Spain, Diocese of Santander, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Registros Católicos de la Diócesis de Santander, España

Record Description
This collection will include records from 1585-1984

This collection includes digital copies of records of baptisms, marriages, and burials of the parishes of the Diocese of Santander in Spain. Some records have been indexed and are searchable as part of this collection. Additional indexed records will be published as they become available.

Parish priests performed the baptisms, marriages, deaths, burials, and other holy sacraments in their assigned parish or parishes. All the original parish records were kept in the parish archive, and a duplicate copy was and is centralized in the corresponding diocesan archive. Most of these records have been preserved relatively well, but some older entries may have some damage.

The Diocese of Santander contained the most important documents in the province. During the war of 1936, a large part of the records were destroyed. What was left of the records was transported to the Papelera de Arangueren to be preserved on paper.

For a list of records by localities, document type and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browselink from the collection landing page.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in most baptism records may include:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Name and gender of person baptized
 * Date of birth
 * Parents’ names, their residence and origin
 * Names of paternal grandparents, their residence and origin
 * Names of maternal grandparents, their residence and origin
 * Names of godparents’ their residence and origin

Key genealogical facts found in most marriage records may include:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's name and age
 * Groom's marital status and origin
 * Names of groom's parents, their residence and origin
 * Bride's name and age
 * Bride's marital status and origin
 * Names of bride's parents, their residence and origin
 * Names of witnesses’ and their origin

Key genealogical facts found in most death records may include:


 * Name and age of deceased
 * Date, time and place of death
 * Marital status, residence and origin of deceased
 * Name of the spouse if married
 * Names of parents if a minor
 * Cause of death
 * Burial information

How to Use the Record
To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the "Province" category ⇒Select the "City or Town" category ⇒Select the "Parish" category ⇒Select the "Record Type and Years" category which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Keep in mind:
 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

Related Websites

 * Diocesis de Santander
 * Leadership of the Diocese of Santander
 * Guía de los Archivos de la Iglesia en España

Related Wiki Articles

 * Spain, Cantabria, Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Spain
 * Spain Websites

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
“Argentina, Buenos Aires, Catholic Church Records, 1635-1981,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 28 February, 2012), La Plata &gt; San Ponciano &gt; Matrimonios 1884-1886 &gt; image 71 of 389 images, Artemio Avendano and Clemtina Peralta, 1884; citing Parroquia de San Ponciano en la Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Matrimonios. San Ponciano, La Plata, Buenos Aires.