Aguascalientes: Baptisms[edit | edit source]

Baptisms[edit | edit source]

For centuries, baptism has been a fundamental staple of religion. Normally in the Catholic Church, babies were baptized a few days after being born. In baptizing the infant, a register was created after the event. This register is called baptismal record and is important for genealogy. It is important not only because of all the information given for each individual but also for their ancestors.

The purpose of this article is for the reader to have a broad knowledge when utilizing baptismal record effectively in the search for their ancestors. There are four fundamental questions that will be answered:

• What is a baptismal record
• How do I use the information to move forward with my genealogy
• Where are baptismal records found
• How can I view them

Example[edit | edit source]

This section contains examples to see what a baptismal record is, transcription of the document to see what it says, and parts of the document with descriptions to understand the wealth of information.

One has to take into account that not all baptismal records are the same. As seen in the examples, some records contain a greater amount of information than others. There were various reasons why a record contained more information than another. It can be for these and other reasons:

• The socioeconomic status of the child’s family.

For example, generally if you were poor not much information was written down; on the contrary if they had a lot of influence more and better genealogical information would be given.

• At the priests disposition.

Sometimes the priest would give preference to a family of lower means then a richer family.

Priests moved and the style of one could be drastically different from another.

Parts of a Record[edit | edit source]

The different parts of the document are listed here "may" be found in baptismal records, but not a certainty. Each document is different as seen in the examples.

• Name of the parish
• Location of the parish
• Date of the baptism
• Name of the clergy
• The baptism
• Name of the child
• Race
• Place of birth
• Date of birth
• Relationship
• Name of parents
• Are parents living or deceased
• Where they are from
• Name of grandparents
• Godparents
• Warning
• Certainty
• Signature(s)
• Commentaries in the margin
• Titles

How to use the information[edit | edit source]

The information you find in baptismal records can be used to find other ancestors. Information found may be helpful in locating additional information. Much of the data can be used in conjunction with other data to provide more abundant fruits. These fruits can be found in the marriage records, death, marriage information, wills, or various others.

The important thing is to learn to recognize that the information will help you find information and what not. Recognizing the information’s value and its genealogical relevance is going to facilitate the discovery of your family more easily. Some data in the list entitled, Parts of a Record, are not important when finding ancestors and are recorded, warning, and signatures. The rest are relevant.

Ways of using the information
It may be that these explanations do not cover all the ways that one can use the information to find their ancestors. So if anyone knows of other ways, please add them to the end of this section.

Ways of using the information[edit | edit source]

It may be that these explanations do not cover all the ways that one can use the information to find their ancestors. So if anyone knows of other ways, please add them to the end of this section.

Where to find baptismal records[edit | edit source]

Parish Records
[edit | edit source]

Normally the parish registers are found in the parishes that created the records. But sometimes that's not the case. For example, in the city of Santa Maria Cohetzala, Cohetzala, Puebla, Mexico is a parish, but the records are not found there. In fact, the records are in the parish of San Juan Bautista, Pilcaya, Puebla, Mexico which is located approximately 15 miles away. So, one cannot be sure of where records will be found, investigate the surrounding area around the parish. Sometimes you can find additional information in the Diocese or Archdiocese that the parish belongs to. Since information was usually sent to those places.

Records may also be located in the civil records and or local archives, municipal, state, or national. Although it is rare to find church records at these sites, it occurs often enough to need mentioning. But usually records are found in ecclesiastical institutions.

Sometimes records are in the hands of collectors who reside both in Mexico and abroad. Unfortunately, when this is the case, they are not easily located and difficult to access them.

How to view them[edit | edit source]

Many of the basic church records for Mexico genealogy has been microfilmed and scanned by the "Genealogical Society of Utah" (Sociedad Genealogica de Utah) and FamilySearch. These records are becoming more accessible as some of them are put online. Through the internet you can view images, (a digital copy of the record) from any electronic device (which has internet access it) anywhere in the world. The microfilms not yet available online can be accessed in over 4,500 family history centers around the world. It is worth mentioning that there are other companies that are also making information in records more accessible.

Available on FamilySearch[edit | edit source]

You can search for ancestors by name in the FamilySearch indexed collections by clicking here.

To find a Family History Center near you, click here.

There are also books at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. click here. You could check for a copy of them in a public library near you.

For other types of searches do recommend that you read the instructions to find information in the Catalogue of the Family History Library by clicking here.

Baptisms 1560-1950

Marriages 1570-1950

Deaths 1680-1940

State by state, these are the parish records available to view online at FamilySearch

Aguascalientes, Catholic Records, 1620-1962

Baja California, Catholic Records, 1750-1984

Campeche, Catholic Records, 1638-1944

Chiapas, Catholic Records, 1558-1978

Chihuahua, Catholic Records, 1632-1958

Coahuila, Registros católicos, 1627-1978

Colima, Registros católicos, 1707-1969

Distrito Federal, Registros católicos, 1886-1933