Portugal, Leiria, 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, Leiria, 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 Igreja Católica da Diocese de Leiria, Portugal

Record Description
This is a collection of church records from parishes in the Diocese of Leiria for the years 1534 to 1911. It includes baptisms, marriages, and burial/deaths. These parish records have been preserved relatively well. Some of the older registers may have some physical damage due to natural causes; therefore, some data may be difficult to read or some even may be lost. However, in general, they are in good condition for extracting genealogical information.

The original parish records were kept in the parish archive under the custody of the priest and a duplicate register was regularly sent to the diocesan archive where the records were centralized and kept at a higher state of preservation. The text of the records is in Portuguese. Earlier records were handwritten in narrative style, but newer records were handwritten in formatted registers.

Record Content
Birth records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's date, time and place of birth
 * Parents names, occupation and origin
 * Names of paternal grandparents, occupation and origin
 * Names of maternaL grandparents, occupation and origin
 * Godparents’ names

Marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's name and age
 * Groom's baptismal date and location
 * Groom's date and place of birth
 * Groom's civil status, occupation, and residence
 * Names of groom's parents and their origin
 * Bride's name and age
 * Bride's baptismal date and location
 * Bride's date and place of birth
 * Bride's civil status and residence
 * Names of bride's parents and their origin
 * Names of witnesses and their residence

Death or burial records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of death
 * Name, age and gender of deceased
 * Civil status, residence and origin of deceased
 * Spouse's name if married
 * Parents' names and their origin if deceased is a minor
 * Sometimes, names of children of deceased
 * Sometimes, a testament (will) of deceased
 * Burial information

Search the Collection
To browse the collection by image: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "District" category ⇒Select the "Municipality" category ⇒Select the "Civil Parish" category ⇒Select the "Parish" category ⇒Select the "Record Type and Years" category 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.

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

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki 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.

Related Websites
Maps for Leiria

Related Wiki Articles

 * Portugal
 * Leiria
 * Portugal Catholic Church Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
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Citations for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.