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Venezuela, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

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Venezuela

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Venezuela, Catholic Church Records, 1577-1995
CID1951777
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This article describes a collection of records at FamilySearch.org.
Venezuela
Flag of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Flag of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Location of Venezuela
Location of Venezuela
Record Description
Record Type: Church
Collection years: 1577-1995
Language: Spanish
Title in the Language: Registros Parroquiales de la Iglesia Católica en Venezuela
FamilySearch Resources
Related Websites
Archive
Parroquias Católicas (Catholic Church parishes), Venezuela


What is in This Collection?

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.

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. Other archdiocesan registers have been published separately from this collection. As of 23 January 2018, this collection included records from the following states in Venezuela:

  • Anzoátegui
  • Apure
  • Aragua
  • Barinas
  • Bolivar
  • Carabobo
  • Cojedes
  • Distrito Federal
  • Falcón
  • Guárico
  • Lara
  • Mérida
  • Miranda
  • Monagas
  • Nueva Esparta
  • Portuguesa
  • Sucre
  • Táchira
  • Trujillo
  • Vargas
  • Yaracuy
  • Zulia

Reading These Records

These records are written in Spanish. For help reading them see:

FamilySearch Learning Center videos

If you speak Spanish, the following free online lesson may be helpful to learn how to use the information in these records:

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

Computer Aided Indexing (CAI)

Some or all of the indexed records for this collection were created using Computer Aided Indexing (CAI) from records digitized by FamilySearch or its partners. Each record indexed using CAI will include the message, "This record was indexed by a computer" with a link to report errors. For more information on CAI see FamilySearch Computer Aided Indexing.

Index and Image Visibility

FamilySearch provides images and indexes subject to contractual limitations and changes. Access to images and indexes may vary. Some collections may only have partial indexes without images. See Restrictions for Viewing Images for details.

To Browse This Collection

You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for Venezuela, Catholic Church Records, 1577-1995.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Baptismal and Confirmation

  • Name
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Birth date and place
  • Date and place of baptism
  • Date and place of confirmation
  • Names of parents
  • Names of godparents
  • Names of witnesses

Marriage

  • Name of groom
  • Name of bride
  • Age of groom
  • Age of bride
  • Date and place of marriage
  • Birthplaces of groom and bride
  • Names of groom’s parents
  • Names of bride’s parents
  • Who performed the marriages
  • Names of witnesses

Death

  • Deceased’s name
  • Gender
  • Age
  • Date and place of death
  • Marital status/name of spouse
  • Birthplace
  • Names of parents

Collection Content

Sample Images

  • 1934 Baptism Records

    1934 Baptism Records

  • 1940 Confirmation Records

    1940 Confirmation Records

  • 1936 Marriage Records

    1936 Marriage Records

  • 1934 Death Records

    1934 Death Records

How Do I Search This Collection?

Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:

  • Your ancestor's given name and surname
  • Identifying information such as residence
  • Estimated marriage or birth year

Search the Index

Search by name on the Collection Details Page.
  1. Enter the information in the fields in the Search Collection section or click More Options to see additional fields
  2. Click Search to show possible matches

View the Images

View images in this collection by visiting the Collection Browse Page:
  1. Select State
  2. Select City or Town
  3. Select Record Type and Years to view the images
Tip: More images are available in the FamilySearch Catalog at Venezuela, Catholic Church Records, 1577-1995. Some catalog records link to multiple references. In this case, click on a reference to find a camera icon to see images.

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.

What Do I Do Next?

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

  • Add any new information to your records
  • Check the image the index was taken from to see if there is additional information
  • Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference
  • Use the information to find more. For instance, use the age listed in the record to estimate a year of birth, if that is yet undetermined
  • Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each spouse to find a couple's birth records and parents' names
  • Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual

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

  • Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names. Transcription errors could occur in any handwritten record; also, it was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name. Click here for a list of Spanish name abbreviations
  • Venezuela Civil Registration are also a good substitute when baptism, marriage, and burial records can’t be found or are unavailable

Research Helps

The following articles will help you research your family in Venezuela.

Other FamilySearch Collections

These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

FamilySearch Historical Records

Known Issues

Click here for a list of known issues with this collection.

Citing This Collection

Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Collection Citation:
The citation for this collection can be found on the Collection Details Page in the section Cite This Collection.
Record Citation:
When looking at a record, the citation can be viewed by clicking the drop-down arrow next to Document Information.
Image Citation:
When looking at an image, the citation is found on the Information tab at the bottom left of the screen.
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