Santa Rita, Paraíba, Brazil Genealogy

Guide to Municipality of Santa Rita ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, church records, parish registers, and civil registration.

History
The history of Santa Rita is closely linked to the conquest of Parahyba in the 16th century. After the Portuguese triumphed with the support of the Tabajaras over the Potiguaras on August 5, 1585, the next step was to build that city, Nossa Senhora das Neves (on account of the saint of the day), which later underwent several changes such as Filipéia of Nossa Senhora das Neves (on behalf of the king of Spain Filipe II), Frederica (in the period of the Dutch occupation in the northeast) and Parahyba, word in tupy guarany that means: River of difficult navigation. The name of the capital was changed to João Pessoa only after the death of the president of the province and vice president of Getúlio Vargas in 1930. But, in the case of the historical evolution of Santa Rita, still in 1580 the first fort in the region was built. The Mirante do Atalaia, the Old Fort, which served as an observation point for the Portuguese to identify possible French pirates in search of pau brasil. Parallel to this construction, the Portuguese built the Engenho Real Tibiry in the vicinity of what is now the neighborhoods of Várzea Nova and Tibirí Fábrica. It was a high-tech device for the time, powered by water. The name Tibiry derives from an indigenous tribe that inhabited this region. We can therefore say that in addition to being the second oldest settlement in the state, Santa Rita is also a pioneer in terms of security and economy, having reached almost 30 sugar mills, second only to Pernambuco in the Northeast. Still in terms of economy, it was the first city in Paraíba to receive a manufacturing facility. It is the Companhia de Tecidos Tibiri (CTP), inaugurated in 1892 where today is A Praça do Povo, which at the time offered 260 direct jobs, created Vila Operária and attracted people from all neighboring cities and states in search of employment, contributing to the growth of the city and the emergence of the neighborhoods of Santa Cruz, Popular etc. to the village was Cumbe (a Bantu dialect word, from Angola, which means (small village or distant village) which was a mill that was later purchased, its owner, a devotee of Santa Rita de Cássia, changed its name to Usina Santa Rita, still in the eighteenth century, when the saint had not even been canonized. In 1776, the Capuchins built the Mother Church of Santa Rita in the Central Square. It was a church for the white elite. In 1851, the Irmandade dos Pardos built the Igreja da Conceição and the free blacks built the Igreja do Rosário, where today the João Úrsulo School Group is located. Santa Rita passed through the condition of mill, village, parish, parish and was finally emancipated on March 9, 1890, one year after the proclamation of the Brazilian Republic. The district was created with the name of Santa Rita, on February 20, 1839. Elevated to the category of village with the name of Santa Rita, on March 9, 1890, separated from Paraíba. Elevated again to the category of village with the name of Santa Rita, on September 24, 1897, separated from Paraíba.

Local Offices
Cartório Distrital do Registro Civil de Tibiri II Rua Juazeirinho, 06 Tibiri II Santa Rita PB 58300-000 Telephone: (83) 3217-1518 E-mail: cartoriotibiri@hotmail.com Cartório Distrital do Registro Civil de Pessoas Naturais Várzea Nova Rua Anésio Alves de Miranda, 543 Várzea Nova Santa Rita PB 58304-000 Telephone: (83) 3229-5027 E-mail: v.novacart@gmail.com Serviço Registral e notarial Rua São José, 124 Nossa Senhora do Livramento Santa Rita PB 58304-000 Telephone: (83) 3664-7047 E-mail: cartório.livramento@yahoo.com Cartório de Registro Civil de Santa Rita Rua Siqueira Campos, 19 Centro Santa Rita PB 5830-000 Telephone: (83) 3229-3501 E-mail: sinhá_romeu@hotmail.com

Online Resources

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

Local Churches
Paróquia NOSSA SENHORA DO LIVRAMENTO (1813) Rua São José, s/n Nossa Senhora do Livramento Santa Rita PB 58304-000 Paróquia/Santuário de SANTA RITA (1839) Praça Getúlio Vargas, s/n Centro 58300-130 Santa Rita PB Telephone: (83) 3229-2321 Paróquia SÃO PEDRO E SÃO PAULO (1995) Rua Patos, s/n Tibiri II 58302-290 Santa Rita PB Telephone: (83) 3217-3697 E-mail: saopedroesaopaulo@hotmail.com

Localities
Distritos: Nossa Senhora do Livramento (Gargaú, Tabajara, Livramento), Lucena, Baieux (Barreiras) Villages: Bebelândia, Cadene, Cangulo, Cauira, Chã do Congo, Cicerolândia, Cotovelo, Babilônia, Engenho do Meio, Estiva, Fazenda Caldeirão, Forte Velho, Jaburu, Jacaraúna, Lerolândia, Mel de Furo, Monte Alegre, Mumbaba, Nossa Senhora do Patrocínio, Odilândia, Olteiro, São Bento, Prego, Reis, Ribeira, Santa Ana, Santo Amaro, Santo André, Sítio Reis, Socorro, Taboleiro de Santana, Tambauzinho, Tapira, Tibirinho, Usina Santa Rita, Usina Santana, Usina São João, Vigário, Volta do Quimba.