Zabelê, Paraíba, Brazil Genealogy

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

History
Zabelê entered history on October 2, 1837, when Fr. José Gomes Pequeno, vicar of the then parish Nossa Sra. of the Miracles of São João do Cariri, baptized two boys on the Zabelê farm. From then on there were more baptisms, each time a priest passed this farm. Regular visits by a religious only began in 1938, when a small village began to appear on that farm. The name ZABELÊ was due to the fact that in these lands there are many juazeiro trees full of holes, which in the month of May were released from the tree and on the ground served as food for a typical bird of the region, called Zabelê. Currently this type of bird is endangered, and they are birds that like to walk with their feet on the ground, and fly little. In addition, they like a lot of water and sleep in bushes that are not too high. And he was guided by the experience of survival of these birds, that in 1800, the first inhabitants of these lands began to write the history of the village of ZABELÊ.

The profile of the first inhabitants of these lands was of people who were fugitives from justice, such as Mr. João José da Silva, from Santa Clara, who was a fugitive from Garanhuns, for having committed a murder. Outlaws flocked here, as it was a deserted region covered with huge juazeiro trees. In 1855, an outbreak of cholera devastated the state, and the community of Zabelê counted many dead, who were buried in Santa Clara. For there was a cemetery there for the dead of cholera. According to the stories of the people, there was no time to wait for medical attention, and at the slightest sign of people's deaths they were buried. One day, in the midst of a heavy rain, they did not complete the burial of another victim of cholera, and left the tomb open with the body, which, after being wet by the rain, restored its strength and rose from its grave, for it had not yet had morão had actually died.

District created with the name of Zabelê, on January 16, 1962, subordinated to the municipality of São Sebastião do Umbuzeiro. Elevated to the category of municipality and district with the name of Zabelê, on April 29, 1994, separated from São Sebastião do Umbuzeiro.

Local Offices
Cartório do Registro Civil Rua Quiteria Vaz Neves, 117 Centro Zabelê Paraíba 58515-000 Telephone: (83) 3303-1022 E-mail: jandaynascimento@gmail.com

Online Resources

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