Portugal, Porto, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. The Portugal, Porto, Catholic Church Records collection is available to the Family History Library, FamilySearch Centers, and to members of the supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The images can be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you.

Title in the Language of the Records
Registros Paroquiais da Diocese Católica do Porto, Portugal

Record Description
This collection of church records includes the years 1530 to 1908.

This collection includes baptism, marriage, and burial records from the Catholic Diocese of Porto created at several parishes. It also includes an index of parish records for the city of Porto. These church records are housed at the Porto District Archives. The text of the records is in Portuguese. Additional images will be published as they become available.

Parish priests performed the baptisms, marriages, deaths and/or burials, and other holy sacraments in their assigned parish or parishes. All the original parish records were kept in the parish archive; however, the older records were centralized in the archdiocesan archive. The records in our collection were acquired from the District Archive of Porto.

Catholic Church parish registers were created to record the church sacraments of baptism, marriage, death, and burial in the life of their parishioners. These and other ordinances were performed by an authorized priest in his area of jurisdiction.

The Catholic Church parish records are an excellent source for genealogical research in the District of Porto. These may also be the only records available before the implementation of the civil registration in 1911.

Record Content
Baptism records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's date, time and place of birth
 * Father's name, occupation, residence and origin
 * Mother's maiden name, residence and origin
 * Names of paternal grandparents
 * Names of maternal grandparents
 * Godparents names, their civil status, occupation and residence

Marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Groom's age, civil status, occupation, residence and origin
 * Names of groom's parents
 * Bride's age, civil status, occupation, residence and origin
 * Names of bride's parents
 * Names of witnesses, their occupation, civil status and residence

Death records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of death
 * Name, age and gender of deceased
 * Legitimacy of deceased
 * Residence and origin of deceased
 * Civil status and name of spouse, if married
 * Names of parents if deceased is a minor
 * Parents' place of origin
 * Burial information

How to Use the Record
This section provides information on how to search the collection, what to do with information once found, some tips on how to find records, and what to do if no record is found.

Search the Collection
To browse the collection by image: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "District" ⇒Select the appropriate "Municipality" ⇒Select the appropriate "Civil Parish" ⇒Select the appropriate "Parish" ⇒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 which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

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 and age, and family relationships. 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.

Using the Information
When browsing this collection it is helpful to know the following:


 * The place where the event occurred
 * The name and surname of the person
 * The approximate date of the event
 * The name of the parents or spouse

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the parents’ birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * Continue to search the various browse sections to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same area 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?

 * Check for variant 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.).

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


 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Portuguese Letter-writing Guide
 * Learning Center Resources:
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 1
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 2
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 3

For two foreign localities:

Known Issues with This Collection
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Related Websites
Maps for Porto

Related Wiki Articles

 * Portugal
 * Porto
 * Portugal Catholic Church Records

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: