Portugal, Coimbra, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Portugal

What Is In The Collection?
This collection includes civil records for Coimbra, Portugal and covers from 1893 to 1980. Copies of civil registration marriage and death records housed at the Arquivo da Universidade de Coimbra in Portugal. Additional images will be published as they become available.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Portuguese; also see the section For Help Reading These Records for translation helps.

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

How Do I Search The Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. 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 Index
Search by name by visiting the Collection Page.
 * 1) Fill in the search boxes on the Collection Page with the information you have.
 * 2) Click Search to show possible matches.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

View The Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 
 * 1) Select District
 * 2) Select Municipality
 * 3) Select Record Type and Yearsto view the images.

For Help Reading These Records
For help reading these Portuguese records, see the following resources:


 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Portuguese Letter-writing Guide
 * Learning Center Resources:
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 1
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 2
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 3

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.

What Do I Do Next?

 * When available, look at the original record. It often has more information than the indexed record.  Making a copy of the original record, or at least citing where you found it, is also useful.
 * It's always a good idea to keep your citation on a Research Log. This is an important tool to help keep track of what you have and have not found.  Family search wiki has a  Research Log that you can download and use.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Compile information for every person who has the same surname as your ancestor; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.

I Can’t Find The Person I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * New information is constantly being indexed, microfilmed or updated. Periodically check back and 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 and notice the asterisk for recently added or updated records.
 * There may be more than one person with the same name
 * Your ancestor may have immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby countries.
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible candidates which can then be examined for matches. Or try expanding the date range; this is especially useful in searching baptismal records, as it was not unusual for a child to be baptized weeks or even months after birth.

Citing This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find 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. Below are the proper citations to use for this whole collection as well as for individual records and images within it:


 * Collection Citation:


 * Record (or Index) Citation:


 * Image Citation: