Odemira, Beja, Portugal Genealogy

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

History

 * Odemira is a town and a municipality in Beja District in the Portuguese region of Alentejo.
 * It is famous for being home to a significant Dutch and German community.
 * The municipality has great agricultural potential, and is home to major operations of important agricultural companies like Vitacress.
 * In 1801 the population began to be reported.
 * The population of Odemira is roughly 26,000 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 Beja Civil Registration.

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

Conservatória do Registo Civil de Odemira Palácio da Justiça 7630-130 Odemira PORTUGAL Phone: 283322433 Email: [mailto:crc.odemira@dgrn.mj.pt crc.odemira@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 Beja 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
Portimao Portugal Family History Center R Eng Adelino Amaro da Costa 8500-314 PORTUGAL Phone: +351 28284544 Email: [mailto:PT_Portimao@familyhistorymail.org PT_Portimao@familyhistorymail.org] Website: Portimao Portugal Family History Center