Catholic Church Diocesan Records - Revision history

Murphynw1: refs

Murphynw1 — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 17:59:02 GMT

refs

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	The dioceses (bishoprics) of the Catholic Church generated a variety of administrative and canon law documents, as did the colleges, or central headquarters, of the various religious orders. Each college or diocese will have personnel records of the monks or secular priests who served within that jurisdiction, generally providing the birthplace and parentage of the individual cleric. Records such as marriage dispensations, ordinations of priests, censuses of communicants, tithing payment records, and records of bishop’s visits may be found in the diocesan archives for the particular diocese to which a parish belonged when the record would have been generated.		The dioceses (bishoprics) of the Catholic Church generated a variety of administrative and canon law documents, as did the colleges, or central headquarters, of the various religious orders. Each college or diocese will have personnel records of the monks or secular priests who served within that jurisdiction, generally providing the birthplace and parentage of the individual cleric. Records such as marriage dispensations, ordinations of priests, censuses of communicants, tithing payment records, and records of bishop’s visits may be found in the diocesan archives for the particular diocese to which a parish belonged when the record would have been generated.

-	Marriage dispensations can prove particularly valuable to the family historian. Under Catholic canon law, a number of impediments to marriage may be dispensed with or forgiven by the bishop, including relationships within the fourth degree of consanguinity (blood relationship) or affinity (relationship by marriage) as well as spiritual relationships such as a godparent. In addition, if an individual came from a residence not within the diocese, a dispensation was required. There are also dispensations that do not relate to marriage records, including a number that may be required for an individual to receive the priesthood. An excellent discussion of those records and detailed analysis of the parts thereof can be found in ''Index to the Marriage Investigations of Diocese of Guadalajara, Provinces of Coahuila, Nuevo León, Nuevo Santander, Texas, Volume 1: 1653–1750'', which contains marriage dispensations for the state of Texas and related states in Mexico for the period of 1653–1750.8 A general discussion of diocesan records is found in Chapter 11 of ''Finding Your Hispanic Roots''.	+	Marriage dispensations can prove particularly valuable to the family historian. Under Catholic canon law, a number of impediments to marriage may be dispensed with or forgiven by the bishop, including relationships within the fourth degree of consanguinity (blood relationship) or affinity (relationship by marriage) as well as spiritual relationships such as a godparent. In addition, if an individual came from a residence not within the diocese, a dispensation was required. There are also dispensations that do not relate to marriage records, including a number that may be required for an individual to receive the priesthood. An excellent discussion of those records and detailed analysis of the parts thereof can be found in ''Index to the Marriage Investigations of Diocese of Guadalajara, Provinces of Coahuila, Nuevo León, Nuevo Santander, Texas, Volume 1: 1653–1750'', which contains marriage dispensations for the state of Texas and related states in Mexico for the period of 1653–1750.<ref>Raúl J. Guerra Jr., Nadine Vásquez, and Baldomero Vela Jr., ''Index to the Marriage Investigations of Diocese of Guadalajara, Provinces of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Nuevo Santander, Texas, Volume 1: 1653-1750'' (Edinburg, 1989). See also Raúl Guerra Jr., Nadine Vásquez, and Baldomera Vela Jr., ''Index to the Marriage Investigations of the Diocese of Guadalajara, Provinces of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Nuevo Santander, Texas, 1751-1779, Vol. II'' (San Antonio, 1997).</ref> A general discussion of diocesan records is found in Chapter 11 of ''Finding Your Hispanic Roots''.

