Portugal, Leiria, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This is a collection of church records from parishes in the Diocese of Leiria for the years 1534 to 1911. It includes baptisms, marriages, and burial/deaths. These parish records have been preserved relatively well. Some of the older registers may have some physical damage due to natural causes; therefore, some data may be difficult to read or some even may be lost. However, in general, they are in good condition for extracting genealogical information.

The original parish records were kept in the parish archive under the custody of the priest and a duplicate register was regularly sent to the diocesan archive where the records were centralized and kept at a higher state of preservation. These records are written in Portuguese. Earlier records were handwritten in narrative style, but newer records were handwritten in formatted registers.

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. The Portugal, Leiria, Catholic Church Records collection is available to the Family History Library, FamilySearch Centers, and to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The images can be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you.

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:

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Birth records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's date, time and place of birth
 * Parents names, occupation and origin
 * Names of paternal grandparents, occupation and origin
 * Names of maternaL grandparents, occupation and origin
 * Godparents’ names

Marriage records usually contain the following information:


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

Death or burial records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of death
 * Name, age and gender of deceased
 * Civil status, residence and origin of deceased
 * Spouse's name if married
 * Parents' names and their origin if deceased is a minor
 * Sometimes, names of children of deceased
 * Sometimes, a testament (will) of deceased
 * Burial information

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.

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.

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

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference; see the section Citing this Collection for assistance. Save or print a copy of the image
 * Use the information to find more. For instance, use the age listed in the record to estimate a year of birth, if that is yet undetermined
 * Compile information for every person who has the same surname as your ancestor; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names
 * Portugal’s emigration rate is one of the highest in the world. Check Portugal Emigration and Immigration for more information
 * 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
 * For records after 1911, it is suggested that you research both the civil registry and the church records to verify information

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.

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

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date
 * 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

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, Leiria, Catholic Church Records, 1534-1911." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Arquivo Distrital de Leiria (Leiria District Archives, Leiria).