Venezuela, Zulia, Archdiocese of Maracaibo, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Venezuela

Zulia

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This article describes a collection of records scheduled to become available at FamilySearch.org.
Zulia, Venezuela
Flag of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Flag of Zulia
Location of Zulia, Venezuela
Location of Venezuela
Record Description
Record Type:	Church records
Collection years:	1930-2012
Language:	Spanish
Title in the Language:	Venezuela, Zulia, Arquidiócesis de Maracaibo, Registros Catolicos
FamilySearch Resources
Venezuela Record Finder
Venezuela Research Tips and Strategies
Venezuela Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
Venezuela Church Records
Venezuela Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records
Related Websites
Archdiocese of Maracaibo
Hispanic Genealogy Blog is written in English.
Blog de Genealogía Hispaña Blog is written in Spanish.
Genealogía Española-España GenWeb Website is in Spanish.
Secuencia Correcta Al Buscar En Registros Parroquiales Website is in Spanish

Title in the Language of the Record

Venezuela, Zulia, Arquidiócesis de Maracaibo, Registros Catolicos

What Is in This Collection?

This collection of church records includes baptisms, marriages, burials, confirmations, prenuptial investigations, and other miscellaneous records from the parishes in Archdiocese of Maracaibo in Venezuela from 1930-2012.

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

Index and Image Visibility

Whenever possible FamilySearch makes images and indexes available for all users. However, rights to view these data are limited by contract and subject to change. Because of this there may be limitations on where and how images and indexes are available or who can see them. Please be aware some collections consist only of partial information indexed from the records and do not contain any images. For additional information about image restrictions see Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections.

Reading These Records

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

• Spanish Genealogical Word List
• BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
• FamilySearch Learning Center videos:

• Reading Spanish Handwriting

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

• Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish

You will be able to browse through images in this collection when it is published.

Collection Content

The information found in each record varies by year. Records were made by Catholic priests or their associates, recorded in Spanish, and mostly written on either lined paper or blank paper that contained pre-printed numbers.

Baptism records generally include the following information: Name, age, and gender Birth date and place Date and place of baptism Names of parents Names of witnesses

Confirmation records/registers generally include: Name, age, and gender Date and place of confirmation Names of parents Names of godparent

Marriage records may include the following: 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

Death records usually include: Deceased’s name, gender, and age (keep in mind that death records for women may be filed under their married name) Date and place of death Marital status/name of spouse Birthplace Names of parents

How Do I Search the Collection?

Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:

• Name of the person
• Approximate date of the event

Search the Index

You will be able to search this collection when it is published.

View the Images

You will be able to view the images in this collection when it is published.

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?

In Latin America, two or three generations are often indicated in church registers, along with their birthplaces or residences. If, however, earlier generations are not listed with the relative or ancestor selected, try searching parishes located within a close proximity.

For marriage and death records, name changes, shortened names, or nicknames may have been used by your ancestors, so pay attention to other relationships (parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc.) that can confirm whether you have the right person/record.

When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married 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.

Continue to search the indexes and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same area or a nearby area.

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
• A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring state or region, or your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records. Venezuela Emigration and Immigration
• Civil registration records are also a good source of genealogical information.

Research Helps

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

• Venezuela Record Finder
• Venezuela Research Tips and Strategies

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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