Mortágua, Viseu, Portugal Genealogy

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

History

 * Settlers recalled that Água Morta (dead water) existed in Mortágua, but no physiological evidence remains of the body of water.
 * The name overtime stayed and evolved, becoming the variant today of the local municipality.
 * There is a hill about 1 kilometre from the main village that is covered in vegetation.
 * It is believed the lateral flank of this hill was occupied by a Moorish setlement known as Crasto.
 * Archeologists discovered several homes that included a building on its edge that was defined as a kitchen.
 * By 1895, several chapels were situated on this hilltop, which had become known as Cabeça da Senhora do Mundo.
 * The hilltop became this name owing to the existence of an image due to that invocation.
 * Mortágua has 14 parishes, and the area is 117.24 km (45.27 square miles)
 * The population of Mortágua is roughly 6,297 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 Viseu Civil Registration.

Contact a Civil Registration Office
The following is a list of civil registration offices within the municipality.

Conservatória dos Registos Civil e Predial de Mortágua R. Dr. José Lopes Oliveira – Ed. Primavera – Lj. B – R/C 3454-154 Mortágua PORTUGAL Phone: 231920835 Email: none listed

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 Viseu 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.

Family History Centers
Coimbra Portugal Family History Center Rua Penedo da Saudade 20 COIMBRA 3000-331 PORTUGAL Phone: +351 351-39-718437 Email: [mailto:PT_Coimbra@familyhistorymail.org PT_Coimbra@familyhistorymail.org] Website: Coimbra Portugal Family History Center