Abrantes, Santarém, Portugal Genealogy

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

History

 * Abrantes is a municipality in the District of Santarém in the central Médio Tejo sub-region of Portugal.
 * It is believed that the Celts established the first settlement in Abrantes around 300 BC.
 * The Village of Abrantes and the castle were taken from the Moors by Afonso I of Portugal in 1148. After which in 1172 it became a military outpost under the Order of Saint James of Compostela.
 * Abrantes received it's municipal foral in 1179.
 * King Dinis of Portugal, conceded ownership of Abrantes to Queen Elizabeth of Portugal 24 April 1281.
 * In 1510 King Manuel conceded a new foral to the town. His children the infantes Fernando and Luis were born in Abrantes.
 * 24 November 1807, the village of Abrantes was captures and used as a base for the French forces.
 * 22 August 1808, in the Convention of Cintra, the town was returned to the Portuguese.
 * As an active republican center, Abrantes was the place of preparatory meetings for the 1910 Revolution, which may have contributed to the elevation to status of City in June of 1916.
 * Abrantes is divided into 13 civil parishes.
 * The population of Abrantes is roughly 39,300 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 Abrantes Espl. Dr. António S Martins 2200-320 Abrantes PORTUGAL Phone: 241362403 Email: [mailto:crc.abrantes@dgrn.mj.pt crc.abrantes@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.

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@ldsmail.net PT_Leiria@ldsmail.net] Website: Leiria Portugal Family History Center

Castelo Branco Portugal Family History Center Rua Senhora da Piedade Lote 2, Res-do-Chão Esquerdo CASTELO BRANCO 6000-279 PORTUGAL Phone: +351 272 326 891 Email: [mailto:PT_CasteloBranco@ldsmail.net PT_CasteloBranco@ldsmail.net] Website: Castelo Branco Portugal Family History Center