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looking for someone who can assist in researching Retuerne and Castaneda last names in Illocos Norte, Philippines and Sucat, Paranque, Metro Manila, Philippines.
Thank you for posting your request in this group.
Can you give more information about what you are looking for? What information do you already have on those names? Do you have a family tree in FamilySearch that you can share as a reference? (giving an ancestors person ID number would be an easy way to share)
Have you looked in FamilySearch Wiki for those two locations and utilized the resources there. I love FamilySearch Wiki! There are great explanations about researching in the area you are looking for. On the right side of the page, you will find links to information and record sets for different subjects like cemeteries, directories, newspapers, probate records, and so much more! The wiki is a great place to read about how to research different areas around the world.
The FamilySearch Catalog is also a great place to start searching. It gives additional records than what you find in the Wiki. In the Catalog, you can search by name or location or many other fields.
Here is the link to Ilocos Norte Province catalog records:
And this one is to Metropolitan Manila catalog records:
If you have already utilized these sources, hopefully this post will serve as instructional for someone else and I would love for you to give us more specifics of what your needs are and what you are looking for! Please let me know if this information is something that will help you with your research or if you are looking for something specific that you have not been able to find in FamilySearch Wiki or Catalog.
I have used the Wiki in Fam Search. little is found, a marriage record for Jose sister Marciana Retuerne listing his parents.
Philippines, Select Marriages, 1723-1957 - Ancestry.com dont know if this link will work.
On Ancestry- a marriage record for Jose Retuerne to Fae Crystal in Washington State, USA that states his parents name.
Jose F. Retuerne Castaneda - Facts (ancestry.com) dont know if this link will work, I have a public tree on Ancestry, but nothing on Fam Search.
subsequently he married my mother-in-law without divorcing Fae so used his mother's maiden name as his last name.
Castor Returne died about 1942 lived in Illocos Norte, Philippines
Celestina Castaneda lived in Sucat, Paranque, Metro Manila, Philipines at birth?
now you know what I know.
Maryann in California
I'm sorry for the delayed response. I was dealing with a family emergency.
Using the links for the Catalog I gave you above (not the Wiki), there were a few different types of records that could be profitable. Unfortunately, none of them are indexed, so you would need to do a manual search. Have you tried any of them? I have done some of this type of searching myself through the years and it is tiresome, but sometimes it is the only way you can find what you are looking for until the records are indexed. At least they are digitized, so you don't have to sit at a microfilm machine in a family history library.
In Ilocos Norte,
--there are census records from 1886 to 1897. I would search for the surnames you are wanting and see if there are any in those records. Using the names found, you could search for other records to see if they are related to your ancestors
-- There are land records until 1896. This could include Castor and his family.
-- Military records range from 1865 to 1897
-- Notarial records are a wonderful place to find miscellaneous information on people. It just takes a lot of searching.
-- Public Records are another great place to find miscellaneous information. These type of records often give relationships, but they always place an ancestor in a certain place at a certain time.
-- There are several tax records that could include Castor and possible relatives.
When I looked in the Catalog for Manila, I found a few records you may want to search. It is possible the family (or any relatives) are in Manila, or it could be that the birth registration for Marciana was simply filed in Manila rather than Ilocos Norte? It is worth searching both locations!
-- Census : These records only go up to 1898, but they are worth a search for the surnames you are looking for -- time consuming, but I have found records that way!
-- Notarial records: There are 9 different records there. Some are not in the range of Castor Returne's life, so I would focus on the years where he was still living. Again, he is listed in Ilocos Norte, but it is worth searching in Manila as well, if Marciana was actually born there.
-- Public Records: There is a wealth of information in these records, much like the Notarial records. They are not indexed and would need to be searched page by page, however. If the surnames you are searching for were to be found in these records, it would prove a location and possibly list relationships to others. There are records within the date range of Marciana's birth in Manila.
Most vital records in the Philippines came from Catholic Parishes in Diocesan archives before 1889, but there are still only about 20% of documented records before 1920. Mandatory civil registration was not implemented until 1940, so that is why there is a large gap in those ages. And unfortunately, that is the range you want to look in!
You can write to the Diocese of Laoag, which includes the Ilocos Norte Province:
E-mail:dioceseoflaoag@yahoo.com
Civil Registration documents can be ordered here: https://psa.gov.ph/civilregistration/requesting-civil-registry-document or here: https://www.psaserbilis.com.ph/Default.aspx
The National Archives of the Philippines also carries documents, but I believe you need to know the province within Illocos Norte and Manila? https://nationalarchives.gov.ph/
I did a Google search for "cemeteries in Ilocos Norte" and it brought up quite a few. You may want to try the individual sites for those cemeteries.
When I do searches for the Retuerne name, it comes up with the alternate of "Retierne" which could be another spelling that might find you more records. You may try to do Google searches for the names of your ancestors you already know. I have found many records that way on "out of the way" web sites. Use different spellings, especially those that come up as suggestions.
Have you contacted any of the libraries, archives, or societies there? You can find a listing here: https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Philippines_Archives_and_Libraries and also here: https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Philippines_Societies
There is also great resources in other social areas, including Facebook, where you can join groups or read more about researching in the Philippines:
I hope this gives you some new places to research your ancestors! I know you said you used the Wiki before, but I just want to put in another plug for it. If you have not clicked on and read from every link on the home pages for Ilocos Norte and Manila, I suggest going back there to do that. I have learned that every link is important to me learning about a certain location and will help me understand what was going on at that time period I was looking. It will give you information on what military things were happening, what national things were happening, and what industries were prominent at that time. I have been able to find records based on those subjects because I found out that was most likely what my ancestor was involved in.
