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Making sense of old handwriting

Church Records: Burials

4. El_Velorio.jpg

Burial and death records for most Hispanic countries may include the following information, depending on the time when they were created:

  • Date of the record, usually the burial date
  • Given name and surname of the deceased
  • Marital status of the deceased
  • Name of the spouse of the deceased
  • Age of the deceased
  • Occupation of the deceased
  • Given names, surnames, residences, and birthplaces of the parents
  • Note regarding the masses to be performed for the soul of the deceased
  • Note as to whether the deceased left a will
  • Names of witnesses
  • Name or signature of the officiating priest

The information included in these records usually follows a specific order; however, it is not uncommon to find the same information in a different order. For this reason, it is important to familiarize oneself with the format of the document being worked on.

For examples of burial records see the document gallery.

Image: Oller, Francisco. El Velorio. 1893. Oil on canvas. Museum of History, Anthropology, and Art, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org : accessed 30 July 2026). This image licensed by CC BY 4.0 International license.

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