Portugal, Braga, Priest Application Files - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes records from 1596 to 1911.

The collection includes priest application files created by the Catholic Church in the district of Braga. These files consist of documentation created during the process of proving the applicant's eligibility to become a member of the Catholic clergy, including genealogies and pedigrees.

Reading These Records
These records are in Portuguese. For help reading these records see the following guides:


 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Portuguese Letter-writing Guide
 * Learning Center Resources:
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 2
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 3
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 3

Collection Content
Application records may include the following information:


 * Applicant's full name
 * Applicant's legitimacy
 * Parents' names
 * Names of paternal grandparents
 * Names of maternal grandparents

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Locality 1
 * 2) Select Locality 2
 * 3) Select Locality 3
 * 4) Select Tipo de registro e anos (Record type and years) to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community
 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try different spellings of the names
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. In addition local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the records of nearby localities (or military unties, counties, parishes, etc.)

Record Finder
Consult the  Portugal Record Finder Table to find other records

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.


 * Collection Citation: "Portugal, Braga, Catholic Church Records, Priest Application Files, 1596-1911." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Arquivo Distrital de Braga (Braga District Archive, Braga).

Top of Page