Portugal, Portalegre, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Registros Paroquiais da Igreja Católica do Distrito de Portalegre, Portugal.

Record Description
This is a collection of baptisms, marriages, and deaths for the year of 1911 from parishes in the District of Portalegre, which is divided into 15 municipalities (municípios):


 * Alter do Chão (Vila)
 * Arronches (Vila)
 * Avis (Vila)
 * Campo Maior (Vila)
 * Castelo de Vide (Vila)
 * Crato (Vila)
 * Elvas (Cidade)
 * Fronteira (Vila)
 * Gavião (Vila)
 * Marvão (Vila)
 * Monforte (Vila)
 * Nisa (Vila)
 * Ponte de Sôr (Cidade)
 * Portalegre (Cidade)
 * Sousel (Vila)

The records were handwritten in Portuguese. Parishes in the District of Portalegre are part of the Portalegre-Castelo Branco Diocese. Each parish priest kept the original register in the parish archive and a duplicate copy was later sent to the Diocesan Archive to keep the records centralized and kept at a higher state of preservation. However, this collection of records is housed at the Portalegre District Archive.

Additional images will be published as they become available.

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.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Some key genealogical facts found in baptism records are:


 * Date and place of the event
 * Name of child
 * Date of birth and gender
 * Legitimacy
 * Parents’ names, residence, and/or places of origin
 * Names of witnesses or godparents’ names

Some key genealogical facts found in marriage records are:


 * Date and place of the event
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Civil statuses (widowed, single, divorced) of bride and groom at time of the event
 * Place of origin and/or residence of bride and groom
 * Names of parents
 * Names of witnesses

Some key genealogical facts found in death records are:


 * Place and date of death
 * Name of the deceased
 * Civil status of deceased person at time of death
 * Civil status and name of spouse, if married at time of death
 * Cause of death
 * Sometimes names of living parents and children
 * Sometime if the deceased left a testament (will)
 * Place of burial (cemetery)

How to Use the Record
To search the collection, select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the “Nome do distrito” ⇒ Select the “Nome do município” ⇒ Select the “Nome da freguesia” ⇒ Select the "Nome da paróquia" ⇒ Select the "Tipo de registro e anos" which takes you to the images. Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about 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 birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to employment records, military records, or other types of records.
 * Use the parent’s birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of the officiator is a clue to a couple’s religion or area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties.
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county 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.
 * Use the marriage number to identify previous marriages.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Related Websites

 * District of Portalegre Archive (Portuguese)
 * Diocese of Portalegre-Castelo Branco (Portuguese)

Related Wiki Articles

 * Portugal Catholic Church Records

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, Portalegre, Catholic Church Records", Images, FamilySearch (https://ds.familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-29457-26324-8?cc=2014755&amp;wc=MMMS-HCM:n548395248 : accessed 19 July 2012), Portlegre &gt; Elvas &gt; Vila Fernado &gt; Nossa Senhora de Concicao &gt; Baptismos 1911 &gt; image 7 of 12; Maria Isabel, born 25 March 1911; citing Portugal. Catholic Church parishes in the Diocese of Portalegre. Parish records, 1911. Arquivo Distrital de Portalegre, Portalegre, Portugal.

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