Araruna, Paraíba, Brazil Genealogy

Guide to Municipality of Araruna ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, church records, parish registers, and civil registration.

History
The name Araruna comes from the Tupi a'rara una and means black macaw. This denomination stems from the fact that many of these macaws existed in the early days of the settlement. Despite the meaning of the name, they are distinguished by their dark blue plumage that from a distance appears black. Araruna (Anadorhynchus hyacinthinus) (Lath.) is all deep blue. Only the periophthalmic region, devoid of feathers, is yellow.

The history of Araruna begins between 1830 and 1840 when Feliciano Soares do Nascimento built a chapel in honor of Nossa Senhora da Conceição. Around the chapel appeared the first houses that gave rise to the village.

In 1854, the Parish of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Serra de Araruna was created. It is known that the territory of Araruna was the property of a lord residing in Bananeiras, named Estêvão José da Rocha, Colonel of the National Guard, popularly known as "Barão de Araruna", a noble title granted by the Emperor of Brazil, due to his great political influence in the Paraíba countryside, where he was the owner of many plots of land at the top of the Serra da Araruna during the years 1800.

Araruna, a former district created in 1854 and subordinated to the municipality of Bananeiras, was granted municipal status by provincial law nº 616, of July 10, 1876.

Mamanguape, creating the municipality of Araruna. The solemn act of installing the municipality only took place on July 11, 1877, when the following councilors took office: Manuel Januário Bezerra Cavalcanti, president, Manuel d'Azevedo Belmont, João Timóteo Queirós, Targino Pereira da Costa and Joaquim Cassiano Bezerra.

Since its origins, the municipality of Araruna has been under the political dominion of the Bezerra Cavalcanti family, intertwined with the Carneiro da Cunha, influential not only in the politics of Bananeiras, to which Araruna was linked, but also in the politics of the province. From the first decade of the 20th century, the Targino family began to politically dominate Araruna. A domain that, except for a short period in the Estado Novo, has been confirmed until the present time. The urban development of Araruna took place in three distinct periods: the first took place between the formation of the village and 1908, when the construction of the Public Market began. The second extends from the construction of the Old Market to 1967, when the New Market was built. The third period begins with the opening of Mercado Novo and continues to this day.

District created with the name of Araruna, on June 4, 1854, subordinated to the municipality of Bananeiras. Elevated to the category of municipality with the name of Araruna, on July 10, 1876, separated from Bananeiras. Elevated to the category of city and municipal seat with the name of Araruna, on November 15, 1938.

Local Offices
Registro Civil da Comarca de Araruna Avenida Epitácio Pessoa, 149 Centro Araruna Paraíba 58233-000 Telephone: (83) 3373-1056 E-mail: cartoriorgcivil.araruna@hotmail.com

Church Records
Paróquia Santuário Nossa Senhora da Conceição '''Telephone: (83) 3373-1520 E-mail: paroquiadeararunapb@gmail.com

Online Resources

 * Brazil, Paraíba, Catholic Church Records, 1731-2013 no Registros Históricos do FamilySearch

Localities
Distritos: Tacima, Cacimba de Dentro, Riachão