	A marriage dispensation record generally outlines the relationship of the individuals involved, in many cases extending backward into the third or fourth generation (to a common great-grandparent), with extensive genealogical data. In those cases where there is a relationship by affinity with a deceased spouse, that spouse will also be identified and the date of death and burial provided. Where the petition is for dispensation because the groom is from outside the diocese, the year and place of birth will be given as well as information concerning the arrival date and even the ship taken to the New World. Although the ultimate dispensation was issued by the bishop and, therefore, these records are contained in the diocesan archives, they are intensely local in nature, generally involving families who have resided in a given locality for several generations. Although somewhat difficult to use because of the length and variety of each document as well as the general lack of indexes to the records, the treasure of information found in a single marriage investigation makes the search well worth it.		A marriage dispensation record generally outlines the relationship of the individuals involved, in many cases extending backward into the third or fourth generation (to a common great-grandparent), with extensive genealogical data. In those cases where there is a relationship by affinity with a deceased spouse, that spouse will also be identified and the date of death and burial provided. Where the petition is for dispensation because the groom is from outside the diocese, the year and place of birth will be given as well as information concerning the arrival date and even the ship taken to the New World. Although the ultimate dispensation was issued by the bishop and, therefore, these records are contained in the diocesan archives, they are intensely local in nature, generally involving families who have resided in a given locality for several generations. Although somewhat difficult to use because of the length and variety of each document as well as the general lack of indexes to the records, the treasure of information found in a single marriage investigation makes the search well worth it.

-	Diocesan records are both extensive and available to the public. For example, the archdiocese of Durango, begun in 1606, has an archival collection of 1,120,000 pages—three percent from the 1600s, thirty-two percent from the 1700s, and fifty-nine percent from the 1800s. The entire collection has been microfilmed by the Rio Grande Historical Collections, held at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. Jack Calligan has published two volumes transcribing New Mexico dispensations in the collection.9	+	Diocesan records are both extensive and available to the public. For example, the archdiocese of Durango, begun in 1606, has an archival collection of 1,120,000 pages—three percent from the 1600s, thirty-two percent from the 1700s, and fifty-nine percent from the 1800s. The entire collection has been microfilmed by the Rio Grande Historical Collections, held at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. Jack Calligan has published two volumes transcribing New Mexico dispensations in the collection.<ref>Rick Hendricks, ed., and John B. Colligan, comp., ''New Mexico Prenuptial Investigations from the Archivos Históricos Del Arzobispado De Durango, 1760-1799'' (Las Cruces, N.M., 1997).</ref>

-	Records of the diocese of Guadalajara have been microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah. Marriage dispensations and some other documentation for the decade during which the diocese of Louisiana and Florida was in existence are available on microfilm at the University of Notre Dame. A guide exists for the twelve rolls of microfilm, as well as an index prepared by Elizabeth Gianelloni. Most of the colonial records for the dioceses of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, and Hermosillo, Sonora, have been lost. The few remaining records from the diocese of Hermosillo, Sonora, have been filmed as part of the University of Arizona Film Collection #811. The following descriptions identify the geographical areas of the dioceses to which the modern-day states within the United States belonged during their history as part of the Spanish Empire and/or the Mexican Republic.10	+	Records of the diocese of Guadalajara have been microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah. Marriage dispensations and some other documentation for the decade during which the diocese of Louisiana and Florida was in existence are available on microfilm at the University of Notre Dame. A guide exists for the twelve rolls of microfilm, as well as an index prepared by Elizabeth Gianelloni. Most of the colonial records for the dioceses of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, and Hermosillo, Sonora, have been lost. The few remaining records from the diocese of Hermosillo, Sonora, have been filmed as part of the University of Arizona Film Collection #811. The following descriptions identify the geographical areas of the dioceses to which the modern-day states within the United States belonged during their history as part of the Spanish Empire and/or the Mexican Republic.<ref>Peter Gerhard, ''The North Frontier of New Spain'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1982), 19-22, online at [http://teaching.arts.usyd.edu.au/history/hsty3080/3rdYr3080/Louisiana/louisiana_after_the_purchase http://teaching.arts.usyd.edu.au/history/hsty3080/3rdYr3080/Louisiana/louisiana_after_the_purchase].</ref>

	=Arizona=		=Arizona=
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	=References=		=References=

-	~~Coming soon...~~	+	<references/>

	=External Links=		=External Links=

Matrayback at 19:55, 12 April 2010

Matrayback — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:55:20 GMT

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	[[Category:The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy]]		[[Category:The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy]]
	{{Template:Spanish series (The Source)}}		{{Template:Spanish series (The Source)}}
-	'''This article originally appeared in "~~African American~~ Research" by [[George R. Ryskamp]], JD, AG in ''[[The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy]]'''''	+	'''This article originally appeared in "Colonial Spanish Borderland Research" by [[George R. Ryskamp]], JD, AG in ''[[The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy]]'''''

