Brazil, Minas Gerais, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes baptism, marriage, and burial records created by various Catholic parishes and diocese in the state of Minas Gerais from 1706 to 1999. The Catholic Diocese of Luz created in 1960 is found in the state of Minas Gerais. Prior to 1960 Minas Gerais belonged to the Diocese of Aterrado.

Additional images will be published as they become available.

For additional details about these records and help using them, see the wiki article, Brazil Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Reading These Records
These records are written in Portuguese. For help reading these records see the following:


 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Brazil Language and Languages

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Baptism Records
 * Date of baptism
 * Place of baptism
 * Name
 * Birth date
 * Place of birth
 * Legitimacy
 * Parents' names
 * Godparents' names

Marriage Records
 * Date of marriage
 * Place of marriage
 * Names of groom and bride
 * Groom's place of birth
 * Groom's age, baptism date, and residence
 * Groom's legitimacy
 * Groom's parents' names
 * Bride’s place of birth
 * Bride's age, baptism date, and residence
 * Bride’s legitimacy
 * Bride's parents' names
 * Witnesses' names

Burial Records
 * Date and place of registration
 * Registrant's name
 * Date, place, and time of death
 * Name and age of deceased
 * Deceased's marital status/name of spouse
 * Deceased's origin and residence
 * Legitimacy
 * Cause of death
 * Names of deceased's parents
 * Residence of parents
 * Names of witnesses
 * Burial place

Sample Images
The information found in each record varies by year.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before using this collection it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence
 * Estimated marriage or birth year

Search the Collection
View images in this collection by visiting the 


 * 1) Select Municipality
 * 2) Select Parish
 * 3) Select Record Type and Years to view the images

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Check the image the index was taken from to see if there is additional information
 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference; see the section Citing this Collection for assistance. Save or print a copy of the image
 * Use the information to find more. For instance, use the age listed in the record to estimate a year of birth, if that is yet undetermined
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each spouse to find a couple's birth records and parents' names
 * The birth and/or age may also help you find the family in the Brazil Census
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For, What Now?
Civil Registration records are also a good substitute when birth, marriage, and death records can’t be found or are unavailable.
 * Consult the Brazil Research Tips and Strategies to find other records
 * A boundary change could have occurred and the record of you ancestor is now in a neighboring. Search the records and indexes of neighboring cities, provinces, and regions
 * Brazil Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records) records are also a good substitute when birth, marriage, and death records can’t be found or are unavailable
 * Your ancestor might have immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas Brazil Emigration and Immigration cannot be found or are unavailable
 * Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names. Transcription errors could occur in any handwritten record; also, it was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name
 * Brazil Civil Registration- Vital Records
 * Brazil Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)

New information is constantly being indexed, microfilmed or updated. Periodically check back to see if your ancestor’s records have been added. You can see if the area you’ve been looking in has been recently updated by going to Historical Records Collections. Watch for an asterisk for recently added or updated records.

Known Issues With This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.
 * Collection Citation:

"Brazil, Minas Gerais, Catholic Church Records, 1706-1999." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Paróquias Católicas, Minas Gerais [Catholic Church parishes, Minas Gerais].

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