Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Mexico

Baja California

Mexico

Baja California Sur

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Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Catholic Church Records, 1750-1984 CID1506640 {{{CID2}}} {{{CID3}}} {{{CID4}}} {{{CID5}}} {{{CID6}}} {{{CID7}}} {{{CID8}}} {{{CID9}}}
This article describes a collection of records at FamilySearch.org.
Baja California and Baja California Sur, Mexico
Flag of the United Mexican States
Location of Baja California and Baja California Sur, Mexico
Record Description
Record Type:	Church
Collection years:	1750-1984
Languages:	Spanish
Title in the Language:	Registros Parroquiales de la Iglesia Católica en el Estado de Baja California y en el Estado de Baja California Sur, México.
FamilySearch Resources
Mexico
Baja California
Baja California Sur
Mexico Church Records
Mexico Church History
Related Websites
Baja California Maps
Baja California History
Archive
Catholic Church Parishes, Baja California and Baja California Sur

What is in the Collection?

This collection covers church records from parishes in Baja California and Baja California Sur for the years 1750 to 1984.

Separate books were kept for baptisms, confirmations, marriage information documents, marriages, and deaths. However, in smaller areas, all records may be recorded on one register. In larger parishes a separate book was usually maintained for confirmations, while in smaller parishes the confirmations may have been included with the baptisms. In smaller parishes, these records were included in the marriage entry. In smaller parishes, the confirmations may have been included with the baptisms or even with marriages. In larger parishes, a separate book of confirmations was usually maintained.

These records are in relatively fair condition, with the exception of some older records that may be damaged and, therefore, hard to read or missing some information. Most of the older records are handwritten in narrative style and follow a common text with some variations depending on the style used by the priest. Newer records are handwritten in formatted registers; some are even written in ledger style registers.

Reading These Records

These records are written in Spanish Genealogical Word List; see the section For Help Reading these Records for translation helps.

To Browse This Collection

You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Catholic Church Records, 1750-1984.

What Can This Collection Tell Me?

The following information is usually found in these records:

Baptismal and confirmation records	Marriage records	Burial or 'Death records'
Date and place of the baptism	Date and place of the marriage	Date and place of burial and/or death
Child’s name and gender	Names of the bride and groom	Name of deceased
Names of the parents	Names of the parents	Sometimes the names of the parents or the spouse, if the deceased was married
Age of the person being baptized or their birth date	Name of the witnesses	Age at time of death
Legitimacy	Ages and marital statuses of the bride and groom	Place of residence or origin of deaceased
Before 1820, social class of the parents	Places of origin and residence	Sometimes the race of the deceased
Sometimes the person’s race	Legitimacy
Godparents	Sometimes the race of bride and groom

Collection Contents

Sample Images

• Mexico Baja California Catholic Church Records Marriage.jpg

  Marriage Record

• Mexico Baja California Catholic Church Records Death.jpg

  Death Record

Coverage Table

As of 5 June 2015 this collection contained the following records.

Event	State	City	Parish	Start Year	End Year	Records
Baptism	Baja California	La Paz	Nuestra Señora de la Paz	1762	1899	14,565
Baptism	Baja California	San Antonio	San Antonio de Padua	1809	1894	8,698
Baptism	Baja California	Todos Santos	Nuestra Señora del Pilar	1835	1836	46
Marriage	Baja California	La Paz	Nuestra Señora de la Paz	1882	1924	6
Marriage	Baja California	San Antonio	San Antonio de Padua	1809	1825	2

How Do I Search the Collection?

You can search the index or view the images or both. Before using this collection it is helpful to know:

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

Search the Index

Search by name by visiting the Collection Page.

1. Fill in the search boxes on the Collection Page with the information you have.
   
2. Click Search to show possible matches.

View the Images

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page.

1. Select City or Town
2. Select Parish]
3. Select Record Type and Years to view the images.
   

For Help Reading these Records

For help reading these Spanish records, see the following resources:

• Mexico Language and Languages
• Spanish Genealogical Word List
• BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
• FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
  • Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
  • Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2
  • Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 3

What Do I Do Next?

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

• If possible, look at the actual image of the record to verify the information found in the online description.
• Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in 1930, Mexico National Census.
• Use the residence and names of the parents to locate other church and land records.
• Look for more information in the Baja California Civil Registration
• Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
• Compile information for every person who has the same surname as your ancestor; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
• Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.

I Can’t Find Who 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.
• Civil registration records are also a good source of genealogical information. You should obtain copies of both church records and civil registration, when possible, since they do not necessarily provide the same information. For example, baptismal registers sometimes provide the names of the fathers of illegitimate children when the civil registration does not.
• There may be more than one person with the same name.
• Even though this is an index there may still be inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.
• A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring area. Search the records and indexes of neighboring cities, provinces, and regions.
• Try looking through records in the surrounding localities. Baja California shares a small part of its northeastern border with Sonora and its northern border with California. Baja California Sur is surrounded by water excepting the northern border it shares with Baja California.
• Civil registration records are also a good source of genealogical information. You should obtain copies of both church records and civil registration, when possible, since they do not necessarily provide the same information. For example, baptismal registers sometimes provide the names of the fathers of illegitimate children when the civil registration does not.
• Your ancestor may have immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby countries or immigration/emigration records.

Known Issues with This Collection

Problems with this collection? See a list of known issues, workarounds, tips, restrictions, future fixes, news and other helpful information.

For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to 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.

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:

Collection Citation: The citation for this collection can be found on the Collection Details Page in the section Cite This Collection.

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

When looking at a record, the citation is found below the record. You can search records in this collection by visiting the search page for Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Catholic Church Records, 1750-1984.

Image Citation:
This template has been deprecated and is no longer used.

When looking at an image, the citation is found on the Information tab at the bottom left of the screen. You can browse through images in this collection by visiting the browse page for Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Catholic Church Records, 1750-1984.

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