	=Introduction=		=Introduction=

Matrayback at 21:15, 9 April 2010

Matrayback — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 21:15:57 GMT

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	=Introduction=		=Introduction=

-	~~Military records~~ of ~~particular interest to~~ the ~~family historian fall into three categories:~~ administrative ~~records~~ of the ~~local presidio~~ or ~~fort; service~~ records ~~(''hojas de servicio''); and censuses (''padrones'').~~	+	The dioceses (bishoprics) of the Catholic Church generated a variety of administrative and canon law documents, as did the colleges, or central headquarters, of the various religious orders. Each college or diocese will have personnel records of the monks or secular priests who served within that jurisdiction, generally providing the birthplace and parentage of the individual cleric. Records such as marriage dispensations, ordinations of priests, censuses of communicants, tithing payment records, and records of bishop’s visits may be found in the diocesan archives for the particular diocese to which a parish belonged when the record would have been generated.
-		+
-	~~Administrative records are~~ generally ~~reports by military commanders~~ and ~~notices~~ of ~~transfers~~, ~~purchases~~ of ~~supplies~~, ~~and other routine activities. It was also necessary during a military campaign to prepare an auto de guerra (order~~ of ~~war). ''Northern New Spain~~, ~~a Research Guide'' identifies~~ and ~~describes the following sections~~ of ~~an ''auto de guerra'':~~	+

-	*A description of an event necessitating military action by the ~~Spaniards~~, ~~frequently~~ a ~~type~~ of ~~Indian uprising~~ or the ~~decision to establish a Spanish presence in a new area.~~	+	Marriage dispensations can prove particularly valuable to the family historian. Under Catholic canon law, a number of impediments to marriage may be dispensed with or forgiven by the bishop, including relationships within the fourth degree of consanguinity (blood relationship) or affinity (relationship by marriage) as well as spiritual relationships such as a godparent. In addition, if an individual came from a residence not within the diocese, a dispensation was required. There are also dispensations that do not relate to marriage records, including a number that may be required for an individual to receive the priesthood. An excellent discussion of those records and detailed analysis of the parts thereof can be found in ''Index to the Marriage Investigations of Diocese of Guadalajara, Provinces of Coahuila, Nuevo León, Nuevo Santander, Texas, Volume 1: 1653–1750'', which contains marriage dispensations for the state of Texas and related states in Mexico for the period of 1653–1750.8 A general discussion of diocesan records is found in Chapter 11 of ''Finding Your Hispanic Roots''.
-	*Reports of ~~preliminary actions by individuals~~ or ~~presidio patrols~~.	+
-	*Orders from the ~~governor giving direction as to~~ a ~~military response~~ to be ~~taken~~. ~~Generally~~, ~~local initiative was not encouraged~~, ~~and no action~~, ~~unless absolutely necessary~~, ~~would take place until the governor—and~~, ~~in many cases~~, the ~~viceroy or even the Council~~ of ~~Indies~~ in ~~Spain—had responded~~.	+
-	*Field diaries of ~~commanders and other documents such as letters or statements from citizens describing the military engagements once troops were placed~~ in ~~action.~~	+
-	*Final assessments by the officials who requested and/or ordered the action to be taken once the campaign was concluded.	+

-	~~Service records (''hojas de servicio'') form a significant part of military records.~~ A ~~service~~ record ~~relates to a specific individual, usually an officer of~~ the ~~rank~~ of ~~sergeant or above, giving his name, rank, place of origin, age, and~~, in ~~some~~ cases, ~~parents’ names~~. ~~The document~~ will ~~then set forth~~ the ~~time periods in which he served in particular places~~ and~~/or ranks~~ and ~~give a written summary~~ of ~~his service, highlighting important campaigns~~ and ~~locations where he has served~~. ~~The attached image shows~~ the ~~military service record for Felipe Treviño~~, ~~who served~~ in ~~Havana~~, ~~Cuba~~, and ~~Pensacola~~, ~~Florida~~.	+	A marriage dispensation record generally outlines the relationship of the individuals involved, in many cases extending backward into the third or fourth generation (to a common great-grandparent), with extensive genealogical data. In those cases where there is a relationship by affinity with a deceased spouse, that spouse will also be identified and the date of death and burial provided. Where the petition is for dispensation because the groom is from outside the diocese, the year and place of birth will be given as well as information concerning the arrival date and even the ship taken to the New World. Although the ultimate dispensation was issued by the bishop and, therefore, these records are contained in the diocesan archives, they are intensely local in nature, generally involving families who have resided in a given locality for several generations. Although somewhat difficult to use because of the length and variety of each document as well as the general lack of indexes to the records, the treasure of information found in a single marriage investigation makes the search well worth it.

