Portugal, Beja, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is In The Collection?
These Catholic Church records were created by parishes primarily in the district of Beja but also in the districts of Évora, Faro, and Setúbal, all of which are housed in the Arquivo Distrital de Beja. This collection includes: baptisms, marriages, and deaths between the years 1550 - 1913. Additional images will be published as they become available. This District of Beja is divided into 13 municipalities (municípios): Parishes in the District of Beja are part of the Beja 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 Beja District Archive. Not all localities may be represented at once. Additional images will be published as they become available.
 * Aljustrel
 * Almodôvar
 * Alvito
 * Barrancos
 * Beja
 * Castro Verde
 * Cuba
 * Ferreira do Alentejo
 * Mértola
 * Moura
 * Ourique
 * Serpa
 * Vidigueira

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

Reading These Records
The records were handwritten 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:

Baptism records
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's date and place of birth
 * Parents' names, their occupation and origin
 * Names of paternal grandparents
 * Names of maternal grandparents
 * Names of godparents, their civil status and occupation

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

Death Records
 * Place and date of death
 * Name, age and gender of deceased
 * Occupation, civil status, origin and residence of deceased
 * Spouse's name, if married
 * Cause of death
 * Parents' names, occupation and origin
 * Sometimes, burial information

How Do I Search The 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 
 * 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.

What Do I Do Next?

 * When you have found your ancestors original record, it is a good idea to make a copy of it or cite where you found it for future reference.


 * 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?

 * 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
 * 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?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * 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 unties, counties, parishes, etc.).
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.

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:

Image citation:

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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.