Portugal, Vila Real Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. The Portugal, Guarda,Catholic Church Records collection is available to the Family History Library, FamilySearch Centers, and to members of the supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The images can be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you.

Title in the Language of the Records
Registros Paroquiais da Igreja Católica, Diocese da Vila Real, Portugal

Record Description
This article covers the church records for Vila Real that were published in two separate collections: (1) collection under Portugal, Diocese of Vila Real Catholic Church Records for 1575 to 1992, housed at the Diocesan Archive, and (2) Portugal, Vila Real, Catholic Church Records for 1533-1941, housed at the District Archive of Vila Real. These are records of marriages, and burial/deaths from parishes in the Diocese of Vila Real, Portugal. The text of the records is in Portuguese. Earlier records are handwritten in narrative style and newer records are handwritten in formatted registers.

Parish priests performed the ordinances for baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials, and the other holy sacraments in the jurisdiction of their assigned parish or parishes. All the original parish records were kept in the parish archive under the custody of the priest. However, a duplicate of these registers was regularly sent to the diocesan archive where the records were centralized and kept at a higher state of preservation.

Catholic Church parish registers were created to record the church sacraments of baptism, marriage, death, burial, and other ordinances performed on parishioners by an authorized priest.

Catholic Church parish records are a reliable source for doing genealogical research in Vila Real, Portugal, before 1911, when the civil registration was implemented. For records after 1911, it is suggested that you research both the civil registry and the church records to verify information.

Record Content
Marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's name and age
 * Groom's birth date and place of birth
 * Groom's baptism date and place of baptism
 * Groom's civil status and residence
 * Names of groom's parents
 * Bride's name and age
 * Bride's birth date and place of birth
 * Bride's baptism date and place of baptism
 * Bride's civil status and residence
 * Names of bride's parents
 * Names of witnesses

Death records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of death
 * Name, age, and gender of deceased
 * Civil status and origin of deceased
 * Spouse's name, if married
 * Parents' names, if deceased is a minor
 * Burial information

How to Use the Records
This section provides information on how to search the collection, what to do with information once found, some tips on how to find records, and what to do if no record is found.

Search the Collection
To browse the collection by image: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "District" category ⇒Select the "Municipality" category ⇒Select the "Civil Parish" category ⇒Select the "Parish" category ⇒Select the "Record Type and Years" category which takes you to the images

Search the collection by image 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 searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Portuguese. For help reading the records, see the following resources:


 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Portuguese Letter-writing Guide
 * Learning Center Resources:
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 1
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 2
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 3

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.
 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date.

Unable to Find your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. In addition local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the records of nearby localities (or military unties, counties, parishes, etc.).

Related Websites
Maps of Vila Real

Related Wiki Articles

 * Portugal
 * Vila Real
 * Portugal Catholic Church Records

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. 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. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Portugal, Vila Real, Diocesan Records, 1575-1992

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Portugal, Vila Real, Catholic Church Records, 1533-1941

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