Ourém, Santarém, Portugal Genealogy

This is a historical and genealogical guide to the municipality of Ourém.

History

 * Ourém is a municipality in the District of Santarém in Portugal.
 * In 1136 the area was reconquered by Christians from the Muslim domination and the town was donated in 1178 by the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques to his third daughter Princess Theresa.
 * Princess Theresa granted feudal rights in 1180 to promote the settlement and development of the village.
 * The village, under the Muslims was called Abdegas. During the time of the Reconquista in the 12th century it was called Portus de Auren, from which the name Ourém was derived.
 * The town declined in the 15th century and the 1755 earthquake in Lisbon damaged the area.
 * Ourém was elevated to the status of a city 16 August 1991, before then it was known as Vila Nova de Ourém.
 * Ourém is divided into 13 civil parishes.
 * The population of Ourém is roughly 46,000 people.

Online Records
After 100 years, all civil registration records are sent to the municipality's district office.

To view online civil registration records, visit Santarém Civil Registration.

Contact a Civil Registration Office
The following is a list of civil registration offices within the municipality.

Conservatória do Registo Civil de Ourém Av. D. Nuno A Pereira A2490-000 Ourém PORTUGAL Phone: 249542177 Fax: 249544356 Email: [mailto:crc.ourem@dgrn.mj.pt crc.ourem@dgrn.mj.pt]

Communicate your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing a letter or email in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.

Online Records
In 1910, the Portuguese government transferred all birth, marriage, and death records from all the country's parishes to the district offices. These records are now in either District or National archives. Many of these records have been digitized and can be viewed at the District Archive's website or on FamilySearch.

To view online records, visit Santarém Church Records.

Contact a Parish
If you are seeking church records created more recently than 1910, it is possible to obtain them by writing to the parish where the record was created. Writing to a parish is not always a reliable way to obtain information, because officials may or may not respond.

Conferência Episcopal Portuguesa lists websites for the 20 Dioceses of Portugal. Once on the Diocesan website, use the listing of parishes (paróquias) to locate contact information for the parish in question.

Communicate your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing a letter or email in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.

Cemeteries
Cemeteries did not become popular in Portugal until the late nineteenth century. Prior to this, individuals were buried in their parish church cemetery, and their bones were later removed to an unmarked burial place.

Basilica of Our Lady in Fatima Fatima, Ourém Municipality, Santarém PORTUGAL Website: FindAGrave

Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima Fatima, Ourém Municipality, Santarém PORTUGAL Website: FindAGrave

Cemitério Vila Nova de Ourém Ourem, Ourém Municipality, Santarém PORTUGAL Website: FindAGrave

Family History Centers
Leiria Portugal Family History Center Rua Henrique Sommer 24 LEIRIA 2410-107 PORTUGAL Phone: +351 44-823-617 Email: [mailto:PT_Leiria@familyhistorymail.org PT_Leiria@familyhistorymail.org] Website: Leiria Portugal Family History Center