Ponte de Lima, Viana do Castelo, Portugal Genealogy

This is a historical and genealogical guide to the municipality of Ponte de Lima.

History

 * Ponte de Lima is the oldest vila in Viana do Castelo in Portugal and was named after the long mideval bridge that passes over the Limia river.
 * Ponte de Lima is divided into 39 civil parishes.
 * Founded on 4 March 1125, Ponte de Lima is a historically significant settlement of the Romans. It was the first to get a municipal charter.
 * The population of Ponte de Lima is roughly 43,500 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 Viana do Castelo Civil Registration.

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

Conservatória Registo Civil de Ponte Lima Av. António Feijó Pal Justiça – Ponte Lima 4990-029 Ponte de Lima PORTUGAL Phone: 258942921 Email: [mailto:crc.ponte-lima@dgrn.mj.pt crc.ponte-lima@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 Viana do Castelo 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.

FamilySearch Centers
Braga Portugal Family History Center Rua Luís António Correia 120 BRAGA 4715-310 PORTUGAL Email: [mailto: PT_Braga@familyhistorymail.org PT_Braga@familyhistorymail.org] Website: Braga Portugal Family History Center