Albay Province, Philippines Genealogy

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Guide to Province of Albay ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

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Most of your genealogical research for Albaya will be in two main record types: civil registration and church records. This article will teach you methods for locating and searching these two record groups.

History[edit | edit source]

Alba is a province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. The province is bordered by the provinces of Camarines Sur to the north and Sorsogon to the south. To the northeast lies the Lagonoy Gulf, which separates the province from Catanduanes. The province of Albay is divided into 15 municipalities and three component cities (Legazpi, Ligao and Tabaco). The capital of the province is the city of Legazpi, the regional center of the whole Bicol Region. The province was added to the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves in March 2016.[1]

Civil Registration (Registros Civiles)[edit | edit source]

  • The recording births, marriages and deaths, provides important information of events in a person's life and required valid evidence, making these records very important.
  • Most vital records from before 1889 come from Catholic parish and diocesan archives.
  • In 1889, the Spanish government created the Central Office of Statistics, which required each parish priest to give the government a detailed list of the births, marriages, and deaths in his area.
  • After the Philippine Revolution of 1898, the church and state became separate. Within the first few years, officials responsible for civil registration were appointed in each municipality.
  • In 1930, civil registration became mandatory and, in 1932, the Bureau of Census and Statistics was created to oversee all civil registration in the Philippines. It was not until 1940 that most registrations began to be recorded.
  • Contents:
    • Births: Child’s name, birth date and place; parents’ names, residence, and occupation; witnesses’ ages, relationships, residences.
    • Marriages: Bride and groom names, ages, residences, occupations, marriage date and place; sometimes ages and/or birth dates and places; parents' names; residences, occupations; witnesses and officer who performed ceremony; former spouses.
    • Death registers: Name of deceased, age, death date and place, occupation, name of surviving spouse, informant’s name and residence, cause of death, sometimes birth date and place, parents’ names, children’s names.
    • Fetal deaths: Record of all stillbirths, includes information similar to birth and death data shown above.
  • Population coverage: Before 1922, 20%; after 1922, 90%.

1. Online Civil Registration Records[edit | edit source]

There are some civil registrations records available online and indexed but collections are incomplete.

2. Microfilmed Civil Registration Records in the FamilySearch Catalog[edit | edit source]

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Microfilmed copies of Civil Registration records are often available and are being digitized for online access in the FamilySearch Catalog. Some images can only be viewed at a family history center. Find your closest Family History Center.
To search the FamilySearch Catalog:

a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Philippines, Albay.
b. Click on "Places within Philippines, Albay" and a list of towns and cities will open.
c. Click on the town or city you wish to search.
d. Click on "Civil Registration" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
e. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor. "Nascimentos" are births. Matrimônios and "Casamentos" are marriages. "Óbitos" are deaths. "Índice" is the index.
f. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

3. Ordering Certificates From the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)[edit | edit source]

THE CIVIL REGISTRAR GENERAL
NATIONAL STATISTICS OFFICE
P.O. BOX 779, MANILA CPO
1000 MANILA
PHILIPPINES

  • Civil registry records prior to 1945, contact the National Archives of the Philippines.
    • You will find instructions and forms for ordering records from the National Archives from the Archives Collection and Access Division.
    • See Albay, Philippines Civil Registration (Archives Division) collection listed above under 1. Online Civil Registration Records to find the starting date for your province.

4. Writing to the Civil Registry of a Municipality[edit | edit source]

NOTE: All lines of the international delivery address should appear in all capital letters. If possible, the address should have no more than five lines. For more information see USPS International Mail Manual. The correct format for Philippine postal addresses requires the Zip Code be placed to the left of the province as shown in the table below.

  • Many records were lost or damaged in the war. Checking both the national office and the local office might help find a surviving record.
  • Local civil registry offices have retained copies of the civil registry records. The Directory of Civil Registrars provides office telephone numbers, fax numbers, and sometimes email addresses. Request by mail, email or fax is accepted. Write, email, or fax a brief request for the certificate copy using the address formats below:

Address Format

Example for the city, Bacacay

ATTN: (NAME OF CITY REGISTRAR)
CIVIL REGISTRAR
(CITY)
(POSTAL CODE) ALBAY
PHILIPPINES
Tel.: +63 (9 digit phone#)
Mob.: +63 (9 digit phone#)
Email: (email address)
ATTN: MA. CARLA B RONDA
CIVIL REGISTRAR
BACACAY
4509 ALBAY
PHILIPPINES
Tel.: none
Email: la2@gmail.com

  • Write a brief request to the proper office. Send the following:
    • Full name and the sex of the person sought.
    • Names of the parents, if known.
    • Approximate date and place of the event.
    • Your relationship to the person.
    • Reason for the request (family history, medical, etc.).
    • Request for a photocopy of the complete original record.
    • Check or cash for the search fee ($20.30).

English is the official language of the Philippines. The Letter Writing Guide will help you with organizing your letter and phrasing your requests.

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Church records are very important for family research. Civil authorities did not consistently register vital events in the Philippines until the nineteenth century. Church records, on the other hand, were well kept from 1569 (in accordance with the directives of the Council of Trent), with some records dating even earlier. They are generally an excellent source—and many times the only source—of names, dates, and places of births, marriages, and deaths. Key records are baptisms/christenings, marriages, and deaths/burials.

