Paraguay, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Paraguay

What is in the Collection?
This collection of Catholic Church parish records includes the years 1754-2015.

This collection of Catholic Church parish records includes baptisms, marriages, deaths, and miscellaneous parish records covering localities for the country of Paraguay. The text of the records is handwritten in Spanish, mostly in narrative form. In later years, the text was handwritten in formatted records. These records are written in Spanish.

Church registers are created by the priest in charge of the parish where the ordinance was performed. The original records are kept in a register in the local parish archive and a duplicate copy is usually sent to the corresponding diocese or archdiocese for archival preservation.

Catholic Church parish registers of birth, death, and marriage are the primary source and most reliable records for genealogical research in Paraguay. After 1880, it is recommended to also use the civil records.

The priests were authorized and requested to create the registers in order to keep a record of all the sacramental ordinances, such as baptisms, marriages, and deaths, in the life of his parishioners. Before the civil registration was implemented in 1880, civil authorities used the church records as a civil documentation.

For a list of records by regions known as department currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Collection Content
Baptismal records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Name and gender of child
 * Child's birth date
 * Parents’ names
 * Godparents’ names

Marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's age, civil status, residence and origin
 * Names of groom's parents
 * Bride's age, civil status, residence and origin
 * Names of bride's parents
 * Names of witnesses
 * Names of officiant at marriage

Burial/death records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of death
 * Name of the deceased person
 * Age, civil status and residence of deceased
 * Sometimes, the name of spouse, if married
 * Sometimes, names of parents
 * Burial place

How Do I Search the Collection?
Some record sets have indexes; these indexes were created at the end of the year. Copy errors could have been made in the index, so you want to find the actual record to verify the information is correct.

Using the index is a quick and helpful way to find the actual record.

See the sections below for tips and uses for searching and finding the record of your ancestor in this collection and using the information in the record.

Search the Collection
Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To browse the collection, you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Department" category ⇒Select the "City or Town" category ⇒Select the "Parish" category ⇒Select the "Record Type and Years" category which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image, comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

When searching: As you are searching, it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence, age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish or Latin. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:


 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Latin Genealogical Word List
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records
 * Script tutorial for Spanish

Related Websites
Catholic Church Hierarchy in Paraguay

Related Wiki Articles

 * Paraguay Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Paraguay Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Paraguay, Miscellaneous Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Paraguay, Asunción, Cemetery Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image. Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation:

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.