Brazil, Paraíba, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes records of births, marriages, and deaths created by various civil registration offices in the state of Paraíba from 1879-2007.

Additional images will be published as they become available.

For details about the contents of these records, their history, and help using them see the wiki article: Brazil Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records).

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

Sample Images
Information in each record varies from year to year.

How Do I Search This Collection?
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 Browse Page.
 * 1) Select Municipality
 * 2) Select Civil Registration Office
 * 3) Select Record Type and years to view the images.

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


 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Brazil Language and Languages



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?

 * To learn more about using the information in civil records, view this lesson for free: Brazil Beginning Research Series Lesson 2: Civil Registration Records - English

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

 * Regarding marriage and death records, name changes, shortened names, or nicknames may have been used by your ancestors, so pay attention to other relationships (parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc.) that can confirm whether you have the right person/record
 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married 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.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each spouse to find a couple's birth records and parents' names
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records Brazil Census
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family
 * The name of a marriage officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Use the marital status to identify previous marriages
 * Witnesses often were relatives of the parents

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
 * A boundary change could have occurred and the record of you ancestor is now in a neighboring. Search the records and indexes of neighboring cities, provinces, and regions
 * Your ancestor may have immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records:
 * Brazil Emigration and Immigration
 * Church records are also a good source of genealogical information. You should obtain copies of both church records and civil registration, when possible, since they do not necessarily provide the same information. For example, baptismal registers sometimes provide the names of the fathers of illegitimate children when the civil registration does not
 * Brazil Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Brazil Church Records

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.

“Brazil, Paraíba, Civil Registration, 1879-2007.” Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Corregedor Geral da Justicia da Paraíba, João Pessoa [Paraíba General Justice Office, João Pessoa].
 * Collection Citation:

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