-	~~Census~~ records ~~of military personnel~~ are, in ~~reality~~, ~~a class~~ of ~~administrative records~~, ~~generally containing a list~~ of ~~officers~~ and ~~soldiers serving~~ in ~~a presidio~~ at ~~a particular date~~, ~~with~~ the ~~name~~ and ~~rank~~ of ~~each individual~~. ~~Many times~~, ~~however~~, ~~they include lists~~ of ~~families~~ of the ~~soldiers~~ also ~~residing~~ in the ~~presidio~~. ~~In such cases~~, ~~relationships~~ to the ~~individual soldiers as well as ages are frequently given~~. ~~The attached image~~ is the ~~initial entry~~ of ~~such a census report for~~ the ~~Mobile Company~~ of ~~San Carlos~~ de ~~Parras~~, Texas, ~~dated 1 January 1807~~.7	+	Diocesan records are both extensive and available to the public. For example, the archdiocese of Durango, begun in 1606, has an archival collection of 1,120,000 pages—three percent from the 1600s, thirty-two percent from the 1700s, and fifty-nine percent from the 1800s. The entire collection has been microfilmed by the Rio Grande Historical Collections, held at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. Jack Calligan has published two volumes transcribing New Mexico dispensations in the collection.9
		+
		+	Records of the diocese of Guadalajara have been microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah. Marriage dispensations and some other documentation for the decade during which the diocese of Louisiana and Florida was in existence are available on microfilm at the University of Notre Dame. A guide exists for the twelve rolls of microfilm, as well as an index prepared by Elizabeth Gianelloni. Most of the colonial records for the dioceses of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, and Hermosillo, Sonora, have been lost. The few remaining records from the diocese of Hermosillo, Sonora, have been filmed as part of the University of Arizona Film Collection #811. The following descriptions identify the geographical areas of the dioceses to which the modern-day states within the United States belonged during their history as part of the Spanish Empire and/or the Mexican Republic.10
		+
		+	=Arizona=
		+
		+	The missions in Arizona were under control of the Jesuits from 1731 to 1767. Following the Jesuit expulsion from the Spanish Empire in 1767 until sometime after 1780, the missions were run by Franciscans from the Franciscan college at Queretaro, Mexico. From 1780 to 1868, the area of Arizona was part of the diocese of Sonora. It should also be noted that during the time period when the area was under the control of missions, the Bishop of Durango made a number of attempts to obtain control of this area. It is possible, therefore, that during the time period 1731 to 1780, there may be Church records concerning Arizona in the diocesan archives of Durango.
		+
		+	=California=
		+
		+	From the founding of San Diego in 1769 until 1779, California belonged to the diocese of Guadalajara, when it then became part of the diocese of Sonora until 1836. At that time California was divided into two dioceses: San Diego and Los Angeles.
		+
		+	=Florida=
		+
		+	Both east and west Florida, including what is now the Gulf Coast area of Alabama, belonged to the Santiago de Cuba diocese from 1565 until 1787, when the Havana, Cuba, diocese was created. It remained part of the Havana diocese until 1793 when the diocese of Louisiana and Florida was created. Florida then continued in that diocese until the 1803 transfer of the Louisiana area to the United States. From then until sometime between 1810 and 1821, depending on which part of Florida remained under Spanish dominion, the area belonged to the diocese of Havana, Cuba.
		+
		+	=Louisiana=
		+
		+	Louisiana was part of the diocese of Quebec, Canada, from 1659 to 1771. With the transfer of Louisiana to Spain, including the entire Mississippi River Valley and the West Florida parishes on the Gulf Coast up to and including parts of modern-day Mississippi, Louisiana became part of the diocese of Santiago de Cuba from 1771 until 1787. As with Florida, Louisiana became part of the creation of the diocese of Havana, Cuba, in 1787 and remained part of that diocese until 1793. From that time until 1803, it formed part of the diocese of Louisiana and Florida. Parts of the Gulf Coast that made up the West Florida parishes and what is now the present-day Gulf Coast area of Mississippi became part of the diocese of Havana, Cuba, in 1803 until takeover by the United States.
		+
		+	=New Mexico=
		+
		+	From its founding in 1598 until 1620, New Mexico belonged to the diocese of Guadalajara, Mexico. With the creation of the diocese of Durango in 1620, New Mexico became part of that diocese, where it remained until 1850. It should be noted, however, that in many cases the thousand miles of distance between Durango and Sante Fe caused diocesan affairs to be handled at a local level, resulting in a number of records typically found in the diocese, including marriage dispensations, found in the records of the modern diocese of Sante Fe instead. It should also be noted that, in the early years, the missions of New Mexico were under control of the Franciscans.
		+
		+	=Texas=
		+
		+	From 1703 to 1777, Texas was part of the diocese of Guadalajara, and from that date until 1836, it belonged to the diocese of Linares. Likewise, the portion of Texas south of the Nueces River retained by Mexico until the war with the United States ended in 1848 also belonged to the diocese of Linares. The El Paso area was not originally part of the Spanish province of Texas and Coahuila but formed part of the province of Chihuahua until 1840. It formed part of the diocese of Durango from 1620 until 1846.

