Spain, Diocese of Santander, Catholic Church Records, 1538-1985

What is in This Collection?

This collection includes digital copies of records of baptisms, marriages, and burials of the parishes of the Diocese of Santander in Spain from 1538-1985 . Some records have been indexed and are searchable as part of this collection.

Parish priests performed the baptisms, marriages, deaths, burials, and other holy sacraments in their assigned parish or parishes. All the original parish records were kept in the parish archive, and a duplicate copy was and is centralized in the corresponding diocesan archive. Most of these records have been preserved relatively well, but some older entries may have some damage.

The Diocese of Santander contained the most important documents in the province. During the war of 1936, a large part of the records were destroyed. What was left of the records was transported to the Papelera de Arangueren to be preserved on paper.

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
• Brigham Young University: Spanish Script Tutorial

FamilySearch Learning Center:

• Reading Spanish Handwriting
• Paleogra-what?! Deciphering Spanish Handwriting - Introduction
• Registros Civiles y Parroquiales (In Spanish)

To Browse This Collection

You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for Spain, Diocese of Santander, Catholic Church Records, 1538-1985.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Baptism Date and place of baptism Name and gender Legitimacy to parents (whether biological or adopted) Date of birth or age Parents’ names, their residence and origin Names of paternal grandparents, their residence and origin Names of maternal grandparents, their residence and origin Names of godparents’, their residence and origin Names of witnesses

Confirmation Name and gender Age or birth date Parents' names Date and place of confirmation Names of godparents

Marriage Date and place of marriage Groom's name and age Groom's marital status and origin Names of groom's parents, their residence and origin Bride's name and age Bride's marital status and origin Names of bride's parents, their residence and origin Names of witnesses’ and their origin

Burial Name, gender, and age of deceased (keep in mind that the records of women may be filed under their married name) Date, time and place of death Marital status, residence, and origin of deceased Name of the spouse if married Names of parents if a minor Cause of death Burial date and place

Collection Content

Sample Images

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  1887 Baptism Record

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  1886 Confirmation Record

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  1840 Marriage Record

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  1886 Burial Record

Coverage Map

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  Map of the Diocese of Santander

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  Roman Catholic Diocese in Spain