Portugal, Coimbra Testaments - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection of notary public wills includes the years 1801 to 1935.

This collection contains testaments created in the presence of notaries and housed at the Coimbra University Archive (Arquivo da Universidade de Coimbra). Additional images will be published as they become available. These records are handwritten in Portuguese, and in narrative style. Additional images will be published as they become available.

A testament is a document that sets forth a person's wishes for the disposition of their property after death. Testaments (wills) in Portugal are written and kept by a notary public. A person wanting to leave a will after death goes to a notary public anywhere in Portugal and, after presenting legal identification, can start composing his will with the help of the notary public. The notary agency keeps the original document and a copy is given to the testator. The testator may also register a will in the Conservatória dos Registros Centrais (Central Conservatory of Records) in Lisbon. This entity keeps an index of registered wills and the place where it was written and kept.

Reading These Records
These records are in Portuguese. For help reading these records see the following guides:


 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Portuguese Letter-writing Guide
 * Learning Center Resources:

Sample Images
Testaments (wills) usually contain the following information:


 * Name of notary public
 * Date and place issued
 * Name of testator
 * Place of residence and sometimes place of origin
 * Age or date of birth
 * Spouse’s name and age or birth date
 * Names of heirs and their ages or birth date and place of residence

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Volume number and Years to view the images.

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.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Portugal.
 * Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

About the Records
Testaments were created in chronological order in a book kept by the notary public. If you have an approximate date of death for your ancestor, you may search the wills by date. Information in wills can help to find out the type of life or type of individual the ancestor was, can also give information not found in other records.

When browsing this collection it is helpful to know the following:


 * The place where the event occurred
 * The name and surname of the person
 * The approximate date of the event
 * The name of the parents or spouse

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, Coimbra, Testaments, 1801-1935." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Arquivo da Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra (University of Coimbra Archives, Coimbra).