Portugal, Portalegre, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection will include records from 1859 to 1911. It is a collection of baptisms, marriages, and deaths from parishes in the District of Portalegre.

Parishes in the District of Portalegre are part of the Portalegre-Castelo Branco Diocese. Each parish priest kept the original register in the parish archive and a duplicate copy was later sent to the Diocesan Archive to keep the records centralized and kept at a higher state of preservation. However, this collection of records is housed at the Portalegre District Archive.

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. The Portugal, Portalegre, Catholic Church Records collection is available to the Family History Library, FamilySearch Centers, and to members of the supporting organization(s). The images can be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you.

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:

Birth Records
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's date and place of birth
 * Father name, occupation and origin
 * Mother's maiden name and origin
 * Names of paternal grandparents
 * Names of maternal grandparents
 * Names of godparents, their civil status and occupation
 * Sometimes, a spouse's name appears in the margin
 * Sometimes, a death date appears in the margin

Marriage Records
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Groom's age, civil status, occupation and origin
 * Names of groom's parents
 * Bride's age, civil status and origin
 * Names of bride's parents
 * Names of witnesses

Death Records
 * Date and place of death
 * Name, age and gender of deceased
 * Marital status, occupation and origin of deceased
 * Parents' names and their origin if deceased is a minor child
 * Name of spouse, if married
 * Sometimes, a note if there is a testament (will)
 * Burial information

How Do I Search This 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

View The Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 
 * 1) Select District
 * 2) Select Municipality
 * 3) Select Civil Parish
 * 4) Select Parish
 * 5) Select Record Type and Years to 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. Keep track of your research in a research log.

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

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.
 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date.
 * For records after 1911, it is suggested that you research both the civil registry and the church records to verify information.

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.
 * 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.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. In addition local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the records of nearby localities (or military units, counties, parishes, etc.).
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.

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:

"Portugal, Portalegre, Catholic Church Records, 1859-1911." Database with Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Arquivo Distrital de Portalegre [Portalegre District Archives), Portugal.

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