Portugal, Setúbal, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

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Title in the Language of the Record
Registros Paroquiais da Igreja Católica de Setúbal, Portugal

Record Description
This collection of Catholic Church parish records from Arrentela and Seixal in the municipality of Setubal covers the period of 1581 to 1910.

The records included in this collection are those of baptisms, marriages, and deaths from the parishes of Nossa Senhora da Consolação (a patrimony building) in the city of Arrentela in Seixal, Setubal, Portugal and Nossa Senhora da Conceição in the city of Seixal in Seixal, Setubal, Portugal.

These parish records have been preserved relatively well. Some of the older registers appear to have some physical damage; 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 text of the records is in Portuguese.

Parish priests recorded the baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials; they administered the baptisms, witnessed the marriages and gave nuptial blessings, and administered the other holy sacraments in the jurisdiction of their assigned parish or parishes. All the original parish records were kept in the parish archive under the custody of the pastor. However, a duplicate of these registers was regularly sent to the diocesan archive where the records were centralized and kept at a higher state of preservation. It is unknown whether this collection is from the parish record or from the diocesan transcript.

These Catholic Church parish registers were created to record the church sacraments of baptism and matrimony and to record the deaths and burials.Other actions taken by the authorized priest in his area of jurisdiction, such as dedication of a church, may also be recorded.

Catholic Church parish records are a reliable source for doing genealogical research in Setubal, Portugal, before 1911 when the civil registration was implemented. For records after 1911, it is suggested that you research both the civil registry and the church records to verify information.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browselink from the collection landing page.

Record Content
Baptismal records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's date and place of birth
 * Parents' names and residence
 * Father's occupation
 * Names of paternal grandparents
 * Names of maternal grandparents
 * Names of the godparents, their civil status, occupation and residence

Marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names and ages of the bride and groom
 * Groom's birth date and place of birth
 * Groom's civil status, occupation and residence
 * Names of groom's parents
 * Bride's birth date and place of birth
 * Bride's civil status and residence
 * Names of bride's parents
 * Names of the witnesses, their occupation, civil status and residence

Death records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of death
 * Name, age and gender of deceased
 * Occupation, civil status, residence and origin of deceased
 * Spouse's name, if married
 * Parents' names if deceased is a minor
 * Burial information

How to Use the Record
To search the collection, ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the "District" category ⇒Select the “Municipality” category ⇒Select the “Civil Parish" category ⇒Select the "Parish" category ⇒Select the "Record Type and Years" which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Portuguese. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:

Portuguese Genealogical Word List

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites
Setubal, Portugal Genealogy Index

Related Wiki Articles

 * Portugal Catholic Church Records
 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Portugal, Setúbal, Catholic Church Records, 1555-1911

When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

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Citation for This Collection
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Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.