Peru Church Records
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For information about records for non-Christian religions in Peru, go to the Religious Records page.
Online Church Records
- 1560-1952 - Peru, Diocese of Huacho, Catholic Church Records, 1560-1952 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1641-2016 - Peru, Diocese of Huaraz, Catholic Church Records, 1641-2016 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1603-1992 - Peru, Catholic Church Records, 1603-1992 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1556-1930 - Historical Record Collections at FamilySearch — index and images. Also at Ancestry.com and Ancestry.com.
- 1600-1940 - Historical Record Collections at FamilySearch — index and images. Also at Ancestry.com and MyHeritage.
- 1665-2018 - Peru, Prelature of Yauyos-Cañete-Huarochirí, Catholic Church Records, 1665-2018 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1750-1930 - Historical Record Collections at FamilySearch — index and images. Also at Ancestry.com and MyHeritage
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 and
- the names of the bride and groom,
- indicate whether they were single or widowed and
- their ages,
- their birth dates and places
- residences,
- occupations,
- birthplaces, and
- 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 and
- the date and place of death or burial.
- the deceased's age,
- place of residence, and
- cause of death
- the names of survivors, especially a widow or widower,
- deceased's birth date and place and
- parents' names
Reading the Records
- 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 to translate the important points in the document. Handwriting skills are taught in the BYU Spanish Script Tutorial.
- Online interactive slideshow lessons are available to help you learn to read these records:
- Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1 — Spanish alphabet
- Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2 — Names, dates, and key genealogical words
- Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 3 — Read Spanish records: birth, baptism, marriage, and death records
Search Strategies
Effective use of church records includes the following strategy:
- Search for the relative or ancestor you want to know more about. When you find his or her birth record,
search for the birth records of his or her brothers and sisters. - Search for the marriage record of the parents. The marriage record will often lead to the birth records
of the parents. - If you cannot locate a marriage record for the parents, you can estimate their ages and search for their birth records.
- Repeat the process for both the father and the mother.
- If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.
- Search the death registers for information about all family members.
