Colombia, Bogotá, AGN, DAS Alphabetical Cards - FamilySearch Historical Records

Colombia

What is in This Collection?
This is a collection of alphabetical cards in the General Archive of the Nation in Colombia. This collection includes cards created by various centers of the Administrative Department of Security in Colombia. Some of these records have been indexed and can be searched as part of this collection. Additional indexed records and images will be released as they become available.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish. For help reading them see: FamilySearch Learning Center videos: If you speak Spanish, the following free online lesson may be helpful to learn how to use the information in these records:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2
 * Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Birth
 * Birthdate and year
 * Child's sex
 * Place of birth
 * Parents’ names
 * Names of maternal and paternal grandparents

Baptism
 * Name
 * Birthdate and year
 * Parents’ names
 * Child's sex
 * Godparents

Marriage 
 * Date and place of the marriage
 * Name of groom
 * Groom’s age, civil status, and occupation
 * Groom’s birthplace and current residence
 * Groom’s parents’ names
 * Name of bride
 * Bride’s age, civil status, and occupation
 * Bride’s birthplace and current residence

Death 
 * Date and place of death
 * Name and age of deceased
 * Name of spouse if married
 * Residence of deceased

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * If available, check the image for additional information
 * Analyze the entry to see if it provides additional clues to find other records of the person or their family
 * For marriage and death records, name changes, shortened names, or nicknames may have been used by your ancestors, so pay attention to other relationships (parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc.) that can confirm whether you have the right person/record
 * Witnesses were sometimes relatives of the deceased or the deceased's parents
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify
 * The birth, marriage, and death records contain important information for two and sometimes three generations of ancestors in one document

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * The person may be recorded with an abbreviated or variant form of their name
 * Try searching by surname only
 * Remember that spelling was generally not standardized until the early part of the 20th century
 * Your ancestor may have immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records
 * Civil registration records are also a good substitute when birth, marriage, and death records can’t be found or are unavailable

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Colombia.
 * Colombia Record Finder
 * Colombia Research Tips and Strategies

Other FamilySearch Collections
Colombia Vital Records Index

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.