Cruz do Espírito Santo, Paraíba, Brazil Genealogy

Guide to Municipality of Cruz do Espírito Santo ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, church records, parish registers, and civil registration.

History
It is assumed that the lands belonging to the current municipality have been previously inhabited by the Tabajaras Indians, who with the arrival of the Portuguese, moved to villages on the banks of the Paraíba River. When the Portuguese settled in the region, they started to plant sugarcane on the coast, due to the existence of fertile soils. Small mills were installed, at the time operated by slaves from Africa. The Espiritito Santo mill, owned by Mr. Manoel Pires Correia, who during the Dutch invasion abandoned his lands, which were later sold to the Batavian Joan Van Olen and then to his patrician Mense Francen Aurenhaut who occupied it until the expulsion of foreigners. However, the exact date of the formation of the village is not clarified. It is only known that in 1879, the Paraíba River, in the face of a flood, it overflowed its bed and brought in its waters an immense wooden cross and left it in the place where the city currently stands. This fact contributed for the inhabitants of the region to start calling the village Cruz do Espírtito Santo, originating from the junction of the word Cruz, resulting from the event, with the name of the old mill, Espírito Santo. More than a century after the cross was found, in 1907, the vicar of the local parish built a pedestal on which he erected it, thus perpetuating its history until today. with the name of the old mill, Espírito Santo. Elevated to the category of town with the name of Espírito Santo, on March 7, 1896. Headquartered in the village of Cruz do Espírito Santo, ex-Pedras de Fogo. On February 1, 1925, the seat of the municipality of Espírito Santo was transferred to the village of Sapé. On March 30, 1938, Pedras de Fogo was renamed Espírito Santo.

Local Offices
Cartório de Registro Civil de Pessoas Naturais Rua Epitácio Pessoa, 12 Centro Cruz do Espírito Santo PB 58337-000 Telephone: (83) 3254-1161

Online Resources

 * Brazil, Paraíba, Catholic Church Records, 1731-2013 no Registros Históricos do FamilySearch

Local Churches
Paróquia do DIVINO ESPÍRITO SANTO (1904) Rua Pe. Herculano, 06 Centro Cruz do Espírito Santo PB 58337-000 Telephone: (83) 3254-1644