User:Laurenwake/Sandbox

Civil Registers (Registros Civis)
In 1832, the Portuguese government passed legislation requiring that the births, marriages, and deaths of all residents be recorded. Before this legislation, only churches recorded such information. Before the Portuguese government began civil registration, only churches recorded birth, marriage, and death information in Portugal. Civil registration was instituted in 1832 as a way for non-Catholic individuals to register their births, marriages, and deaths. Over the next forty years, this legislation was revised and clarified. In 1878, it was decreed that Catholic parish records would function as civil registration records for all members of the Catholic Church, while non-members would use the municipal registers to record vital events. With the formation of the First Portuguese Republic in 1910, Civil Registration changed drastically. From 1911 onwards, all residents were required to have their vital events recorded by the civil registrar. Many Catholic individuals still registered their births, marriages, and deaths at their Catholic parish as well as the civil register. It may be useful to consult both documents, as they may contain different information. Civil birth, marriage, and death records are initially stored at the Civil Registry (‘’Conservatória do Registro Civil’’).
 * After 100 years, birth records are sent to district archives.
 * After 50 years, marriage records are sent to district archives.
 * After 30 years, death records are sent to district archives.

For a list of Civil Registration Offices, visit Civil Registration Offices For a list of District Archives, visit Archives and Libraries

Online Civil Registration
The following collections may have online records. To find civil registration records, enter the name of the municipality where the civil registration took place (refer to this Website for Locating Civil Registration Offices) as well as "nascimento" (birth), "casamento" (marriage), or "obit" death to see if the archive has digitized records for that municipality.
 * Portugal, Beja, Civil Registration and Miscellaneous Records, 1609-1950 at FamilySearch
 * Portugal, Coimbra, Civil Registration, 1893-1980 at FamilySearch
 * Portugal, Évora, Civil Registration and Miscellaneous Records, 1554-1938 at FamilySearch
 * Portugal, Portalegre, Civil Registration and Miscellaneous Records, 1816-1935 at FamilySearch
 * Portugal, Setúbal, Civil Registration and Miscellaneous Records, 1649-1936 at FamilySearch
 * Portugal National Archive
 * Aveiro District Archive
 * Beja District Archive
 * Braga District Archive
 * Bragança District Archive
 * Castelo Branco District Archive
 * Coimbra District Archive
 * Évora District Archive
 * Faro District Archive
 * Guarda District Archive
 * Leiria District Archive
 * Lisboa District Archive
 * Portalegre District Archive
 * Porto District Archive
 * Santarém District Archive
 * Setúbal District Archive
 * Viana do Castelo District Archive
 * Vila Real District Archive
 * Viseu District Archive

Birth records (Nascimentos)
usually contain:
 * Given name of the child
 * Gender
 * Legitimacy or otherwise
 * Date of birth
 * Date of christening
 * If this is the first child in that family to be given that name
 * Names of the father and mother
 * Birthplace of each parent
 * Names and birthplaces of the paternal and maternal grandparents
 * Names of godparents
 * Names of witnesses
 * Name of the priest that performed the christening

Marriage records (Casamentos)
usually contain:
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Marital status of the bride and groom
 * If previously married the name or names of the previous spouses
 * Birthplaces of the bride and groom
 * Ages of the bride and groom
 * Names of the parents of the bride and groom
 * Birthplace of each parent
 * Names of the witnesses
 * Name of the priest performing the wedding ceremony

Death records (Óbitos)
usually contain:
 * Name of deceased
 * Gender
 * Age
 * Date and place of death
 * Date place of burial
 * Names of parents if deceased is a minor

Civil Registration Records at the Family History Library
Some Civil Registers have been microfilmed and at are the Family History Library. Perform a Place Search in the FamilySearch Catalog to determine if the civil registration records for the municipality you are researching in have been microfilmed.

Civil Registration Records in Portuguese Archives
Write them May be at department archive

Visit Archives and Libraries for a list of the district archives of Portugal, with links to the archive's website and online catalog. The portal Tombo.pt is the best english-language guide to access an archive's website. To locate an archive's website through Tombo:
 * Click on the desired district on the left sidebar to open the district's page
 * On the top of the page, under the district's name, click on the archive's name.
 * The archive's website will display in Portuguese. If possible, use GoogleTranslate to translate the page. The link will open to the archive's catalog, allowing users to search for the collection they wish.
 * Usually, there will be a link at the bottom of the page titled "Contactos." Use this link to contact an archivist, referring to the Portuguese Letter Writing Guide for writing a genealogical request in Portuguese.

Check indexes above

List of the district offices of civil registration

Wiki articles describing online collections

 * Portugal, Beja, Civil Registration and Miscellaneous Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Portugal, Coimbra, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Portugal, Évora, Civil Registration and Miscellaneous Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Portugal, Portalegre, Civil Registration and Miscellaneous Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Portugal, Setúbal, Civil Registration and Miscellaneous Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)