Nelas, Viseu, Portugal Genealogy

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

History

 * There are 7 parishes in Nelas.
 * There were Roman settlements that intersected in the territory of Nelas, with the construction of roads. Some are still visible in Santar and Vilar Seco.
 * Remnants of the middle ages can be traced in the gravestones in Petras da Forca.
 * The municipality of Nelas was created on 9 December 1852, during the politico-administrative reforms following the Liberal Revolution.
 * Those reforms rationalized the chaotic local administration, and merged the two older municipalities of Senhorim with Canas de Senhorim.
 * Queen Maria II of Portugal and the Queen's Minister Rodrigo da Fonseca Magalhães, by Decree, created the municipality of Nelas.
 * The municipality became the major industrial centre of the district of Viseu during the 20th century.
 * Nelas advanced due to its privileged geographic situation.
 * It was at the junction of several roadways connecting Viseu to the Serra da Estrela mountain range, and the railway that crossed the mountains.


 * The population of Nelas is roughly 14,037 people and the area is 125.71km (48.54 square miles).

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

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

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

Conservatória do Registo Civil e Predial de Nelas R. Gago Coutinho 1 3520-057 Nelas PORTUGAL Phone: 232944116 Email: [mailto:crcpcom.nelas@dgrn.mj.pt crcpcom.nelas@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 Viseu 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.

FamilySearch Centers
Viseu Portugal Family History Center Rua Cândido dos Reis 81 VISEU 3510-056 PORTUGAL Phone: +351 351-32425559 Email: [mailto:PT_Viseu@familyhistorymail.org PT_Viseu@familyhistorymail.org] Website: Viseu Portugal Family History Center