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Brazil, São Paulo, Marriage Dispensations (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Title in the Language of the Record
Brasil, São Paulo, dispensas matrimoniais

Record Description
This collection will include marriage dispensation records from 1791-1897 for the Catholic Diocese of Franca in the state of São Paulo.

The records are in Portuguese; see the section "For Help Reading these Records" for access to translation helps.

The process of marrying in Brazil requires certain steps, from which three types of documents are produced. First, the future bride and groom must come before the officiator of the parish wherein they will be married and declare to him their intention to be married. The two parties would bring the required documentation (identification) and present it to the officiator. A license to marry would then be issued and marriage banns would then be published. In certain cases where Brazilian legislation prohibited such unions, the Catholic parish priest could issue a dispensation.

Essentially, these dispensations are alike to licenses; i.e., licenses to marry. Regarding marriage in the Catholic Church, dispensations were exacted to relax any civil legality that prohibited or annulled a marriage. To issue a dispensation, the cause for such needed special and sufficient reasons for doing so. For more information, see the Roman Catholic canon law regarding matrimonial dispensations and more particularly the causes for granting dispensations.

Consequently, this collection was created. It contains those declarations of intent to marry, marriage licenses, and marriage banns for those unions that needed “extra help” in becoming a reality.

Record Content
The information in each record varies by year.

‘’’Declarations of intent to marry’’’ may contain the following information:


 * Name of groom


 * Legitimacy to parents


 * Parents’ names


 * Name of bride


 * Legitimacy to parents


 * Parents’ names


 * Ages of bride and groom


 * Marital status of bride and groom


 * Birthplaces and/or residences of bride and groom

‘’’Marriage licenses’’’ usually contain the following:


 * Name of groom


 * Legitimacy to parents


 * Parents’ names


 * Name of bride


 * Legitimacy to parents


 * Parents’ names


 * Marital status of bride and groom


 * Name of notary


 * Names of witnesses

‘’’Marriage banns’’’ generally contain:


 * Name of groom


 * Legitimacy to parents


 * Parents’ names


 * Name of bride


 * Legitimacy to parents


 * Parents’ names

How to Use the Record
When searching:

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence, age, and family relationships.

For more information on how to use the information in these records, see the “Using the Information” section below.

Search the Collection
To search by image:

To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links:

⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page

⇒Select the appropriate "Municipality"

⇒Select the appropriate “Parish” (‘’Paróquia’’)

⇒Select the appropriate "Record Type and Years", which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

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


 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List


 * Brazil Language and Languages

Using the Information
A marriage license had a time limit wherein the couple must be married within a specified timeframe.


 * From the date the marriage license was issued, search within the next 30-90 days for the marriage record. The marriage record/certificate may be found in church record collections.


 * Use the age to calculate a birth year.


 * Use the estimated birth year, birthplace/residence, and the names of parents to find the birth/baptismal record.

Tips to Keep in Mind
These are supplemental documents. Some of them are banns that announce a wedding will take place. Some are declarations whereby the future bride and groom went to the parish priest to register their intent to marry and present the required documents to marry. And others are licenses to marry and were issued after all requirements were met for marriage. Therefore, these documents supplement the actual marriage record/certificate; even though these documents exist, they do not certify that a marriage actually took place. Therefore, you want to find the actual record/certificate of marriage to verify a marriage took place and/or confirm the information in these banns, declarations, and publications. The actual records/certificates of marriage can be found by looking in church and civil registration collections.

Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

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.

Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.

Unable to Find your Ancestor?
A boundary change could have occurred and the record of you ancestor is now in a neighboring. Search the records and indexes of neighboring cities, provinces, and regions.

Civil Registration records are also a good substitute when baptism, marriage, and burial records can’t be found or are unavailable.


 * Brazil Civil Registration- Vital Records


 * Brazil Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Related Websites

 * Marriage in Brazil


 * Documentation and Requirements for Marriage


 * Brazil Research Outline

Related Wiki Articles

 * Brazil Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)


 * Brazil Church Records


 * Brazil Civil Registration- Vital Records


 * Brazil Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)


 * Brazil Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)


 * Brazil Deaths (FamilySearch Historical Records)


 * Brazil

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Image Citation: