Brazil Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Foreign Language Title
Registros Paroquiais da Igreja Católica em Brasil.

Collection Time Period
This collection of parish registers covers the years 1835-1966.

Record History
Catholic Church records begun in Brazil with the arrival of the ministers from Portugal.

Why This Record Was Created
Catholic Church parish registers were created to record the church sacraments of baptisms, confirmations, marriages, deaths, burials, and other ordinances.

Record Reliability
Catholic Church parish records are a reliable source for doing genealogical research in all of Brazil.

Record Description
The records of baptisms, marriages, and deaths or burials are bound in separate registers. Most records follow the same format, however in earlier years the records were written in narrative form and later ones are written in formatted records. Some of the older registers may appear to have some physical damage; therefore some data may have been lost or may be very difficult to read, however, in general they are in good condition to extract genealogical information.

Record Content
The key genealogical facts found in most baptisms records are: 


 * Date of baptism
 * Place of baptism
 * Name of child
 * Place of birth
 * Date of birth
 * Legitimacy
 * Parent’s names
 * Godparent’s names

The key genealogical facts found in most marriage records are:


 * Date of marriage
 * Place of marriage
 * Witnesses’ names
 * Names of groom and bride
 * Groom and bride’s marital status
 * Groom’s age
 * Groom’s legitimacy
 * Groom’s mother
 * Bride’s age
 * Residence of bride’s parents

The key genealogical facts found in most death records are:


 * Date of death
 * Place of death
 * Name of deceased
 * Deceased marital status and spouse’s name
 * Deceased legitimacy
 * Father’s name
 * Deceased age
 * Burial place

How to Use the Record
The Catholic Church parish records are an excellent source for genealogical research in Brazil. These may also be the only available records before the implementation of the civil registration in about 1888. These records may include other family information that will help in the research for other generations. In order to find an entry in this collection it is necessary to know first the place where the ancestors lived, a year, and his/her name.

Related Websites
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Related Wiki Articles
Brazil Church Records

Sources of This Collection
Digital images of original records housed at diocesan archives of Brazil, such as:

Igreja Católica. Diocese de Luz (Luz, Minas Gerais). Registros paroquiais, 1835-1966.

Igreja Católica. Diocese de Campanha (Campanha, Minas Gerais). Registros paroquiais, 1763-1980.

Igreja Católica. Diocese de Divinópolis (Divinópolis, Minas Gerais). Registros paroquiais, 1793-1975.

Igreja Católica. Diocese de Oliveira (Oliveira, Minas Gerais). Registros paroquiais, 1800-1984.

Igreja Católica. Diocese de Amargosa (Bahia, Bahia). Registros paroquiais, 1805-1950.

Igreja Católica. Diocese de Apucaraná (Apucaraná, Paraná). Registros paroquiais, 1942-1991.

Igreja Católica. Diocese de Palmares (Palmares, Pernambuco). Registros paroquiais, 1786-1969.

Igreja Católica. Diocese de Estância (Estância, Sergipe). Registros paroquiais, 1790-1980.

Igreja Católica. Arquidiocese de Aparecida (Aparecida, São Paulo). Registros paroquiais, 1720-1980.

Igreja Católica. Arquidiocese de Belém (Belém, Pará). Registros paroquiais, 1795-1955.

Igreja Católica. Diocese de Propriá (Propriá, Sergipe). Registros paroquiais, 1840-1960.

How To Cite Your Sources
Instructions for citing this source can be found at: 'Cite Your Sources (Source Footnotes)'