Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Miscellaneous Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Registros civis do Estado de Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.

Record Description
These records are in Portuguese. This collection includes records from 1748 to 1980.

The collection has mixed records from the Arquivo Público do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul and contains slave records, notarial records, and copies of some of the state's civil registration (births, marriages, marriage investigations, and deaths). The collection is being published as images become available.

This collection contains digital images of civil registrations of birth, marriage and death from civil registry offices (cartórios) in the Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil.

Generally, the registration of civil records was created in books sequentially numbered and preceded by a letter, according to the type of registry: “A” for births, “B” for Marriages and “B-Aux” for religious marriages with civil effect, “C” for death, and “E” for other type of registry. The civil records of birth, marriage, and deaths are usually listed in chronological order by the date of registration. The older registry books were handwritten in narrative style, but the newer and current registries are handwritten in formatted records. These civil records include a vast of reliable information for doing family history research after 1888. Additional images will be added to this published collection as they become available.

For a list of localities currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Record Content
Birth records usually include the following information:


 * Name of child
 * Child's birth date and place of birth
 * Gender and race of child
 * Parents' names
 * Paternal grandparents' names
 * Maternal grandparents' names
 * Name of declarant
 * Names of witnesses

Declarations and marriage records (habilitações de casamentos) usually include the following information:


 * Date and place of event
 * Names of bride and groom
 * Groom's date of birth
 * Groom's civil status, origin and occupation
 * Parents' names and birth dates

Slave records may include the following information:


 * Name, origin, age and race of the slave
 * Name of the slave owner

Death records usually include the following information:


 * Date and place of registration
 * Name of person making the registration
 * Date, time and place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Name, sex, age, and race of the deceased
 * Name, residence, and occupation of parents
 * Burial place

Search the Collection
To browse this collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Municipality" category ⇒Select the "Record Type, Volume, and Years" category 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.

How to Use the Record
If indexes are available, check these for the name first. Indexes are usually located at the beginning of a group of images or at the end. Find your ancestors name and look for the locator information next to the name (such as page, entry, or certificate number). This will help you find the record you are looking for in the collection.

The civil registration records in Brazil are an excellent way to find information about births, marriages and deaths.

Select the locality and time period that is most likely to include your ancestors. When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. A few examples of how information you find may lead you onward are:


 * The marriage date and place may lead you to birth records for the couple’s children.
 * The birth date, place and locality or age of a bride or groom in a marriage record may help you find the couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * The date, locality and name of the deceased might help you find more family members in that area.

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


 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Brazil Language and Languages
 * Additional Information about Brazil civil registration

If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try looking in the FamilySearch.org collection, Brazil, Catholic Church Records.

Additional Information about locating civil registration records

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

 * Certidões de Registro Civil
 * Cartórios e Tabeliães

Related Wiki Articles

 * Brazil Civil Registration- Vital Records
 * Brazil Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

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: Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Miscellaneous Records, 1748-1985 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.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.