Guimarães, Braga, Portugal Genealogy

This is a historical and genealogical guide to the municipality of Guimarães.

History

 * Guimarães is part of the Ave Subregion and well as the historical Minho Province.
 * Archealogical findings show that Guimarães had permanent settlements since the late Chalcolithic period.
 * Guimarães has a significant historical importance due to the role it played in the foundation of Portugal. The city is often referred to as the "birthplace of the Portuguese nationality"
 * There is evidence of Roman occupation with a stone dedicated to the Roman emperor Trajan suggesting that it was a spa town in Roman times.
 * It was for some decades the capital of the County of Portugal, but in 1128 after the Battle of São Mamede, Coimbra became the kingdom's capital.
 * The inhabitants are often called Conquistadores (the Conquerors) in relation with the historical heritage of the conquest initiated in Guimarães.
 * In 2012 Guimarães, with Maribor, Slovenia was the European Capital of Culture.
 * The reign of King Denis saw the expansion of the village, which was partially surrounded by a defensive wall.
 * Mendicant orders settled in Guimarães and helped mold the shape of the city.
 * The reign of John I saw the wall torn down and two parts of the city were finally united and it began to expand outside its old walls.
 * In the 19th century under the rule of Queen Maria II that it was promoted to city.
 * The population of Guimarães is roughly 158,100 people.

Online Records
After 100 years, all civil registration records are sent to the municipality's district office.

To view online civil registration records, visit Braga Civil Registration.

Contact a Civil Registration Office
The following is a list of civil registration offices within the municipality.

Conservatória do Registo Civil de Guimarães R. Ramada S.Sebastião 4810-445 Guimarães PORTUGAL Phone: 253418836 Email: [mailto:crc.guimaraes@dgrn.mj.pt crc.guimaraes@dgrn.mj.pt]

Communicate your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing a letter or email in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.

Online Records
In 1910, the Portuguese government transferred all birth, marriage, and death records from all the country's parishes to the district offices. These records are now in either District or National archives. Many of these records have been digitized and can be viewed at the District Archive's website or on FamilySearch.

To view online records, visit Braga Church Records.

Contact a Parish
If you are seeking church records created more recently than 1910, it is possible to obtain them by writing to the parish where the record was created. Writing to a parish is not always a reliable way to obtain information, because officials may or may not respond.

Conferência Episcopal Portuguesa lists websites for the 20 Dioceses of Portugal. Once on the Diocesan website, use the listing of parishes (paróquias) to locate contact information for the parish in question.

Communicate your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing a letter or email in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.

Cemeteries
Cemeteries did not become popular in Portugal until the late nineteenth century. Prior to this, individuals were buried in their parish church cemetery, and their bones were later removed to an unmarked burial place.

Cemitério de Atouguia Guimaraes, Guimarães Municipality, Braga PORTUGAL Website: FindAGrave

FamilySearch Centers
Braga Portugal Family History Center Rua Luís António Correia 120 BRAGA 4715-310 PORTUGAL Email: [mailto:PT_Braga@familyhistorymail.org PT_Braga@familyhistorymail.org] Website: Braga Portugal Family History Center