Philippines, La Union, Diocese of San Fernando de La Union - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Filipinas, La Union, Diócesis de San Fernando de La Unión

Record Description
This collection will include records.

These records contain church records including baptisms, marriages, deaths, and confirmations from the Diocese of San Fernando de La Union, Philippines for the years 1801-1981. Civil authorities did not steadily register vital events in the Philippines until the nineteenth century.

Some records are in English and some are in Spanish; see the section "For Help Reading these Records" for access to translation helps.

For additional details about the history of these records and help using them, see the wiki article Philippines Church Records.

Record Content
Baptism records may include the following information:
 * Name, age, and gender
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Date and place of birth
 * Names of parents
 * Names of witnesses
 * Fathers Occupation

Confirmation records may include the following information:
 * Name, gender, and age
 * Date and place of confirmation
 * Names of parents and, sometimes, grandparents
 * Names of godparents
 * Names of witnesses
 * Fathers Occupation

Marriage records may include the following:
 * Names and ages of groom and bride
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Birthplaces of groom and bride
 * Names of groom’s parents
 * Names of bride’s parents
 * Who performed the marriage
 * Names of witnesses

Death/burial records usually include:
 * Deceased’s name, gender, and age (keep in mind that death records for women may be filed under their married name)
 * Date and place of death
 * Year and place of birth
 * Marital Status/Name of Spouse
 * Names of parents
 * Birthplaces of parents
 * Names and residences of informants/witnesses
 * Date and place of burial
 * Names of surviving children

How to Use the Record
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 helpful way to find the actual record.

For death records, the information in records is usually reliable, but depends upon the knowledge of the informant.

Regarding 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.

Search the Collection
To search by image: To search the collection image by image select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page: ⇒ Select the appropriate "Municipality/Town" ⇒ Select the appropriate "Parish" ⇒ Select the appropriate "Record Type, Year Range (Volume Numbers)" which will take 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
For help reading the Spanish records see the following guides:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records
 * Script tutorial for Spanish

Using the Information

 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records Philippines Census.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate civil (see “Related Wiki Articles” section below) and land records Philippines Land and Property.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of a marriage officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the province. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other provinces.
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Use the marital status to identify previous marriages (whether a divorce or death dissolved a previous marriage).
 * Witnesses often were relatives of the parents.

Tips to Keep in Mind
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.

Continue to search the indexes and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same area or a nearby area.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?
A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring province. These provinces neighbor La Union:
 * Ilocos Sur to the north,
 * Benguet in the east, and
 * Pangasinan to the south.

Or your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records. Philippines Emigration and Immigration

Civil registration records are also a good substitute when church records are insufficient. Philippines, Civil Registration, Local (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Known Issues
Philippines, La Union, Diocese of San Fernando de La Union, 1801-1981, Balaoan, St. Nicholas of Tolentina, Marriages, 1924-1936 (vol.5) This book is deaths and not marriages.

Philippines, La Union, Diocese of San Fernando de La Union, 1801-1981, Balaoan, St. Nicholas of Tolentina, Deaths, 1941-1973 (vol. 1). This book is marriages and not deaths.

Related Websites

 * Catholic Hierarchy
 * History of San Fernando
 * Parish Registers – Family History before 1837
 * Philippine Islands Death Records
 * Catalog of Filipino Names
 * Philippine Genealogy - Research your Family Tree
 * Philippine Research

Related Wiki Articles

 * Philippines Church Records
 * Philippines Births and Baptisms
 * Philippines Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Philippines Deaths and Burials (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Philippines Civil Registration- Vital Records
 * Philippines, Civil Registration (Archives Division) (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Philippines, Civil Registration, Local (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Philippines, Civil Registration, National (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Philippines, Civil Registration, Spanish Period (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Philippines, Court Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Philippines Emigration and Immigration
 * Philippines

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 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.