Belém, Paraíba, Brazil Genealogy

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

History
The beginning of the colonization of Paraíba when, at the end of the 16th century, between 1587 and 1592, during the administrations of the Ouvidor Geral do Brasil, Martim Leitão, and the captain-major of Paraíba, Feliciano Coelho de Carvalho, bloody battles took place in the region da Serra da Copaoba, in which a large part of the municipality of Belém is located, between the Potiguar Indians allied with the French who explored the Pau-Brasil in the region, and the Portuguese, allied with the Tabajaras Indians on the coast of Paraíba. The Potiguaras, the first natives of the municipality of Belém, under the leadership of the chiefs Pao-Seco and Zorobabé, tried to resist the attacks of the colonizers and the Tabajaras, but were defeated and the Potiguaras had to flee to the State of Rio Grande do Norte. According to historians, this bloody battle in the Serra da Copaóba region decimated around 20,000 Potiguar Indians. The second half of the 19th century, when according to a certificate dated January 1935 from the notary and official of the Termo de Guarabira land registry, Joel Baptista da Fonseca, Father José Tavares Bezerra donated in 1871 a part of land for the Chapel Our Lady of Conception in the village of Belém. This small village in the shape of a cross, where the first residences and shacks were piling up next to the mud road that connected it to the nearest villages, was called by its residents as Ginger. Possibly because of the abundance and cultivation of this legume by the Potiguaras Indians who inhabited the region in order to barter with the French who were their allies. At the beginning of the 20th century, a migrant with an unknown name arrived in the village, who established himself with a small hotel to serve as an inn for people who always moved towards the fairs in neighboring villages. This migrant would have invited the Capuchin friars, Friar Herculano and Friar Martinho to preach the Holy Missions in the village. During the preaching of the Holy Missions, the missionaries observed that in the village there were many fights and confusion among the inhabitants. That's when the friars suggested that changing the name of the village might be the solution, as Ginger was a burning root, and with a milder name it could change the aggressive behavior of the inhabitants. Hence the name of Bethlehem, which means “house of bread”, a meek and peaceful name for being the name of the city where Jesus was born. Also, some say, because the village is very close to a mountain called Pedra do Cordeiro, making an analogy to the figure of Jesus born in Bethlehem of Judea.

Around 1914, the construction of the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição began, and it was officially inaugurated on February 24, 1934. They are still remembered as pioneers in the colonization of Belém, that is, as the first residents of the village. , Messrs. Antônio da Cunha Rego, José Tomás Pedrosa, João Fernandes Madruga and Antônio Targino Pessoa.

In 1936, the municipality of Caiçara was represented by the district of Belém. On December 31, 1943, the district of Belém changed its name to Curimataú. On November 5, 1948, the district of Curimataú was renamed Belém de Caiçara. Elevated to the category of municipality with the name of Belém, on September 6, 1957, separated from Caiçara.

Local Offices
Cartório do Registro Civil Rua Brasiliano da Costa, 330 Centro Belém PB 58255-000 Telephone: (83) 3261-1210 E-mail: osvanysales.belempb@gmail.com

Cartório Distrital de Rua Nova Rua Da Independência, s/n Centro Belém PB 58255-000 Telephone: (83) 9915-3577 E-mail: maiapedrosa@hotmail.com

Online Resources

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

Local Churches
Paróquia Sagrada Família Praça 6 de setembro, 80 Centro Belém PB 58255-000 Telephone: (83) 3261-1321