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These records were originally transcribed and translated by Fray Angelico Chavez under the title...
New Mexico Roots Ltd: a Demographic Prespective from Genealogical, Historical, and Geographical Data Found in the Diligencias Matrimoniales or Pre-nuptial Investigations (1678-1869) of the Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe (Santa Fe, New Mexico: [A. Chavez], 1982). Known commonly as "DMs," these are essentially Catholic records giving a couple permission to marry. Some couples were denied permission based on being too closely related. The records are available in 11 bound volumes. Each one is listed alphabetically and then chronologically by surname. They vary in the kind of information provided, but the records have the names of the prospective bride and groom, and often the names of their parents and witnesses. They also give the date and location. They are very useful records for researching in the Spanish Colonial period of New Mexico. Often you will also be able to find the marriage record itself if you look among the church records in the place the bride or groom lived. However, sometimes a prenuptial investigation record will be the only record found relating to a marriage as some of the church records did not survive. The books can be found at the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives in Santa Fe; the University of New Mexico Library in Albuquerque; the Denver Public Library in Denver, Colorado; the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah; and some others. The series is also available from the Family History Library on 11 microfiches (FHL Catalog #6051367), and you can order these from many local Family History Centers for viewing and photocopying for a small fee. I am extracting some of these records for the town of Belen (now in Valencia County) from the mid 1700s to about 1815. You can search these records online in the... Belen, New Mexico Genealogy Records Database The database entries are arranged in this format: prospective groom, notes : prospective bride, notes : date, location (usually Belen), volume & page number For many of the entries you can find more information (such as names of witnesses) in the books/microfiche. Entries marked "CR" are complete. A small number of Durango DMs are also indexed in the database. As with any transcription of old records there may errors. Some Terms You May Find in These Records Espanol - Spanish Indio - Indian Mestizo - mixture of Spanish & Mexican Indian Coyote - mixture of Indian & Mestizo Mulato - mixture of Spanish & African Genizaro - an Indian who became part of the Spanish community and adopted the Spanish way of life (often these are plains Indians) Criado - servant (Feminine forms of these words will end in the letter "a.") |