São João do Rio do Peixe, Paraíba, Brazil Genealogy

Guide to Municipality of São João do Rio do Peixe ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, church records, parish registers, and civil registration.

History
The occupation of the region where the municipality of São João do Rio do Peixe is located today dates back to the 17th century, when the allotments of the Pernambuco hinterland were divided. The current area of ​​the municipality occupied the region called Ribeira do Rio do Peixe. In the same century, this region began to be explored when Luis Quaresma Dourado, from Paraíba, and the D’avilla family, a member of Casa da Torre, in Bahia. As a way of asserting its own control and that of the Portuguese crown over the sesmarias, the d'Ávila family began to grant titles (captain-major, sergeant-major, among others) to those who could help establish dominion over the lands. At the beginning of the 18th century, Sergeant Major Antônio José da Cunha arrived in the region, establishing a large farm and cattle and taking possession of the area in 1708. At the time of his arrival the farmer established contact with the indigenous called Icós-Pequenos – belonging to the Cariri nation. The last report on these indigenous people is dated 1740, when they were in villages by Father José Matos Serras. In the second half of the 18th century, the Dantas family settles in the region, and in 1765, the captain-major João Dantas Rothéa settles at Fazenda São João. Next to Dantas' farm, several other dwellings were established, according to Pereira (2009), the existence of a chapel on the property contributed to bringing the new residents closer. In the 19th century, between 1855 and 1863, the new church was built, which marks a new cycle of development in São João do Rio do Peixe, which becomes a district. In 1881, the district became a village. Two other important moments in the development of São João do Rio do Peixe are the construction of the railway and the Cangaço cycle. The road connected the municipality to the state of Ceará, making the city gain notoriety on the national scene. The Cangaço cycle, on the other hand, boosted the urban growth of the city, given that, for fear of the movement led by Lampião, many people abandoned their homes in the countryside and migrated to more populated places. The district was created with the name of São João do Rio do Peixe, on November 28, 1863, subordinated to the municipality of Sousa. Elevated to the category of village with the name of São João do Rio do Peixe, on October 08, 1881, separated from Sousa.

Local Offices
Cartório do Registro Civil Rua Antonio Gonçalves, 185 Centro São João do Rio do Peixe PB 58910-000 Telephone: (83) 3535-2631 E-mail: raimundaflor@eneriw.com.br Cartório do Registro Civil do Distrito Bandarra Beco da Igreja São João do Rio do Peixe PB 58910-000 Telephone: (83) 9989-9924 E-mail: cartoriobandarra@hotmail.com Cartório Maria do Socorro Gomes Almeida Distrito de Umari São João do Rio do Peixe PB 58910-000 Telephone: (83) 3522-3471

Online Resources

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

Local Churches
Paróquia Nossa Senhora do Rosário Paça da Matriz, s/n Centro São João do Rio do Peixe PB 58910-000 Telephone: (83) 3535-2259

Localities
Districts: São João do Rio do Peixe (Antenor Navarro), Uiraúna (Canaã, Belém), Brejo das Freiras (Pilões), Poço Dantas, Santa Helena, Triunfo, Poço, Bandarra, Gravatá, Umari