Fafe, Braga, Portugal Genealogy

This is a historical and genealogical guide to the municipality of Fafe.

History

 * Fafe is a municipality in the northern Portuguese district of Braga.
 * In 1320 Fafe was part of the Diocese of Braga and the Terra de Entre Ave e Vizela.
 * In 1514 King D. Manuel I conceded the first foral to the town of Fafe.
 * In 1647 the first reference to the toponymy Fafe, and shortly after in 1655 the parish adopted the name Santa Eulália de Fafe.
 * In 1706, the donatário of the town of Fafe and municipality of Montelongo was the Count of Vimieiro.
 * Between 1907 and 1986 Fafe was served by the narrow-gauge trains of the Guimarães line.
 * The population of Fafe is roughly 50,600 people.

Online Records
After 100 years, all civil registration records are sent to the municipality's district office.

To view online civil registration records, visit Braga Civil Registration.

Contact a Civil Registration Office
The following is a list of civil registration offices within the municipality.

Conservatória do Registo Civil de Fafe Pç. José F Soares 4820-148 Fafe PORTUGAL Phone: 253599792 Email: [mailto:crc.fafe@dgrn.mj.pt crc.fafe@dgrn.mj.pt]

Communicate your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing a letter or email in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.

Online Records
In 1910, the Portuguese government transferred all birth, marriage, and death records from all the country's parishes to the district offices. These records are now in either District or National archives. Many of these records have been digitized and can be viewed at the District Archive's website or on FamilySearch.

To view online records, visit Braga Church Records.

Contact a Parish
If you are seeking church records created more recently than 1910, it is possible to obtain them by writing to the parish where the record was created. Writing to a parish is not always a reliable way to obtain information, because officials may or may not respond.

Conferência Episcopal Portuguesa lists websites for the 20 Dioceses of Portugal. Once on the Diocesan website, use the listing of parishes (paróquias) to locate contact information for the parish in question.

Communicate your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing a letter or email in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.

Cemeteries
Cemeteries did not become popular in Portugal until the late nineteenth century. Prior to this, individuals were buried in their parish church cemetery, and their bones were later removed to an unmarked burial place.

Family History Centers
Braga Portugal Family History Center Rua Luís António Correia 120 BRAGA 4715-310 PORTUGAL Email: [mailto:PT_Braga@ldsmail.net PT_Braga@ldsmail.net] Website: Braga Portugal Family History Center