Mirandela, Bragança, Portugal Genealogy

This is a historical and genealogical guide to the municipality of Mirandela.

History

 * Mirandela is a city and a municipality in northeastern Portugal.
 * The settlement of Mirandela was a Roman civitas, known then as Caladunum, but was dated back to the pre-historic period.
 * King Sancho I in 1198 wrote a charter to Garcia Mendes to a location in Vilar de Maçada.
 * On 25 May 1250, King Afonso III conceded a charter to Mirandela.
 * On 27 March 1275, a receipt was made by a notary in Mirandela.
 * A Foral was granted on 25 May 1250 by King Afonso III.
 * On 7 March 1291 King Denis of Portugal issued an updated foral that stipulated that every villager, who was able to do so, contribute a horse and arms and annual stipend of São Miguel day, in September, as well as other military needs.
 * Around 1301, the Távora family was donated Mirandela, when King Denis signed over it's title to Branca Lourenço, remaining in its hereditary clan until Francisco de Assis de Távora (1721-1759)
 * The municipality of Mirandela underwent more changes with a new foral that outlined the geographic divisions of the Municipality. Between 1530-1835, it included 44 places and 9 estates.
 * On 18 July 1835, another territorial division caused the elimination of various parishes and municipalities. Mirandela was left with 40 parishes.
 * 1884 was a time when the municipality of Mirandela would have their geographic boundries established.
 * The town of Mirandela was elevated to the status of city on 28 June 1984.
 * Mirandela is divided into 30 parishes.
 * The population of Mirandela is roughly 23,900 people.

Online Records
After 100 years, all civil registration records are sent to the municipality's district office.

To view online civil registration records, visit Bragança Civil Registration.

Contact a Civil Registration Office
There are no known civil registration offices within the municipality of Mirandela. Contact a civil registration office in a nearby municipality to find out if they have the records for Mirandela.

Communicate your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing a letter or email in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.

Online Records
In 1910, the Portuguese government transferred all birth, marriage, and death records from all the country's parishes to the district offices. These records are now in either District or National archives. Many of these records have been digitized and can be viewed at the District Archive's website or on FamilySearch.

To view online records, visit Bragança Church Records.

Contact a Parish
If you are seeking church records created more recently than 1910, it is possible to obtain them by writing to the parish where the record was created. Writing to a parish is not always a reliable way to obtain information, because officials may or may not respond.

Conferência Episcopal Portuguesa lists websites for the 20 Dioceses of Portugal. Once on the Diocesan website, use the listing of parishes (paróquias) to locate contact information for the parish in question.

Communicate your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing a letter or email in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.

Cemeteries
Cemeteries did not become popular in Portugal until the late nineteenth century. Prior to this, individuals were buried in their parish church cemetery, and their bones were later removed to an unmarked burial place.

FamilySearch Centers
Braga Portugal FamilySearch Center Rua Luís António Correia 120 BRAGA 4715-310 PORTUGAL Email: [mailto:PT_Braga@familyhistorymail.org PT_Braga@familyhistorymail.org] Website: Braga Portugal FamilySearch Center

Porto Portugal FamilySearch Center Rua Agostinho de Campos 166 PORTO 4200-016 PORTUGAL Phone: +351 351-2520748 Email: [mailto:PT_Porto@familyhistorymail.org PT_Porto@familyhistorymail.org] Website: Porto Portugal FamilySearch Center