Brazil, São Paulo, Immigrant Hostelry Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Brazil Sao Paulo

What is in the Collection?
This is a collection of immigration records from the Immigrant's Hostelry of the city of São Paulo for the years 1882-1925. The hostelry was opened in 1887 and closed in 1978; in its place now sits the Museu da Imigração (Immigration Museum; see website below).

This collection contains images of registration records for passengers entering and leaving the hostelry, which includes indexes, passengers’ registration, and vessel lists. Hostelry patrons included not only foreigners but also Brazilian citizens from other states who were relocating to the area. Passengers arrived at the port of Santos and from there they were transported by train to the Immigrant Hostelry (Hospedaria de Imigrantes) in São Paulo, where they received all kinds of help to begin their settling process in the area. These records were obtained from the Arquivo da Secretaria da Promoção Social em São Paulo.

The records are written in Portuguese; see the section "For Help Reading these Records" for access to translation helps.

Sample Images
Hostelry records usually include the following information:


 * Name
 * Occupation
 * Age
 * Birthplace
 * Ship name
 * Date of arrival
 * Civil Status
 * Family Members
 * Religion

How Do I Search the Collection?
When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence, age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

These records may be used to document your immigrant ancestor's trip to Brazil, but do not overlook the possibility of finding ancestors that were merely vacationing, visiting relatives, or traveling on business.

Read this article to help you search names 5 Ways to Win the Name Game

To search by image: To browse this collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Record Type" category ⇒Select the "Volume" category which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Portuguese. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:


 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Brazil Language and Languages

What do I do Next?
Once you are able to locate your ancestor, the card information will help you determine where he or she came from, the date and place of birth, and the parents’ names. This information will let you prepare a family group record for the family. You can then start searching in the records from the place of birth and residence for other members of the family.

You can use passenger lists to learn an immigrant’s place of origin, confirm their date of arrival, learn foreign names and their Portuguese translations, and find records in his or her country of origin such as emigrations, port records, or ship’s manifests.

If just the country is given, use the last name to search for your ancestor and his/her family in his/her home country; this is called a surname search and helps to pinpoint what cities/provinces/states were the hometowns of families.

Also, use the last name to search for any possible relatives that may have traveled after or before your ancestor.

Tips to Keep in Mind
Be sure and click on "View Image" to bring up the actual image; there is often additional information that might be valuable in your researching.

The information was supplied by the immigrant and his identification documents. Incorrect information was occasionally given, or mistakes may have been made when the immigration officer guessed at the spelling of foreign names.

When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Remember that your ancestor's name may be spelled according to the new country's native language or the language of your ancestor's home country.

Clerks may have written/spelled the name of your ancestor as they heard it, not as it is spelled in your ancestor's native language. Learn about pronunciation of your ancestor's native language.

The port your ancestor departed from may have been miles away from his/her hometown.

What if I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For?
If you think your ancestor may have immigrated to Brazil and you cannot find him/her in this collection, then check the records of other ports in Brazil. Information on these other ports can be found here, Brazil Emigration and Immigration.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached 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
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image. Collection Citation:

Image Citation