The term genealogy in this outline and in the Family History Library Catalog describes a variety of family information gathered by researchers, societies, or archives. Records containing this information may be very helpful and can save you valuable time. However, because they may contain either primary or secondary information or both, you must carefully evaluate their accuracy. They may include:

• Pedigree charts.
• Compiled data on families.
• Correspondence.
• Ancestor lists.
• Research exchange files.
• Record abstracts.
• Collections of original or copied documents.
  

Major Collections and Databases

The Family History Library has records of previous research and records of researchers interested in sharing family information.

• International Genealogical Index lists the names of many deceased individuals who lived in the Philippines. This index is on microfiche at the library and at each Family History Center. Although the Philippine records are not yet extensive, the index is growing every year and is a valuable source to check.
• Ancestral File is a computer file of family genealogies. It contains genealogy information that has been submitted by private individuals since 1979. If other researchers have compiled information on your families and submitted it to this file, you may want to search this database.
  

Family Histories

A few families have produced histories that may have genealogical information, biographies, photographs, and other excellent information. These histories usually tell about several generations of the family. Family histories and genealogies are usually available at larger public libraries and historical societies.

The Family History Library has some published Philippine family histories and newsletters. These are listed in the Family History Library Catalog, Surname section. Only the main surnames in each family history are listed in the catalog.

If you find your surname in one of these histories, try to determine if it is your family. Not all persons with the same surname are related. Often you need to do some research in original records before you can connect your ancestry to families in these histories.

Printed Compilations

Many individuals and societies have compiled and published ancestor lists, lineage books, and genealogy tables. These are usually about the ancestry or descent of individuals from a specific time, place, or event. For example, you may find compiled genealogies of immigrant Chinese families, soldiers who served in the War of Resistance, or members of a religious group. An outstanding compiled genealogy is:

Fernandez de Recas Garcia, Guillermo Sergio. Aspirantes americanos a cargos del Santo Oficio: sus genealógicas ascendentes (Aspiring Americans in Charge of the Holy Office: Their Genealogical Ascendancy). Mexico: Librería de Manuel Porrua, 1956. (FHL book 972 D3fr; film 0283553; computer number 0252908.) This compilation gives genealogical sketches of 1,208 persons who applied for positions in the Inquisition from the sixteenth-to the nineteenth-centuries in Spanish America and the Philippines.

These types of records are in the locality section of the Family History Library Catalog under:

PHILIPPINES - GENEALOGY

Manuscript Collections

Many libraries, archives, societies, and individuals have collected unpublished records about families, including the life work of genealogists, records submitted to patriotic or lineage societies, and records submitted to share genealogical information (such as pedigree charts). You will need to search most manuscript collections personally.

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