Biobío Region, Chile Genealogy: Difference between revisions

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<div>[[Image:Chile Map Bio Bio.png|thumb|173px|<center>Region of Biobío</center>]] </div>

* Bio Bio belongs to central Chile.

* The Biobío Region has an approximate population of 2,114,000 people. <ref>Wikipedia Collaborators, "Región del Bío-Bío," In ''Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia'',  https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regi%C3%B3n_del_B%C3%ADo-B%C3%ADo. Visited 12 June 2017. </ref>

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Civil registration is the government recording of births, marriages, and deaths. In Chile, civil authorities began registering births, marriages, and deaths in 1885; records  might have gaps until 1900, when full compliance to the law was achieved. For many families, civil registration records are the only sources of information after this date. These registers are written in Spanish. Some registers may have an index. In some cases, a separate index may be available that covers a specific time period.<br>

Civil registration records are kept at the local civil registration office ''(oficina de registro civil)'' in each municipality''(municipalidad''). You must determine the town where your ancestor lived before you can find the records. Your ancestor may have lived in a small town ''(pueblo)'' that belonged to the civil jurisdiction ''(municipalidad)'' of a larger town in the area. In large cities, there may be more than one civil registration office. Here is an online gazetteer for cities and towns in [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/CI/06/ '''Biobío'''].  

For many localities, digital copies of civil registration can be searched online. [[Provinces of Chile - Civil Registration|'''Click here''']] for a list of '''civil registration districts''' and their municipalities that have been digitized in the FamilySearch collection.

The provinces of Arauco, Concepción and Ñuble within Bío Bío have separate civil registration collections.

This collection can also be searched on [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=9812 '''Ancestry.com'''], (index and images, $).  Although it is essentially the same collection, the search engine at Ancestry.com seems to handle spelling variations better. Ancestry.com can be searched free of charge at [[FamilySearch Centers|FamilySearch Centers]] throughout the world.<br>

:'''"Nascimientos"''' are births. '''"Matrimonios"''' are marriages. ''' "Defunciones"''' are deaths.

If the locality and time period you need are not included in the online records, the next step is to try to find them in the microfilm collection of the FamilySearch Library. Currently, they are being digitized, and plans are to complete that project by 2020. Check back occasionally to see if your records have become available. In the meantime, some of them might be available at a [https://www.familysearch.org/help/fhcenters/locations/ '''FamilySearch Center'''] near you. <br>

To find a microfilm:

:::[[File:FHL icons.png|100px]] <br>The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm 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 microfilm.  

You may order up to four certificates free online from the [http://www.registrocivil.cl/OficinaInternet/servlet/MuestraPagina?contexto=0&pagina=/OficinaInternet/servlet/HomeVenta Chilean Office of Civil Registration]. In order to obtain the certificates, they must be requested by someone who has a RUN, a Chilean national identity number. They will come in a PDF file via email. Once received you can verify their validity online at www.registrocivil.gob.cl for 60 days from the day of emission. You will need to enter the number of the file and the verification code and then verify the matching information that appears in your screen to confirm the authenticity of the document.  

Civil records are issued in duplicate. The original remains at the local civil registration archive and a copy is sent to:  

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Church records (registros parroquiales) are excellent sources for accurate information on names, dates, and places of births, marriages, and deaths. Virtually every person who lived in Chile before 1885 was recorded in a church record. Church records are often referred to as parish registers or church books. They include records of christenings, sometimes including a birth date; marriages; deaths; and burials. Church records were kept at the local parish of the church. The term "parish" refers to the jurisdiction of a church priest. Parishes are local congregations that may have included many local villages within their boundaries. In order to know which parish registers to search, you must know your ancestor’s religion and the town where he or she lived. It will also be helpful to know the parish to which your ancestor belonged in case there were several parishes in one large locality.  You can use [https://www.google.com/maps/ '''Google Maps'''] and enter "Churches near [name any town]" and it will show the nearby parishes, frequently with contact information.

A few baptisms, marriages, and burials have been indexed for Chile:

**Also available at [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=9810 '''Ancestry.com'''], index, ($).

'''Bautismos''' are infant baptisms, which are used for birth information. '''Información matrimonial''' are documents collected in preparation for a marriage. '''Matrimônios'''' are marriages. '''Defunciones''' are deaths.  '''Entierros''' are burials'". Índice''' is the index.

'''The FamilySearch Library has microfilm copies of most Chilean church records prior to 1930.''' Currently, they are being digitized, and plans are to complete that project by 2020. Check back occasionally to see if your records have become available. In the meantime, some of them might be available at a [https://www.familysearch.org/help/fhcenters/locations/ '''FamilySearch Center'''] near you. <br>

To find a microfilm:

:::[[File:FHL icons.png|100px]]  <br>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 microfilm.   

Baptism, marriage, and death records may be searched by contacting or visiting the local parish.  More recent Catholic parish records are kept at the local parish.  '''''This method is not always reliable.  Officials might or might not respond.'''''  

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*You do not have to be fluent in Spanish to read your documents. Genealogical records usually contain a limited vocabulary. Use the [[Spanish Genealogical Word List|'''Spanish Genealogical Word List''']] to translate the important points in the document.  Handwriting skills are taught in the [https://script.byu.edu/Pages/the-spanish-documents-pages/sp-overview(english) '''BYU Spanish Script Tutorial'''].

:*{{LearningCenter2|207|'''Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 3'''}} — Read Spanish records: birth, baptism, marriage, and death records

*Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find his birth record, search for the births of his '''brothers and sisters'''.  

*Next, search for the '''marriage of his parents.''' The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.  

*If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.  

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[[es:Región de Biobío, Chile - Genealogía]]

[[Category:Biobío Region, Chile]]