Mexico, San Luis Potosí, Miscellaneous Records, 1570-1882

What is in This Collection?

This collection of miscellaneous records covers the years 1570 to 1882.

These records kept at the Historical Archive of the State of San Luis Potosi (Archivo Histórico del Estado de San Luis Potosí). They include notary, military, censuses, passports, birth, marriage, death records, and so on. The records are handwritten for the most part with the text in Spanish.

Thiscollection were created by authorized officials and kept for the most part at a local archive. In time, the information was passed to a major archive for preservation. The archive has approximately one hundred and sixty collections. Some of the most relevant are the following:

• Mayor Municipality of Charcas (1657-1852), inheritance information, legacies, and various kinds of news from the Municipality of Charcas and the Altiplano
• Mayor Municipality of San Luis Potosí (1554-1841). Public notary protocols, trade news, government, etc
• Municipality of San Luis Potosí (1593-1992). Council minutes, and trade, finance, and war records
• State Cadastre (1886-1981). Legal estate and rural and urban architectural plans of the state
• Joint Land Commission (1916-1992). Extensions, allocations, deprivation and general investigation of parcel usufruct. (Usufruct is the legal right to use the fruits or profits of something belonging to someone else)
• Civil Registry (1860-1930). Guardianship proceedings, presentations, and records of births, marriages, and deaths
• Public Registry of Property and Commerce (1755-1976). Protocols and appendices of scribes and notary publics
• General Secretariat of Government (1825-1961). Meat supply, books of brotherhoods, land disputes, elections, and electoral rolls
• Supreme Court (1737-1970). Plenary, criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings

Only some of the above sources may have been acquired for publishing in FamilySearch.

Each type of record was created for a different purpose, but most were created to keep track of the vital events happening in the lives of the citizens and to safeguard their legal interests and the legal interests of their heirs and that of a government entity.

Vital records are the most reliable records for family history research. However, other records may serve as secondary sources, especially when vital records are not available. It could also supplement other information that may help to identify an ancestor.

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

Reading These Records

These records are written in Spanish. For help reading them see:

• Spanish Genealogical Word List
• BYU Spanish Script Tutorial

FamilySearch Learning Center videos:

• Reading Spanish Handwriting

If you speak Spanish, the following free online lesson may be helpful to learn how to use the information in these records:

• Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish

To Browse This Collection

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Miscellaneous

• Name of the primary persons
• Names of heirs, parents, spouse, children, or other relatives
• Names of the executor, administrator, or guardian
• Names of witnesses
• Places and dates the documents were written and recorded (which can be used to approximate event dates since a will was usually written near the time of death)
• Description and value of property or land
• Places of residence
• Dates and places of births, marriages, and deaths

Collection Content

Sample Images

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