Cape Verde Church Records

Cape Verde

Parish registers
Research use: The primary genealogical research source, uniquely identifying individuals and linking generations.

Record type: Church records kept by parish priests of births/baptisms, marriages, and deaths/burials.

General: Mandated by the Council of Trent in the 16th century, these are the primary genealogical source for Cape Verde.

Time period: 1600-present.

Contents: Baptism: name of child, place and date of baptism and birth; names of parents and sometimes of grandparents. Marriage: date and place of marriage, names of couple; names of parents. Death: name, residence, age of deceased, place of death, names of family members or relatives.

Location: National Archive and the Roman Catholic Diocesan Archive.

Population coverage: 60% coverage for early periods; 95% coverage for the 19th century.