Civil Records: Family Books

In many Hispanic Countries, the libro de familia system is administered by the civil register. Each family, beginning at the time the parents are married, is issued a libro de familia. In this book, the names of the parents are listed with the date and place of their births and marriage. At the birth of each child, a parent, usually the father, takes the libro de familia to the civil register, where the information from the birth entry in the civil register is copied onto the appropriate page for each child and is signed and sealed, making it an officially recognized document. Unfortunately, no record or copy of these books is kept in the civil register. Since such libros de familia are many years newer than the civil register system itself, they are most likely to be found among the family effects of those who have left a Spanish-speaking country within the last generation.