Peru, La Libertad, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
Births, marriages, deaths, indexes and other records created by civil registration offices in the department of La Libertad, Peru 1903-1998. Some of these records have been indexed and are searchable as part of this collection. Additional images and indexed records will be published as they become available. Originals are kept at the Archivo Regional de La Libertad en Trujillo, Peru.

Additional images and indexed records will be published as they become available.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish; see the section For Help Reading these Records for translation helps.

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

Birth Records
 * Child’s name and gender
 * Date and place of birth
 * Names and ages of parents
 * Birthplaces of parents
 * Witnesses of birth

Marriage Records
 * 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
 * Deceased’s, gender, 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

Collection 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.

Sample Images
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Coverage Table
As of 12 December 2016 this collection included records from the following provinces in La Libertad:

Images from the province of Celendin in Cajamarca are also included.

How Do I Search This Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before using this collection it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence
 * Estimated marriage or birth year

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 


 * 1) Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page
 * 2) Select the appropriate “Department or Region”
 * 3) Select the appropriate “Province”
 * 4) Select the appropriate “District or Municipality”
 * 5) Select the appropriate "Record Type and Years" which takes you to the images.

For help reading these records:
For help reading these Spanish records, see the following wiki articles:


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

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?

 * 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.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of the 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 marriage number 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.

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

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * 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
 * Your ancestor may have immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or Peru Emigration and Immigration.
 * 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.
 * Peru Church Records
 * Peru Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Deaths (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)

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.


 * Collection Citation:

"Peru, La Libertad Civil Registration, 1903-1998." Database with Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Archivo Regional de La Libertad, Trujillo [La Libertad Regional Archives, Trujillo].}}

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