Portugal, Beja, Civil Registration and Miscellaneous Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is In The Collection?
This collection will include various records housed at the Arquivo Distrital de Beja and dating from 1609 to 1950. These records include diocesan marriage files, marriages dispensations, marriage impediments, priest application files, registers of non-Catholic births, civil registration births, marriages, deaths, legitimization records, passport application files, passport registers, and censuses of military-age men.

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. The Portugal, Beja, Catholic Church Records collection is available to members of the supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The images can be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Portuguese;also see the section For Help Reading These Records for translation helps.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Miscellaneous records may contain the following information:


 * Name
 * Date and place of event
 * Date and place of birth
 * Residence
 * Family members

How Do I Search The Collection?
Before using this collection it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence
 * Estimated marriage or birth year

View The Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 
 * 1) Select District
 * 2) Select Municipality
 * 3) Select Freguesia
 * 4) Select Parish
 * 5) Select Record Type and Years to view the images.

For Help Reading These Records
For help reading these Portuguese records, see the following resources:


 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Portuguese Letter-writing Guide
 * Learning Center Resources:
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 1
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 2
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 3

How Do I Analyze The Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * If possible, print a copy of the actual image of the record to verify the information found in the online description. These new pieces of information may give you more biographical details such as a title, an occupation, or land ownership. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Portugal_Emigration_and_Immigration migration pattern for the family.
 * Compile information for every person who has the same surname as your ancestor; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.

I Can’t Find The Person I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * New information is constantly being indexed, microfilmed or updated. Periodically check back and see if your ancestor’s records have been added.  You can see if the area you’ve been looking in has been recently updated by going to Historical Records Collections and notice the asterisk for recently added or updated records.
 * Your ancestor may have moved to another district. Try looking at the civil and church records of the surrounding districts.  Setubal and Evora are on the north and Faro is on the south of Beja.
 * There may be more than one person with the same name.
 * Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names. Transcription errors could occur in any handwritten record; also, it was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name. Click here for a list of Spanish name abbreviations.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

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