation

status of legitimacy occasionally, names of grandparents names of witnesses or godparents, who may be relatives

birth date and place the family's place of residence death information, as an added note or signified by a cross

Marriages

Marriage registers can give:

the marriage date the names of the bride and groom indicate whether the bride and groom were single or widowed their ages

birth dates and places for the bride and groom their residences their occupations

birthplaces of the bride and groom parents' names (after 1800) the names of previous spouses and their death dates names of witnesses, who might be relatives.

Burials

Burial registers may give:

the name of the deceased the date and place of death or burial the deceased's age place of residence

cause of death the names of survivors, especially a widow or widower deceased's birth date and place parents' names, or at least the father's name

How to Find Records

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog

Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:

a. Click on the records of Ecuador.

b. Click on Places within Ecuador and a list of towns will appear.

c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.

d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.

e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. . The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records

You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

Anglican (Episcopal) Church Records

Writing for Records

• Directory for Central Ecuador Diocese
• Directory for Ecuador Litoral Diocese
• Google Maps search results for Anglican churches in Ecuador

Historical Background

The Episcopal Diocese of Litoral Ecuador (Spanish: Iglesia Episcopal del Ecuador - Diócesis Litoral) is a missionary church of the Anglican Communion for the coastal region of Ecuador with headquarters in Guayaquil. The Episcopal Diocese of Central Ecuador (Spanish: Iglesia Episcopal del Ecuador - Diócesis Central) is a missionary church of the Anglican Communion for the interior region of Ecuador with headquarters in Quito.

Catholic Church Records

Jurisdictions of the Catholic Church

Writing to a Local Parish

Earlier records can be held at the diocese, with more recent records still kept in the local parish. To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a diocese or local parish, consult:

• The Catholic Directory: Ecuador

Historical Background

After the Spanish colonization, Ecuador became a Roman Catholic country. The Catholic Church had and still has an important place in the Ecuadorian government and society. After the Constitution of 1869, the official religion became Catholicism[4] and only Catholics could obtain citizenship. In 1899, the liberal government of Alfaro made a new constitution which respected all religions and guaranteed freedom of religious choice.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Records

Online Records

Online information is available to current members, for deceased members and immediate family members who are still living. Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.

Historical Background

In 1965, the first missionaries entered Ecuador and baptized nine converts within one month. When the Ecuador Mission was created in 1970, membership was 1,000. Five years later, membership tripled to more than 3,000. In 1981, congregations were organized among the Otavalo Indians near Quito after several Church publications were translated into their language. In 1989, Quito, Ecuador, became headquarters for the Church's South America North Area. Total Church Membership: 248,651. Congregations: 305.

Eastern Orthodox Church Records

Writing for Records

• Orthodox World Directory: Ecuador
• Google Maps search results for Eastern Orthodox churches in Ecuador

Jehovah's Witnesses Church Records

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Jehovah's Witnesses churches in Ecuador

Historical Background

In 2010, some 70,000 Witnesses of Jehovah were spreading the good news of God’s Kingdom in all four of Ecuador’s regions. The most recent numbers indicate that more than 90,000 ministers who teach the Bible are in Ecuador, and that the ratio of Witnesses in the country is 1 per every 183 residents. Located in Guayaquil, the branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Ecuador supports ministry work in the country. The branch also supervises the 1,000-plus congregations operating in Ecuador and translates Biblical literature into Quichua and Shuar, among other languages.

Pentecostal Church Records

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Pentecostal churches in Brazil

Historical Background

Iglesia Evangelica Apostolica del Nombre de Jesus also known as IEANJESUS (English: Jesus Name Evangelical Apostolic Church ) is the biggest Ecuadorian and Peruvian Apostolic/Pentecostal church. Founded in 1969, it now counts more than 1022 churches in Ecuador.