Portugal, Beja, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

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.

Title in the Language of the Record
Registros Paroquiais da Igreja Católica do Distrito de Beja, Portugal

Record Description
These Catholic Church records were created by parishes primarily in the district of Beja but also in the districts of Évora, Faro, and Setúbal, all of which are housed in the Arquivo Distrital de Beja. This collection includes: baptisms, marriages, and deaths between the years 1550 - 1913. Additional images will be published as they become available. This District of Beja is divided into 13 municipalities (municípios):


 * Aljustrel
 * Almodôvar
 * Alvito
 * Barrancos
 * Beja
 * Castro Verde
 * Cuba
 * Ferreira do Alentejo
 * Mértola
 * Moura
 * Ourique
 * Serpa
 * Vidigueira

The records were handwritten in Portuguese. Parishes in the District of Beja are part of the Beja Diocese. Each parish priest kept the original register in the parish archive and a duplicate copy was later sent to the Diocesan Archive to keep the records centralized and kept at a higher state of preservation. However, this collection of records is housed at the Beja District Archive. Not all localities may be represented at once. Additional images will be published as they become available.

Record Content
Baptism 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, their occupation and origin
 * Names of paternal grandparents
 * Names of maternal grandparents
 * Names of godparents, their civil status and occupation

Marriage records usually contain the following information:


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

Death records usually contain the following information:


 * Place and date of death
 * Name, age and gender of deceased
 * Occupation, civil status, origin and residence of deceased
 * Spouse's name, if married
 * Cause of death
 * Parents' names, occupation and origin
 * Sometimes, burial information

How to Use the Record
This section provides information on how to search the collection, what to do with information once found, some tips on how to find records, and what to do if no record is found.

Search the Collection
To browse the collection by image: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the "District" category ⇒ Select the "Municipality" category ⇒ Select the "Civil Parish" category ⇒ Select the "Parish" category ⇒ Select the "Record Type and Years" category which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image 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.

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Portuguese. For help reading the 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

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.
 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date.

Unable to Find your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. In addition local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the records of nearby localities (or military unties, counties, parishes, etc.).

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

 * Maps of Beja
 * Histories of Beja
 * District of Beja Archive (Portuguese)

Related Wiki Articles

 * Portugal
 * Beja
 * Portugal Catholic Church Records

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. 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. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection citation:

Image citation: