Damião, Paraíba, Brazil Genealogy

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

History
Its history began in the first half of the 18th century, more precisely between the years 1860 and 1870, when some migrants fleeing the drought in the Paraíba hinterland moved to the swamp region, but among the less favored also came people with greater purchasing power, as well as Messrs Cosme and Damião who arrived at this time bringing with them a herd of animals. Senhor Cosme built a hut where today is called Sitio Olho D'água, it is still possible to find a hill called “Serrote do Cosme” and “Capoeira do Cosme”, because it was precisely in this place that he made his first plantation. His brother went a little further, precisely on the shores of a lagoon that is now known as “lagoa de nico” where he also built a hut. He was married and his family was very welcoming, as those who visited them had the pleasure of returning there. On weekends and holidays, his house was often visited by people looking for some kind of food supply, when some people were in the middle of the way, one would ask the other:-“Where are you coming from”? The other replied: - “come there from damião”. So to this day, if someone meets another person in the vicinity of the city and asks where you come from? Surely this person will answer I come from Damião, this became a habit and consequently the name of the City. There are no official records of these families, as they were in this region for some period of time, because when there were improvements in the climatic conditions in the sertão, they returned to their corner, with respect to the lands as they did not have legal ownership, they ended up abandoning them. As they abandoned their lands, this attracted other families to that location and, of course, it gradually became more and more populated, until it was elevated to the category of administrative district of Barra de Santa Rosa. In 1948, Professor João André dos Santos (in memorian) came to live in this location, coming from the city of Solânea-PB, popularly known as Seu Nino, he started a literacy process that throughout his existence he insisted on taking very seriously. Since Senhor Nino had nowhere to work, he used a small chapel located in Sítio Cabaceiro where he charged five thousand réis as a subsidy to buy kerosene for a two-burner lamp that lit the environment, this chapel is about three kilometers away from where today the municipal court works, therefore, the first teacher in this region, also fought and managed to build the first school in the municipality called “Alexandre Diniz da Penha”, built in the management of Mayor José Ribeiro Diniz, (Zé Diniz). He was also the first notary of the registry of natural persons, even though he had nowhere to work, he used his residence to develop his notary work. Its emancipation took place on April 29, 1994, and its installation on January 1, 1997. District created with the name of Damião, on June 20, 1980, subordinated to the municipality of Barra de Santa Rosa. Elevated to the category of municipality and district with the name of Damião, on April 29, 1994, separated from Barra de Santa Rosa.

Local Offices
Serviço Registral João André dos Santos Rua São Luis, s/n Centro Damião PB 58173-000 Telephone: (83) 9336-2407 E-mail: rosenosilva2011@hotmail.com

Online Resources

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

Local Churches
Paróquia de Nossa Senhora da Conceição e Santa Rosa de Lima Praça Frei Martinho, s/n Centro Barra de Santa Rosa Damião PB 58170-000 Telephone: (83) 3376-1061 E-mail: conceicaoesantarosadelima@bol.com.br