Transcript presentation - Ottawa Stake Family History Center

Genealogy Research in Portugal
& Brazil
Climbing Your Family
Tree Around the World
Ana Ghia-Pereira
Ottawa Stake Family
History Center
May 26, 2007
Vital Records in Portugal
 Council of Trent (1564) mandates that priests keep a records of all
baptisms, marriages and deaths in the parish
 Until 1911 records are kept by the Church
 After 1911 all records become the responsibility of Civil registration
Offices
 Records are not indexed
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Vital Records in Portugal (cont.)
 Access
– Access to Portuguese vital records is not restricted.
– Current records can be obtained, by anyone, for a fee.
– Can be requested online
 Where from?
– Civil Registry Offices
•
Records from 1912 until today
– National Archives and District Archives
•
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Records prior to 1911
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Information contained in Vital
Records
 Baptism:
– Name, date and parish of birth and baptism, names of parents,
grandparents and godparents and where they’re from
 Marriage:
– Name, date and parish of marriage, names and ages of bride and
groom, names of parents and godparents and where they’re from.
 Death:
– Name, date and parish where death occurred, name and age of
deceased, status, name of husband/wife if known, cause of death.
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Requesting vital records
 Archives
–
–
–
–
–
Books with last record at least 90 years old
You can check the records yourself
About 80% available in microfilm
It is faster if parish is known
Photocopies provided at very low cost
 Civil Registry Offices
–
–
–
–
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Records from 1912 to today
You have to request a certificate
Expensive: about $25 per certificate
You must know the parish and the year
Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Requests Online
 Certidões Online
– http://www.portaldocidadao.pt/PORTAL/pt/certidoes_online/
– Need to provide:




Name
Date or at least year of birth, marriage, death
Parish where it happened
Parents names, if known
– Cost Eu$16.65 (about $25)
– Very fast turnaround
– Make sure you ask for a “cópia integral” (full copy) and in the comments
ask for a photocopy of the record, otherwise the transcription will not
include all data
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Birth certificate (recent)
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Birth record (from microfilm)
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Research Online - Portugal
 Gene Web Roglo
–
http://geneweb.inria.fr/roglo?lang=en

A database of 2 million persons. Contains trees from all over Europe. Many well known Portuguese
genealogists contributed info.
 Braga District Archive
–
http://www.adb.uminho.pt/index.htm

Searchable database on the contents of 37,800 records of seminarians. Dates: 1620-1910. Name of
person, parentage; where from and references to other processes.
 Porto District Archive
–
http://www.adporto.org/

In collaboration with the Genealogical society of Utah, making available online images of parish records.
 NEPS (University of Minho, Portugal)
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http://www.neps.ics.uminho.pt/index.html

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Several databases from various parishes in the north of Portugal. Not intuitive to use. Uses rolo software
but leading pages are in Portuguese.
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Useful Links - Portugal
 Portuguese National Archives (Torre do Tombo)
 http://www.iantt.pt/index.html
–
All records pertaining to Portuguese royal house, title grants, inquisition, etc. Records date from
the creation of Portugal, around 1128.
 Genea Portugal
 http://genealogia.netopia.pt/home/
–
Portuguese genealogy site. Includes published trees, photos, and a forum. Cost: $30 per year
 Cindy’s List
 http://www.cyndislist.com/portugal.htm
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148 links to excellent sites, mostly in English
 Portuguese Genealogist Masterlist
 http://www.dholmes.com/master-l.html
–
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People put their contact information and the names they are researching to find others doing the
same
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Useful Links - Portugal
 Associação Online de Autores de Genealogia em Portugês
–
http://pwp.netcabo.pt/0437301501/gene/links.htm

Excellent page of links for sites of genealogical importance for the Portuguese genealogist. Includes
English sites.
 Portuguese Mailing Lists on Rootsweb
–
http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/intl/PRT/

