Portugal, Coimbra Testaments - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Testamentos de Coimbra, Portugal

Collection Time Period
This collection of notary public wills includes the years 1561-1900.

Record Description
This collection contains testaments created in the presence of notaries and housed at the Coimbra University Archive (Arquivo da Universidade de Coimbra). Additional images will be published as they become available. These records are handwritten in Portuguese and in narrative style. Additional images will be published as they become available.

A testament is a document that sets forth a person's wishes for the disposition of their property after death. Testaments (wills) in Portugal are written and kept by a notary public. A person wanting to leave a will after death goes to a notary public anywhere in Portugal and, after presenting legal identification, can start composing his will with the help of the notary public. The notary agency keeps the original document and a copy is given to the testator. The testator may also register a will in the Conservatória dos Registros Centrais (Central Conservatory of Records) in Lisbon. This entity keeps an index of registered wills and the place where it was written and kept.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in testaments (wills) may include:


 * Name of notary public
 * Date and place issued
 * Name of testator
 * Place of residence and sometimes place of origin
 * Age or date of birth
 * Spouse’s name and age or birth date
 * Names of heirs and their ages or birth date and place of residence

How to Use the Records
Testaments were created in chronological order in a book kept by the notary public. If you have an approximate date of death for your ancestor, you may search the wills by date. Information in wills can help to find out the type of life or type of individual the ancestor was, can also give information not found in other records.

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 To search this collection select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the municipio where you ancestors lived ⇒Select the appropriate freguesia⇒Select the appropriate paróquia ⇒Select the record type, and you should see images of those records.

Related Websites

 * Instituto dos registros e do notariado
 * Sucessões na Europa

Related Wiki Articles
Portugal Websites

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. 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.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in a Historical Record Collection

 * "Delaware Marriage Records," index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org): accessed 4 March 2011, entry for William Anderson and Elizabeth Baynard Henry, married 23 November 1913; citing marriage certificate no. 859; FHL microfilm 2,025,063; Delaware Bureau of Archives and Records Management, Dover.
 * “El Salvador Civil Registration,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org): accessed 21 March 2011, entry for Jose Maria Antonio del Carmen, born 9 April 1880; citing La Libertad, San Juan Opico, Nacimientos 1879-1893, image 50; Ministerio Archivo Civil de la Alcaldia Municipal de San Salvador.

When the citation has been replaced with a citation specific to the collection being described, the heading should be changed to “Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection” in Heading style 3.

Sources of Information for This Collection
Portugal. Coimbra Notary Public Offices. Testaments (wills), 1561-1900. Coimbra University Archive (Arquivo da Universidade de Coimbra), Coimbra, Portugal.

At the beginning of the source add in wiki text and at the end.

Detailed instructions for adding citations are also listed in the wiki article: How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.