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

Title in the Language of the Records
Registros Parroquiales de la Diócesis Católica de Albacete, España.

Record Description
This collection of Catholic Church records of baptisms, marriages, and burials for the province of Albacete, Spain, covers the years 1504–1979.

These records are in Spanish; see the section "For Help Reading These Records" for links to translation help guides.

This collection includes an index of records of several parishes in the diocese. Additional indexed data will be added as they become available. Usually separate registers were maintained for baptisms, marriages, and deaths. However, in localities with a small population, the entries for these events may have been recorded in the same register. Confirmations were usually recorded with the baptisms. The earlier records may have some words or entries written in Latin. In general, the records were created in chronological order and includes some separate indexes.

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; however, the older records were sent to the diocesan archive, as it is done today. Some earlier records may have been recreated, because the originals may have been destroyed during the Spanish wars. Catholic parish records cover 95 to 100 percent of a city’s population. This collection includes only the parish records that were centralized into the diocesan archive.

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

Record Content
The information in each record may vary by year.

Death records usually contain the following information:
 * Date and place of burial, including name of parish
 * Name, gender, and age of deceased (keep in mind that the records of women may be filed under their married name)
 * Place of birth
 * Date and place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Spouse's name, if married
 * Parents' names if a minor
 * Witnesses' names
 * Date and place of burial
 * Sometimes, if deceased left a testament, the record will list the children’s names, marital status of deceased (single, divorced, widowed), the name and birthplace of the spouse, and sometimes the parents’ names and where they are from.

How to Use the Records
Some record sets have indexes; these indexes were created at the end of the year. Copy errors, altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors (if the information was scanned) 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.

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 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 the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒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

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 to find each of the couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate civil records Spain Civil Registration - Vital 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 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 (whether a divorce or death dissolved a marriage) to identify previous marriages.
 * 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.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?
Maybe your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search immigration/emigration records. Spain Emigration and Immigration

Civil registration records (birth, marriage, and death records) are also a good substitute for when a church record cannot be found. Spain Civil Registration - Vital Records

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki 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.

Related Websites
All of the following websites are in Spanish unless otherwise stated:
 * Hispanic Genealogy - Spanish Catholic Church Marriage Records Website is in English
 * Diocesis de Albacete
 * Spanish Genealogy
 * Hispanic Genealogy Blog is written in English.
 * Blog de Genealogía Hispaña
 * Genealogía Española-España GenWeb
 * Guía de los Archivos de la Iglesia en España

Related Wiki Articles

 * Spain Catholic Church Records
 * Spain Catholic Church Directories
 * Spain Websites
 * Spain

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
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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.