Spain, Province of Orense, Municipal Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
España, Provincia de Orense, Registros Municipales

Record Description
This collection includes municipal records from 1428 to 1912 and comes from localities that are in Orense Province, Spain. The original records are kept at the Arquivo histórico provincial de Ourense in Spain.

Record Categories
These municipal records are divided into three main categories: See the Record Content section below for more details on information included in each record type.
 * Civil Registration (including birth, marriage, and death records),
 * Public Records (including censuses, tax records, and voting registers), and
 * Genealogies.

Record Content
The information found in each record varies by year.

Civil Registration
Civil registration includes birth, marriage, and death records. Birth records generally include the following information:
 * Child’s full name
 * Date and place of birth
 * Names and ages of parents
 * Birthplaces of parents
 * Names of witnesses

Marriage records may include the following information:
 * 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 usually include the following information:
 * Deceased’s name (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

Public Records
Public records include census, tax, and voting records. Census records and tax lists usually include:
 * Names of heads of household
 * The number of people living in the household
 * Ages of each person in household
 * Occupation of household head

Voting records may include:
 * Name of registered voter
 * Age of voter
 * Occupation of voter

Genealogies
The genealogies in this record set are pedigrees that chart direct-line ancestors. Nobility lines may be included.

How to Use the Record
As you search the collection keep in mind:
 * Your ancestor may have spelled their name differently with each record or used a nickname/shortened name in the record.
 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * A boundary change could have occurred that changed where records were kept.

Search the Collection
Search the collection by image and compare the information from the image 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.

To search the collection image by image select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the 'City or Municipality' category ⇒ Select the 'Parish' category ⇒ Select the 'Record Type and Years' category which takes you to the images.

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


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

Other Genealogical Resources

 * Hispanic Genealogy Blog is written in English.
 * Blog de Genealogía Hispaña Blog is written in Spanish.
 * Genealogía Española-España GenWeb Website is in Spanish.

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 Orense. These provinces neighbor Orense:


 * Pontevedra on the west,
 * Lugo in the north, and
 * León and Zamora in the east. Portugal borders the south.

Church records are also a good substitute when birth, marriage, and death records can’t be found or are unavailable.


 * Spain Baptisms
 * Spain Catholic Church Records

Related Websites
The following is a link to a research outline for Spain: Spain Research Outline It contains information about tracing a family through local records, a letter-writing guide for genealogical requests and their Spanish translations, Spanish and Latin word lists, a list of archives and genealogical societies, and a list of books available at the Family History Library.

Related Wiki Articles

 * Orense
 * Orense Civil Registration - Vital Records
 * Orense Maps
 * Spain

Local History
The Orense Province is part of the autonomous region of Galicia. In the late 14th century, the Kingdom of Galicia was conquered by the Kingdom of Castile, though the area mostly retained its sovereignty. From this point forward, the boundaries of the Galicia area were mostly stable with some variation through the centuries, but internal readjustments did occur. In 1822 and 1833, the kingdoms that then comprised the overarching Kingdom of Spain were reorganized into regions and provinces, with accompanying boundary adjustments. During this reorganization, the Orense Province was created within the Galicia region and has remained to the present day.


 * History of the Galicia region (English version); en Español
 * “A Corner of Spain,” a Google ebook, published in 1910
 * “Cronica de la Provincia de Orense,” a Google ebook, published in 1868
 * “Historia de Galicia,” a Google ebook, published in 1865
 * “Historia de Galicia,” a Google ebook, published in 1838

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. You can then copy that citation for future reference. 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.