	=References=		=References=

Matrayback: Created page with 'Category:The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy {{Template:Spanish series (The Source)}} '''This article originally appeared in "African American Research" by [[George…'

Matrayback — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 21:00:55 GMT

Created page with 'Category:The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy {{Template:Spanish series (The Source)}} '''This article originally appeared in "African American Research" by [[George…'

New page

[[Category:The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy]]
{{Template:Spanish series (The Source)}}
'''This article originally appeared in "African American Research" by [[George R. Ryskamp]], JD, AG in ''[[The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy]]'''''

=Introduction=

Military records of particular interest to the family historian fall into three categories: administrative records of the local presidio or fort; service records (''hojas de servicio''); and censuses (''padrones'').

Administrative records are generally reports by military commanders and notices of transfers, purchases of supplies, and other routine activities. It was also necessary during a military campaign to prepare an auto de guerra (order of war). ''Northern New Spain, a Research Guide'' identifies and describes the following sections of an ''auto de guerra'':

*A description of an event necessitating military action by the Spaniards, frequently a type of Indian uprising or the decision to establish a Spanish presence in a new area.
*Reports of preliminary actions by individuals or presidio patrols.
*Orders from the governor giving direction as to a military response to be taken. Generally, local initiative was not encouraged, and no action, unless absolutely necessary, would take place until the governor—and, in many cases, the viceroy or even the Council of Indies in Spain—had responded.
*Field diaries of commanders and other documents such as letters or statements from citizens describing the military engagements once troops were placed in action.
*Final assessments by the officials who requested and/or ordered the action to be taken once the campaign was concluded.

Service records (''hojas de servicio'') form a significant part of military records. A service record relates to a specific individual, usually an officer of the rank of sergeant or above, giving his name, rank, place of origin, age, and, in some cases, parents’ names. The document will then set forth the time periods in which he served in particular places and/or ranks and give a written summary of his service, highlighting important campaigns and locations where he has served. The attached image shows the military service record for Felipe Treviño, who served in Havana, Cuba, and Pensacola, Florida.

Census records of military personnel are, in reality, a class of administrative records, generally containing a list of officers and soldiers serving in a presidio at a particular date, with the name and rank of each individual. Many times, however, they include lists of families of the soldiers also residing in the presidio. In such cases, relationships to the individual soldiers as well as ages are frequently given. The attached image is the initial entry of such a census report for the Mobile Company of San Carlos de Parras, Texas, dated 1 January 1807.7

=References=

Coming soon...

=External Links=