Curaçao Civil Registration

How to Find the Records
Curaçao birth, marriage, and death records are indexed at WieWasWie. Once you obtain the date and act number from WieWasWie, you can browse through the digitized images on FamilySearch. See the list of image collections in Registers van de Burgerlijke Stand, 1807-2003 at this FamilySearch catalog page.

Historical Background
The Arawak and Caquetio Amerindians were the original inhabitants of Curaçao. In 1499, The Spaniards were the first Europeans to come to Curaçao. They made slaves of most of the Arawak. In 1634, the Dutch West India Company invaded the island. The Spaniards soon surrendered. The approximately 30 Spaniards and many of the slaves were sent to Venezuela. "About 30 Taíno families were allowed to live on the island. Dutch colonists started to occupy it." "From 1662 the Dutch West India Company made Curaçao a centre for the Atlantic slave trade, often bringing slaves from West Africa there for sale elsewhere in the Caribbean and on Spanish Main."

"Sephardic Jews from Dutch Brazil and the Dutch Republic settled Curaçao..." "Curaçao's proximity to South America resulted in interaction with cultures of the coastal areas ..." "Political refugees from the mainland (such as Simon Bolivar) regrouped in Curaçao.[23] " "In the early 19th century, many Portuguese and Lebanese people migrated to Curaçao, attracted by the business opportunities.[citation needed]

The Dutch abolished slavery in 1863..." "The dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles came into effect on 10 October 2010.[37][38] Curaçao became a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, ..."