Panama

 Welcome to the Panama research page! We are dedicated to helping you find your Panamanian ancestors. Through the Panama page you can learn how to find, use, and analyze Panamanian records of genealogical value. The content is targeted to beginners, intermediate, and expert researchers. Please visit the help page to learn more about using the site. The Panama Page is a work in progress, your contributions and feedback are essential!

Si usted entiende español

Le invitamos a buscar información en español en la página de Panamá en el wiki de FamilySearch español. También le invitamos a compartir información útil allí. Véase el enlace en la parte inferior de la página.

Getting started with Panama research

Panama is politically divided into 9 provinces and 5 "comarcas," or indigenous territories. Until 1999, the United States controlled the Panama Canal Zone, an unincorporated 10-mile wide territory. Understanding political divisions is essential to doing family history, as these divisions determine where records are recorded and archived. To learn more about Panama's political division, Click here.

See FamilySearch Tutorials on Latin American Research.

Jurisdictions

Provinces Bocas del Toro Chiriqui Cocle Colon Darien Herrera Los Santos Panama Veraguas

Provincial Territories Embera Kuna Yala Ngobe-Bugle Sub-Provincial Territories Kuna de Madugandí (within Panamá province) Kuna de Wargandí (within Darién province)

Vital Records

Records available online at FamilySearch:

• Panama Baptisms, 1750-1938
• Panama Marriages, 1800-1950
• Panama Deaths, 1840-1930
• Catholic Church Records, 1707-1973 (images only)

Research Tools

• See FamilySearch Tutorials on Latin American Research.
• How to read old Spanish handwriting tutorial
• FamilySearch Record Search
• (helpful tools and resources, gazetteers)
• (language dictionary, handwriting guide or tutorial, etc.)
• BYU Research Outline for Panama
• Listing of all records collections for Panama available on FamilySearch.org

Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:

• Panama Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)
• Panama Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
• Panama Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
• Panama Deaths (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Help Wanted

The moderator for the research articles related to Panama is anelson. If you have questions or comments related to the Panama research content please post your discussion items on the moderator's talk page. In order to make this wiki a better research tool, we need your help! Many tasks need to be done. You can help by:

Expand an articleor short page Create a new article Categorize articles

Add external links to articles Add internal links to articles Other...

Did you know?

• The Isthmus of Panama is the narrowest strip of land in the American continent. It is bordered north-west by Costa Rica, south-east by Colombia, south by the Pacific Ocean, and north by the Caribbean Sea.
• Some consider Panama a transcontinental nation, with the Panama Canal bisecting North and South America.
• The first permanent European settlement in the mainland of the Americas, Santa Maria la Antigua del Darien, was founded in Panama by Vasco Nunez de Balboa in 1510.
• The Pacific Ocean was discovered by Balboa off the coast of Panama on September 25, 1513.

Featured Content

See FamilySearch Tutorials on Latin American Research.

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News and Events

Microfilmed Catholic Church records are now online. Panama records are now ready for indexing. Need volunteers!

Topics

Archives and Libraries Bibliography Biography Cemeteries Census Church Directories Church History Church Records Civil Registration Directories Emigration and Immigration Ethnic Groups Encyclopedias and Dictionaries Genealogy Geographic Dictionaries Historical Geography History IGI Batch Numbers Jewish Records Land and Property Languages Maps Military Records Minorities Newspapers Names, Personal Notarial Records Record Selection Table Social Life and Customs Societies

Useful Websites

FamilySearch Record Search Hispanic Genealogy Blog History Centers in Panama Central America Cyndi's List

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