Brazil Genealogy

South America Brazil Guide to Brazil ancestry, family history and genealogy''' birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Country Information
Brazil is the largest country by both land area and population on the continent of South America. Also more people speak Portuguese in Brazil by far than speak that language in any other country, including Portugal. Discovered by the Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral in April 21st, 1500 the country had a native population composed of several Amerindian tribes. It was later populated by colonists from Portugal and slaves from Africa in the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s. In the late 1800s Brazil started to attract many immigrants, particularly from Italy, Portugal, Spain and Germany who primarily settled in the south and southeast parts of the country.

Brazil Clickable Map
Brazil is a republic comprised of 26 states and a federal district (Distrito Federal), which comprises the capital city of Brasilia.

States
Many of Brazil's records are kept at the state and local level and may include civil registrations, censuses, inventories and wills, land records, notarial records, and military records to name a few. States are also divided into counties, and the cities and towns 'municipios' are in the counties, it is possible that a city, especially the larger ones such as Recife and São Paulo, may have a number of counties in them since a state like São Paulo can have over 200 counties.

FamilySearch Resources
Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in resourcing your family.
 * Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
 * Learning Center - Online genealogy courses
 * FamilySearch Historical Record Collections
 * Family History Center locator map