Generally registers exist for the following denominations:

  • Roman Catholic (Iglesia Católica) 1579-
  • Philippine Independent (Aglipayan) 1902-
  • Church of Christ (Iglesia ni Cristo) 1914-
  • Presbyterian 1899-
  • Baptist 1900-
  • Methodist 1900-
  • Protestant Episcopal 1901-
  • United Brethren 1901-
  • Disciples of Christ 1901-
  • Congregational 1902-

Other religious groups in the Philippines:

  • Islam (Muslim immigrants and converts 11th-15th centuries, also called Moros)
  • Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian (Some Chinese immigrants arrived in the 16th-19th centuries, but many more arrived in the 20th century)
  • Hindu (East Indian immigrants arrived in the 20th century)
  • Jews (Arrived in the 20th century)

Contents:

  • Baptismal records: Baptism dates; children’s names; parents’ residence and names (sometimes mother's maiden name is given); witnesses’ and godparents’ names, and sometimes their residence and relationship to infants; sometimes grandparents’ names.
  • Marriage records: Candidates’ names; marriage and/or proclamation dates; often birth places, residence, witnesses, former spouses and parents’ names.
  • Death/burial records: Name of deceased; burial date; often age and cause of death; residence; spouse’s name, especially for women; parents’ names for deceased children.

1. Online Church Records[edit | edit source]

The limited record collections below include some church records.

2. Microfilmed Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog[edit | edit source]

Icon-warning.png

Microfilmed copies of Church records are often available and are being digitized for online access in the FamilySearch Catalog. Some images can only be viewed at a family history center. Find your closest Family History Center.
To search the FamilySearch Catalog:

a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Philippines, Albay.
b. Click on "Places within Philippines, Albay" and a list of towns and cities will open.
c. Click on the town or city you wish to search.
d. Click on "Church Records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
e. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor. "Bautismos" are baptisms. Matrimônios and "Casamentos" are marriages. "Óbitos" and Defunciones are deaths. "Índice" is the index.
f. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

3. Writing to Request Church Records[edit | edit source]

NOTE: All lines of the international delivery address should appear in all capital letters. If possible, the address should have no more than five lines. For more information see USPS International Mail Manual. The correct format for Philippine postal addresses requires the Zip Code be placed to the left of the province as shown below.

  • Unless you know your ancestor was of another religion, begin by searching Catholic Church records. The Province of Albay in the Bicol Region is in the Diocese of Legazpi.
  • Before you contact the Catholic clergy, please see the New Advent article Ecclesiastical Addresses and scroll down to the section titled English-speaking countries to find the proper forms of address. Write, telephone, or email to inquire whether the diocese holds the parish records:

THE MOST REV. BISHOP OF LEGAZPI
BISHOP'S CHANCERY, 61 SIKATUNA
OLD ALBAY DISTRICT, LEGAZPI CITY
4500 ALBAY
PHILIPPINES
Tel.: +63 52 481-2178
Email: legazpichancery@yahoo.com

  • Or you may want to write directly to the parish using the Albay, Bicol Region city list to search for parish addresses. In the table below:
    • The first column displays the address format. Fill in the parentheses with the specific information for the parish you would like to contact.
    • An example of a parish address is shown in the second column. If the parish is situated in a barangay (village) as shown in the example address, see PhilAtlas to locate the city associated with the barangay.
    • The third column contains detailed instructions for using the parish table and map on the Diocese of Legazpi page.

Address Format for Parish

Example of Parish Address

Instructions for Parish Table and Map

REVEREND FATHER
(NAME OF PARISH)
(CITY)
(POSTAL CODE) ALBAY
PHILIPPINES
REVEREND FATHER
OUR LADY OF SALVATION PARISH
ANISLAG VILLAGE, DARAGA
4501 ALBAY
PHILIPPINES

Follow the steps below for using the parish table and map for the Parish list of the Diocese of Legazpipage:

  1. Find the city you are researching in the left column of the parish table.
  2. Straight across in the right column will be the name of the parish.
  3. Click on the location symbol placed after the name of the parish.
  4. Copy the parish name and address which will appear on the map above the table.
  5. Click Zip Codes of Albay Province to find the postal code for the city.

  • Write a brief request to the parish or church and send the following:
    • Full name and the gender of the person sought.
    • Names of the parents, if known.
    • Approximate date and place of the event.
    • Your relationship to the person.
    • Reason for the request (family history, medical, etc.).
    • Request for a photocopy of the complete original record.
    • Check or cash for the search fee (usually about $10.00).

English is the official language of the Philippines. The Letter Writing Guide will help you with organizing your letter and phrasing your requests.

For other religions, Google the denomination and the location. Many churches maintain websites. Write or personally visit the parish or church. Ask for permission to study their records or make arrangements for them to search for you. It is usual to pay for their help in the form of a donation to the church.

Reading the Records[edit | edit source]

  • Many records are written in Spanish. You do not have to be fluent in Spanish to read your documents. Genealogical records usually contain a limited vocabulary. Use this Spanish Genealogical Word List to translate the important points in the document. Handwriting skills are taught in BYU Spanish Script Tutorial.
  • Online Learning Center class on reading Spanish handwriting:

Tips for finding your ancestor in the records[edit | edit source]

Effective use of church records includes the following strategies.

  • Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find his birth record, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
  • Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
  • You can estimate the ages of the parents and determine a birth year to search for their birth records.
  • Then repeat the process for both the father and the mother.
  • If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.
  • Search the death registers for all known family members.

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Family History Library[edit | edit source]

Websites[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Albay," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albay (accessed October 24, 2020).
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