Peru, La Libertad, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Registro Civil de La Libertad, Peru

Record Description
This collection includes civil records from 1903-1998 for the La Libertad Region of Peru. Originals are kept at the Archivo Regional de La Libertad en Trujillo, Peru.

Additional images will be published as they become available.

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

Record Content
The information in each record varies by year. The earlier records are handwritten in a narrative format. The later records are also handwritten but on a printed form. The text of the records is in Spanish.

Birth Records generally include the following information:
 * Child’s full Name and Gender
 * Date and Place of birth
 * Names and Ages of Parents
 * Birthplaces of Parents
 * Witnesses of birth

Marriage Records usually include the following:
 * Names and ages of groom and bride
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Birthplaces of groom and bride
 * Names and Ages of groom’s Parents
 * Names and Ages of bride’s Parents
 * Who performed the marriage
 * Names of Witnesses

Death Records may include:
 * Deceased’s Name and Age (keep in mind that death records for women may be filed under their married name)
 * Date and Place of Death
 * Date and Place of Birth
 * Marital Status/Name of Spouse
 * Names of Parents
 * Birthplaces of Parents
 * Names of Informant/Witnesses
 * Date and Place of Burial

How to Use the Record
To begin your search you should know the following:
 * The person’s name.
 * The approximate location of an event.
 * An approximate time frame of an event.
 * Indexes are available on some of these groups of images. If indexes are available, check these for the name first. Indexes are usually located at the beginning or end of a group of images. Find your ancestor’s name and look for the locator information next to the name (such as page, entry, or certificate number). This will help you find the record you are looking for in 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.

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.
 * 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.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Search the Collection
To search by index: 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.

To search by image: To browse the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the appropriate “Department or Region” ⇒ Select the appropriate “Province” ⇒ Select the appropriate“District or Municipality” ⇒ Select the appropriate "Record Type and Years" which takes you to the images.

Look at the images and compare 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.

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.

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.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * 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 county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * Use the marital status/marriage number (how many times a person was married) to identify previous marriages.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Witnesses often were relatives of the parents.
 * 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?
If you are unable to find your ancestor(s) in these civil registers, then try searching in the areas surrounding La Libertad. These regions neighbor La Libertad:
 * The Pacific Ocean on the West,
 * Lambayeque, Cajamarca, and Amazonas in the North,
 * San Martín in the East, and
 * Ancash and Huánuco in the South with

Church records are also a good substitute when birth, marriage, and death records can’t be found or are unavailable. Before the government instituted civil registration in Peru, the Catholic Church was the only institution tracking the births, marriages, and deaths of the population.
 * Spain Baptisms
 * Spain Catholic Church Records

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

Peru Emigration and Immigration

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


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

Related Websites

 * Peru Surname Search
 * Peru - The WorldGenWeb Project
 * Hispanic Genealogy Blog is written in English.
 * Blog de Genealogía Hispaña Blog is written in Spanish.

Related Wiki Articles

 * La Libertad Region
 * Peru Civil Registration
 * Peru
 * Peru History

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Peru, La Libertad, Civil Registration, 1903-1998

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