Brazil, Santa Catarina, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is In This Collection?
This collection will include baptism, marriage, and death records created by various Catholic parishes and diocese in the state of Santa Catarina from 1714-1977. Some of these records have been indexed and are searchable as part of this collection.

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

Additional images and indexed records will be published as they become available.

For additional details about these records and help using them see the wiki article: Brazil Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Baptism records generally include the following information:


 * Date of baptism
 * Place of baptism
 * Name
 * Birth date
 * Place of birth
 * Legitimacy
 * Parents' names
 * Godparents' names

Marriage records may include the following:


 * Date of marriage
 * Place of marriage
 * Names of groom and bride
 * Groom's place of birth
 * Groom's age, baptism date, and residence
 * Groom's legitimacy
 * Groom's parents' names
 * Bride’s place of birth
 * Bride's age, baptism date, and residence
 * Bride’s legitimacy
 * Bride's parents' names
 * Witnesses' names

Death records usually include:


 * Date and place of registration
 * Registrant's name
 * Date, place, and time of death
 * Name and age of deceased (keep in mind that death records for women may be filed under their married name)
 * Deceased's marital status/name of spouse
 * Deceased's origin and residence
 * Legitimacy
 * Cause of death
 * Names of deceased's parents
 * Residence of parents
 * Names of witnesses
 * Burial place

Collection Content
The information found in each record varies by year.

Sample Images
Click on the image for a larger view.

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 


 * 1) Select Municipality
 * 2) Select Parish
 * 3) Select Record Type and Years to view the images.

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

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.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * 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 birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records Brazil Census.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of a marriage officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties.
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Use the marital status to identify previous marriages.
 * Witnesses often were relatives of the parents.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For, Now What?

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * For death records, the information in records is usually reliable, but depends upon the knowledge of the informant.
 * For marriage and death records, name changes, shortened names, or nicknames may have been used by your ancestors, so pay attention to other relationships (parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc.) that can confirm whether you have the right person/record.
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married 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.
 * Continue to search the indexes and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same area or a nearby area.
 * 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 birth, marriage, and death records can’t be found or are unavailable.
 * Brazil Civil Registration- Vital Records
 * Brazil Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Your ancestor may have immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records:
 * Brazil Emigration and Immigration

Citing This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image. Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation

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Known Issues With This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.