Have you reached a “brick wall” in your genealogy research? Onsite genealogy research in Panama may just be the key to extending your Panamanian ancestry. We have genealogists in Panama that can help!
Challenges in Panamanian Genealogy Research
Panama has a unique history as a former colony of Spain and also a former partial territory of the United States. For native Panamanians, family history research in Panama relies primarily on civil registration and Catholic parish records. While an increasing number of these records have been digitized, many are still only held onsite. In many cases, successful Panamanian genealogy research will require a Legacy Tree researcher to visit an archive or government office in person. For Americans who historically lived in the Panama Canal Zone, records may need to be requested from the U.S. State Department or National Archives. If your ancestors migrated to Panama from Spain or some other country, it will usually be necessary to complete research in Panama first to learn the name of their foreign hometown. Depending how early your ancestors arrived, this can take some time. Given the history of slavery in early Panama, DNA testing may also be of use to those of Afro-Panamanian heritage.
Our Team of Professional Genealogists Can Help
If you have Panamanian ancestry, our professionals can help track down the town of origin of your ancestors, determine where that location is today, and identify where the records for that place are currently kept. We can also do the preliminary research in immigrant destination countries to learn the original foreign hometown, if necessary. For those areas that don’t have records available online or on microfilm, our onsite agents can visit that location to obtain any documents that are available.
Onsite Archive Access in Panama
Our onsite genealogy researchers have access to the following archives, repositories, and libraries in Panama to help track down the records you need to extend your Panamanian family history:
- Central American Archives
- Center for Regional Research of Mesoamerica (CIRMA)
- National Archives of Panama
- Benito Juarez Municipal Library
- Boquete Library
- Fernando Guardia Library
- Hortencio de Icaza Library
- IBCP Library (Chinese Baptist Church of Panama)
- Ismael Villar Municipal Library
- Jose M.Pinilla Library
- Justo Arosemena Municipal Library
- Manuel Jose Hurtado Municipal Library
- Miguel Ordonez Municipal Library
- Mons. Marcos Gregorio McGrath Library (USMA (Santa Maria La Antigua University)
- Municipal Library 20-30
- Municipal Library Demetrio Korsi
- Municipal Library Eusebio Morales
- Municipal Library Felipe O. Perez
- Municipal Library Joaquina H. Torrijos
- Municipal Library José Gabriel Duque
- Municipal Library José Maria Sanchez
- Municipal Library José Pablo Paredes
- Municipal Library Nicole Garay
- Municipal Library Norberto Navarro
- Municipal Library Republica de Chile
- Municipal Library Ricardo J. Alfaro
- Municipal Library Rosa Maria J. Del Castillo
- Municipal Library Villa Grecia
- Narciso Garay Municipal Library
- The National Library of Panama
- New Curundú Municipal Library
- Omar Torrijos Herrera Library
- Pedro J. Sosa Municipal Library
- Roberto F. Chiari Library
- Simon Bolivar Library