Cape Verde, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Cape Verde

What is in the Collection?
This collection includes baptism, marriage, and death records from Catholic Church parishes on the ten islands of Cape Verde and date from 1787-1957. These records are housed at the Arquivo Nacional de Cabo Verde.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Baptismal Records may contain:
 * Name of child
 * Name of parents
 * Birthdate of child
 * Birthplace of child

Marriage Records may contain:
 * Name of groom
 * Name of bride
 * Marriage date
 * Marriage place

Death Records may contain:
 * Name of deceased
 * Place of death
 * Date of death

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 Tutorial: Portuguese Letters
 * Portuguese Handwriting Tutorial: Date, Words, and Names
 * Portuguese Handwriting Tutorial: Reading Portuguese Records

You can search the index or view the images or both. Before using this collection it is helpful to know: •	Name of the person you are looking for •	Approximate date of marriage

Search the Index
Search by name by visiting the Collection Page. 1. Fill in the search boxes on the Collection Page with the information you have 2. Click Search to show possible matches

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page. br>

1. Select the appropriate Island 2. Select the appropriate Civil Parish 3. Select the appropriate Record Type and Years  to view the images

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.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article [FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks].

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Witnesses listed in the church records may be relatives
 * The birth place listed on the church records may provide a location to search additional records
 * Oftentimes the baptismal registers will include a birth date for the person being baptized
 * The parents' names of the children being baptized are often included on the baptismal record
 * Parents' names are often included on the marriage records

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

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.
 * 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.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

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