Philippines, Lingayen-Dagupan Catholic Archdiocese Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records
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| This article describes a collection of records at FamilySearch.org. | |
| Lingayen-Dagupan, Pangasinan, Philippines | |
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| Flag of the Republic of the Philippines | |
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| Flag of the Province of Pangasinan | |
| Location of Lingayen-Dagupan, Pangasinan, Philippines | |
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| Location of Phlippines | |
| Record Description | |
| Record Type: | Parish Registers |
| Collection years: | 1615-1982 |
| Languages: | Spanish |
| Title in the Languages: | Filipinas, Registros Parroquiales de la Arquidiócesis Católica de Lingayen |
| FamilySearch Resources | |
| Related Websites | |
| Archive | |
| Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan | |
What is in This Collection?
These records include indexes to baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and burials from the Catholic Church parish registers of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan covering the years 1615-1982. Baptism records are only available for the years 1900-1914.
Entries for baptisms, marriages, and deaths (burials) usually consist of a narrative paragraph. Dates are usually spelled out and the name of the principal person is usually written in the margin next to the entry. After about 1920, preprinted forms with columns were sometimes used.
Catholic Church parish registers in the Philippines were created to record the church sacraments of baptism, confirmation, marriage, and burial.
See the Philippines Church Records article for more details.
Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. Images in this collection are available for viewing if you are a registered FamilySearch user. You can register for a free FamilySearch account here.
For additional information about image restrictions, please see the Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections page.
Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading these records see the following guides:
To Browse This Collection
| You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for Philippines, Lingayen-Dagupan Catholic Archdiocese Parish Registers, 1615-1982. |
What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
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Baptism
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Confirmation registers/lists
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Marriage
Death/burial
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How Do I Search This Collection?
Search the Index
Search by name on the Collection Details Page.- Fill in the search boxes in the Search Collection section with the information you know
- Click Search to show possible matches
View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page:
- Select Province
- Select Barangay
- Select Parish
- Select Record Type Year Range (Volume Number) to view the images.
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More images are available in the FamilySearch Catalog at Philippines, Lingayen-Dagupan Catholic Archdiocese Parish Registers, 1615-1982. 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?
- Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information
- Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names
- Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records Philippines Census
- Use the residence and names of the parents to locate civil (see “Related Wiki Articles” section below) and land records Philippines Land and Property
- Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family
- The name of a marriage officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the province. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other provinces
- 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
- Use the marital status to identify previous marriages (whether a divorce or death dissolved a previous marriage)
- Witnesses often were relatives of the parents
I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?
- Consult the Philippines Record Finder to find other records
- Note the founding date of the parish you are searching. If the date is after your ancestor would be recorded, search records of the parent parish. See the Catholic Directory of the Philippines. If your ancestor lived before the beginning date of the church records, the older parish may be far from the new one
- Or your ancestor may have immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records
- Civil registration records are also a good substitute when church records are insufficient
Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Philippines.
Tips to Keep in Mind
- Usually, marriages occurred about one year before the first child was born
- When looking for your ancestor’s baptismal record, remember that the entries are arranged chronologically
- The parish registers may list the godparents while the civil records may list the grandparents
- Be sure to search both the parish and civil records after 1860 since some families did not consistently register their children with either the church or the government.
- When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
- For death records, the information in records is usually reliable, but depends upon the knowledge of the informant
- For marriage and death records, your ancestors may have used shortened names or nicknames, so pay attention to other relationships (parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc.) that can confirm whether you have the right person/record
- 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
General Information About These Records
Since about 1600, up to 85 percent of people living in the Philippines have been members of the Roman Catholic Church.
There was no separation of church and state in the Philippines until the end of the Spanish administration in 1898. Generally, parish priests recorded civil and ecclesiastical documents.
Parish registers are the best records in the Philippines to identify individuals, parents, and spouses before the nineteenth century. After this date, civil authorities began registering vital statistics, which became equally important. The information in civil sources confirms and supplements the information in church records.
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 Citing this Collection. |
| Record Citation: When looking at a record, the citation can be viewed by clicking the drop-down arrow next to Document Information. |
