Amapá, Brazil Genealogy

Guide to State of Amapa family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records. 

History

 * The area of Amapá was disputed over from the 16th century until the early 20th century.
 * In the colonial period the region was called Portuguese Guiana and was part of Portugal's State of Brazil. The colony of Portuguese Guinea was created in 1879.
 * While originally a part of Brazil, the area was overrun by the French in the 18th century, until the 20th century. This international dispute continued until 1900.
 * Finally in 1900, the Commision of Geneva ceded the area as a territory of Brazil, which was originally incorporated into the State of Para until 1943 when Amapá became a federal territory.
 * Amapá did not gain statehood until October 5, 1988. Source: Wikipedia

1. Online Digital Records for Civil Registration
For many localities, digital copies of civil registration can be searched online. Currently, there are no online, digitized records for Amapá.

2. Microfilm Copies of Civil Registration Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
If the locality and time period you need are not included in the online records, the next step is would be to find them in the microfilm collection of the Family History Library. Currently, the microfilms are being digitized, and plans are to complete that project by 2020. Check back occasionally to see if your records have become available. In the meantime, some of them might be available at a Family History Center near you. To find a microfilm:


 * a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Brazil, Amapá.
 * b. Click on "Places within Brazil, Amapá" and a list of towns and cities will open.
 * c. Click on the town or city you wish to search.
 * d. Click on "Civil Registration" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor.
 * f. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

3. Writing for Civil Registration Certificates
If the records are not online, and you do not have ready access to the microfilms, civil registration records in Brazil can be obtained by writing to the local civil registry in the municipality. Civil officials will generally answer correspondence in Portuguese. Your request may be forwarded if the records have been sent to state archives. 'This method is not always reliable. Officials might or might not respond.'


 * List of municipalities in Amapá.

Write a brief request in Portuguese to the proper office using this address as guide replacing the information in parentheses:


 * Cartório de Registro Civil
 * (postal code), (municipality), Amapá
 * BRASIL


 * Find the Brazilian postal code here.

Send the following:


 * Money for the search fee, usually $10.00
 * Full name and the sex of the ancestor sought
 * Names of the ancestor’s parents, if known
 * Approximate date and place of the event
 * Your relationship to the ancestor
 * Reason for the request (family history, medical, and so on)
 * Request for a photocopy of the complete original record

'''Write your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing your letter in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.'''

Church Records (registros da igreja)
The vast majority of Brazilians were Catholic and were registered in entries for baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials in the local church records. Often two and sometimes three generations are indicated in the registers, with personal information on the family. Church records are the main source prior to 1850, when civil registration began. After this date one should search in both church and civil records, since there may be information in one record that does not appear in the other. For instance, the church records may only list the godparents, while the civil records may list the grandparents.

1. Online Digital Records for Church Records
For some localities, digital copies of Catholic church records can be searched online. Currently, there are no online, digitized records for Acre.

2. Microfilm Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
If the locality and time period you need are not included in the online records, the next step is to find them in the microfilm collection of the Family History Library. Currently, they are being digitized, and plans are to complete that project by 2020. Check back occasionally to see if your records have become available. In the meantime, some of them might be available at a Family History Center near you.

3. Writing to a Catholic Priest for Church Records
Baptism, marriage, and death records may be searched by contacting or visiting local parish or diocese archives in Brazil. Brazil has no single repository of church records. Write your request in Portuguese whenever possible. 'This method is not always reliable. Officials might or might not respond.'


 * Find the address for the parish church your ancestors used: '''The Catholic Directory, Brazil.

Write a brief request in Portuguese to the proper church using this address as guide replacing the information in parentheses:


 * Reverendo Pároco
 * Paróquia de (name of parish) 
 * (postal code), (municipality), Amapá
 * BRASIL


 * Find the Brazilian postal code here.

When requesting information, send the following:

'''Write your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing your letter in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.'''
 * Money for the search fee, usually $10.00
 * Full name and the sex of the ancestor sought
 * Names of the ancestor’s parents, if known
 * Approximate date and place of the event
 * Your relationship to the ancestor
 * Reason for the request (family history, medical, and so on)
 * Request for a photocopy of the complete original record

Reading the Records

 * You do not have to be fluent in Portuguese to read your documents. Genealogical records usually contain a limited vocabulary. Use this Portuguese Genealogical Word List to translate the important points in the document.


 * Online interactive slideshow lessons are available to help you learn to read these records:
 * Reading Portuguese Handwritten Records Lesson 1: Portuguese Letters
 * Reading Portuguese Handwritten Records Lesson 2: Dates, Words, and Names
 * Portuguese Handwritten Records Lesson 3: Reading Portuguese Records'''. In this lesson, you will explore several types of Portuguese genealogical records, including birth, baptismal, marriage, and death records.


 * Reading aids are samples of typical records with translations of key words provided.
 * Reading Aid for Brazilian Birth Certificates
 * Reading Aid for Brazilian Marriage Certificates
 * Reading Aid for Brazilian Death Certificates

Tips for finding your ancestor in the records

 * Births were usually reported within a few days of the birth by the father of the child, a neighbor, or the midwife. A search for a birth record should begin with the known date of birth and then searching forward in time, day by day, until the record is found. It might be found within a few days of the actual birth date, but in some instances, it might be weeks or months later.
 * In the larger cities of Brazil such as Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, or others, there are several registration offices located throughout the city. If you know in which part of the city your ancestor lived, you should begin your search in the records of the office nearest their home. If you do not know, you will need to search office by office.
 * Some civil registration books have indexes in the front or back of them. These indexes are often by the given name of the child. You may have to check every entry in the index if your ancestor had more than one given name.
 * Marriages typically took place in the hometown of the bride.
 * Death records can be particularly helpful for people who may not have had a civil birth or marriage record but died during the period when civil registration had begun.

Search Strategy

 * Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find his birth record, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
 * Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
 * You can estimate the ages of the parents and determine a birth year to search for their birth records.
 * Search the death registers for all known family members.
 * Repeat this process for both the father and the mother, starting with their birth records, then their siblings' births, then their parents' marriages, and so on.
 * If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.

Resources
Those interested in obtaining records from Amapá can contact The State of Amapá Cultural Foundation:

Fundação de Estado da Cultura do Amapá - FUNDECAP Av. Ivaldo Veras s/nº - Jardim Marcozero - Macapá - AP - CEP. 68903-032 Tel: (0**96) 3212-2033