Brazil, Maranhão, Civil Registration – FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains births, marriages, deaths and indexes created by various civil registration offices in the state of Maranhão. Some of these images have been indexed and are searchable as part of this collection.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Portuguese. For help reading them see:
 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Brazil Language and Languages

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Births
 * Name
 * Date of Birth
 * Parents' names
 * Place of Birth
 * Sex of Child

Marriage
 * Couple's Names
 * Date of Marriage
 * Occupations
 * Residences
 * Places of Births
 * Names of couple's parents

Death
 * Name
 * Date of Death
 * Sex
 * Residence
 * Cause of Death
 * Relative

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event

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. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * If available, check the image for additional information
 * Analyze the entry to see if it provides additional clues to find other records of the person or their family

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try searching by surname only
 * The person may be recorded with an abbreviated or variant form of their name
 * Remember that spelling was generally not standardized until the early part of the 20th century

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in Brazil.
 * Brazil Guided Research
 * Brazil Record Finder
 * Brazil Research Tips and Strategies

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Brazil, Maranhão, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Brazil Baptisms - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Brazil Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records

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.