Panama Genealogy

Central America

Panama

Guide to Panama ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records

Panama Wiki Topics
Beginning Research
Research Strategies Record Finder
Record Types
Cemeteries Census Church Records Civil Registration Colonial Records Directories Emigration and Immigration Genealogies	Jewish Records Land and Property Military Records Newspapers Notarial Records Online Records Periodicals Religious Records
Panama Background
Biography Church History Cultural Groups Gazetteers Historical Geography History Languages	Maps Personal Names Social Life & Customs Spanish Word List
Local Research Resources
Archives and Libraries Societies Family History Centers
Moderator
The FamilySearch moderator for Panama is Anelson

Country Information

Panama is a country in Central America bordered by Costa Rica and Colombia. Panama is an isthmus that connects North and South America and is also considered a Caribbean nation. Vasco Nunez de Balboa discovered the Pacific ocean off the coast of Panama in 1513. Its strategic geographical location has made it a center of commerce and transportation since Spanish colonial times. After its independence from Spain in 1821, Panama became a department of Colombia until 1903 when the United States began building the Panama Canal and created the Panama Canal Zone, a major navigation hub. The official language is Spanish.

Getting Started

Getting Started with Panama Research Links to articles on getting started with Panama research. Panama Research Guide Research Strategies Panama Genealogical Resources Webinar Latin American Research Turtorials Spanish version of Panama Wiki page

Panama Research Tools Links to articles and websites that assist in Panama research. Record Finder Panama Archives and Libraries Family History Library Research Outline, contains many out-of-date links Recursos genealógicos de Panamá

Panama Online Genealogy Records

Ask the Community

Panama Clickable Map

Provinces

Panama is divided into ten provinces and five indigenous regions.

Provinces Bocas del Toro Chiriquí Coclé Colón Darién Herrera Los Santos Panama West Panama Veraguas

Indigenous Regions Emberá, see also Darién Province Guna Yala, see also Panama and Colón Ngäbe-Buglé, created in 1997 from parts of Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí, and Veraguas Madugandí (within Panama province) Wargandí (within Darién province)

FamilySearch Resources

Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in researching your family.

• Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
• Historical Records
• Family History Center locator map

Research Tutorials

• Search page
• Introduction to Hispanic Research
• U.S. Hispanic Immigration
• U.S. Hispanic Immigrants: Finding their Place of Origin
• Improve your Search Results in FamilySearch Hispanic Records
• Deciphering Spanish Handwriting