Portugal, Porto, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Registros Paroquiais da Diocese Católica do Porto, Portugal

Collection Time Period
This collection of church records includes the years 1530 to 1908.

Record Description
This collection includes baptism, marriage, and burial records from the Catholic Diocese of Porto created at several parishes. It also includes an index of parish records for the city of Porto. These church records are housed at the Porto District Archives. Additional images will be published as they become available.

Parish priests performed the baptisms, marriages, deaths and/or burials, and other holy sacraments in their assigned parish or parishes. All the original parish records were kept in the parish archive; however, the older records were centralized in the archdiocesan archive. The records in our collection were acquired from the District Archive of Porto.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It may include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Digital copies of originals are also housed in different District Archives of Porto throughout Portugal.

Record Content
The key genealogical facts found in most baptismal records include:


 * Date and place of the event
 * Name of person baptized
 * Gender and date of birth or age
 * If legitimate or illegitimate
 * Parents' names, residence, and/or place of origin
 * Names of paternal and maternal grandparents
 * Names of godparents

The key genealogical facts found in most marriage records include:


 * Date and place of the event
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Sometimes their civil status (widowed, single, divorced) at the time of the event
 * Place of origin and/or residence of the bride and groom
 * Parents' names and their civil status
 * Names of witnesses

The key genealogical facts found in most deaths records include:


 * Place and date where the person died
 * Name of the deceased
 * Civil status and name of spouse, if married at time of death
 * Place of burial
 * Parents' names
 * Cause of death

How to Use the Record
When browsing this collection it is helpful to know the following:


 * The place where the event occurred
 * The name and surname of the person
 * The approximate date of the event
 * The name of the parents or spouse

To search this collection select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the municipio where you ancestors lived ⇒Select the appropriate freguesia⇒Select the appropriate paróquia ⇒Select the record type, and you should see images for those records.

If you find records for your ancestors, compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.

For example:


 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the parents’ birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * Continue to search the various browse sections to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same area 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.

If the locality where your ancestors lived is not listed in the browse choices, check this collection at a date to see if the locality where your ancestors lived has added to the collection.

Links to descriptions of film cataloging for parishes in Porto are found in the FamilySearch Library Catalog.

Why the Record Was Created
Catholic Church parish registers were created to record the church sacraments of baptism, marriage, death, and burial in the life of their parishioners. These and other ordinances were performed by an authorized priest in his area of jurisdiction.

Record Reliability
The Catholic Church parish records are an excellent source for genealogical research in the District of Porto. These may also be the only records available before the implementation of the civil registration in 1911.

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

 * Diocese do Porto
 * Diocese of Porto Hierarchy

Related Wiki Articles

 * Portugal Catholic Church Records
 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List

Contributions to This Article
Information about creating source citations for FamilySearch Historical Collections is listed in the wiki article Help:How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. 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.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Portugal, Porto Catholic Church Records, 1535-1949," digital images FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org: accessed 12 April 2012),Portugal, Porto Catholic Church Records, 1535-1949 &gt; Viana de Castelo &gt; Ponte de Lima &gt;Ganda &gt; Sao Martinho &gt; baptismos 1823-1873 &gt; image 249 of 251, Jose Pereira, 23 July 1873; Several parishes in the Diocese of Porto.Parish records, 1535-1949. District Archive of Porto (Archivo Distrital do Porto), Porto, Portugal. Citing District Archive of Porto (Archivo Distrital do Porto), Parish registers, Diocese of Porto.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.