Portugal, Madeira Exiles (Portuguese Presbyterian exiles from Madeira who emigrated to Trinidad and
Illinois), Azores, Azores-DNA, Portuguese-Nobility, and PRT-Madeira
 LusaWeb
–
http://www.lusaweb.com/
 Very useful site, dedicated to Americans from Portuguese descent. Cost: US$25 per year. Cannot do
much unless a member
 Short Portuguese Lessons
–
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http://alfarrabio.di.uminho.pt/spl/
 From the University of Minho
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Vital Records in Brazil
 Vital record kept by the Church, start in 1616
 Civil Registration starts in big cities around 1863
 After 1888 all records officially become the responsibility of Civil
registration Offices (Ofício do Registro Civil das Pessoas
Naturais)
 Records are not indexed
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Vital Records in Brazil (cont.)
 Access
– Access to Brazilian vital records is not restricted.
– Current records can be obtained, by anyone, for a
fee.
– Can be requested online
 Where from?
– Family Search
• http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHLC/frame
set_fhlc.asp
– Available for purchase online
• http://www.cartoriobrasileiro.com.br/
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Information contained in Vital
Records
 Baptism:
– Name, date and parish of birth and baptism, names of parents,
grandparents and godparents and where they’re from
 Marriage:
– Name, date and parish of marriage, names and ages of bride and
groom, names of parents and godparents and where they’re from.
 Death:
– Name, date and parish where death occurred, name and age of
deceased, status, name of husband/wife if known, cause of death.
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Where in Brazil?


Church records from 1616 to 1940’s
Civil registration from 1863 to 2005


Mostly in eastern states
Not many records from the states in the
interior (Amazonia, Acre, Mato Grosso,
etc.)

Available in microfilm from Family History
Library
–
–
–
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Births until about 1950’s
Marriages until about 1960’s
Deaths until 2005
Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Birth record (from microfilm)
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Death certificate
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Research online - Brazil
 Surname Navigator – Brazil
–
http://www.kuijsten.de/navigator/brazil/

Excellent link. Searches all of LDS databases from Brazil, Geneanet, Genforum Brazil, Rootsweb, and the
Brazilian White pages
 Projeto Imigrantes
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http://www.projetoimigrantes.com.br/

Database with almost 3 million names of immigrants arrived since 1737. Expensive! R50. (about $27) for a
listing of surname researched
 Cartório Brasileiro
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http://www.cartoriobrasileiro.com.br/
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Online service for the request of birth, marriage, and death certificates. It uses electronic translation
services. Costs vary depending on where is the certificate from. Between $30 and $40 per certificate.
Payment via international money order.
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Useful Links - Brasil
 Genealogias.org
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http://www.genealogias.org/

Lots of useful info. Contains several databases and articles by Brazilian genealogists. Links to
genealogical societies in Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná
 Brazil Genweb
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http://www.rootsweb.com/~brawgw

Lbase with almost 3 million names of immigrants arrived since 1737
 Brazil Research Outline
–
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/rg/frameset_rg.asp?Dest=G1&Guide=Brazil.asp

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From the Family History Library, a 37-page downloadable PDF document
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
The Future
 Immigrant Ancestors Project
– http://immigrants.byu.edu/
– Sponsored by the Center for Family History and Genealogy at
Brigham Young University
– Uses emigration registers to locate information about the
birthplaces of immigrants, usually not found in port registers and
naturalization documents.
– Data transcribed by volunteers across the globe, available on the
web
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The Future (cont.)
 Scanstone Project
– Conversion of microfilm images into digital
images. Fully indexed.
– Depending on the laws of the country of origin,
some images might be available on the web.
– Presently doing US, Canada, British Isles and
Wales.
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The Future (cont.)
 University of Porto
– In collaboration with the Genealogical Society of Utah,
bringing into the web the images of parish records. Fully
indexed.
– Expect to scan and make available on the web all the parish
records in the Porto District (416 parishes)
– Already in progress. No completion date given.
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
The Future (cont.)
 University of Coimbra
– Project to scan and make available on the web more than a million
records of births or marriages, among others documents from
1459 until now.
 13,000 parish books of births, marriages, and deaths
 21,000 land and property documents, wills and probate records
– Project will cost 30,000 euros and is funded by the Portuguese
Ministry of Science and Technology.
– Expected completion by mid-2008.
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World
Questions?
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Climbing Your Family Tree Around the World