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 contains church records including marriages, deaths, and confirmations from the Diocese of San Fernando de La Union, Philippines for the years 1801-1983. Baptism records are included for the years 1900-1914. 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
The information in records may vary by year.

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

The date and place of the confirmation will most often be on the first page of the register. Confirmation records may include the following information:


 * Name
 * Date and place of confirmation
 * Names of parents
 * Names of godparents

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
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.

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.

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.

If you are unable to find a record for your ancestor in this collection, see the corresponding section below.

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.

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.

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

For marriage and death records, your ancestors may have used shortened names or nicknames, so pay attention to other relationships (parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc.) that can confirm whether you have the right person/record.

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
 * Parish Registers – Family History before 1837
 * Philippine Islands Death Records
 * Catalog of Filipino Names
 * Philippine Research

Related Wiki Articles

 * Philippines Church Records
 * Philippines Births and Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * 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

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.