Mesão Frio, Vila Real, Portugal Genealogy

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

History

 * Mesão Frio is a municipality in the district of Vila Real, in Portugal.
 * Dating back to the Roman era Mesão Frio was an early shelter on the Roman roadway.
 * The area was occupied by Subei, Visigoths and Arabs before the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal.
 * The name Mesão Frio took on variations such as: Meijon Frio, Meijó Frio,Mey Johan Frio, Meyon Frio, Meyão Frio and Mezam Frio to it's present name.
 * In February 1152, Afonso Henriques allocated the first foral which was later confirmed by Afonso II, 15 October 1217. King Manuel I of Portugal renovated the foral in 1513.
 * In 1808, French troops of French General Loison were responsible for fires and destruction in the region.
 * Mesão Frio is divided into 5 civil parishes.
 * The population of Mesão Frio is roughly 4,500 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 Vila Real 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 Mesão Frio Av. Cons. José M Alpoim Mesão Frio 5040-310 Mesão Frio PORTUGAL Phone: 254891488 Email: [mailto:crcpcom.mesao-frio@dgrn.mj.pt crcpcom.mesao-frio@dgrn.mj.pt]

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 Vila Real 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
Viseu Portugal Family History Center Rua Cândido dos Reis 81 VISEU 3510-056 PORTUGAL Phone: +351 351-32425559 Email: [mailto:PT_Viseu@familyhistorymail.org PT_Viseu@familyhistorymail.org] Website: Viseu Portugal Family History Center