Brazil Research Tips and Strategies

Brazil Wiki Topics

Brazil Beginning Research

Finding Town of Origin Getting Started Online Learning Record Finder Research Strategies

Record Types

Business & Occupations Cemeteries Census Church Directories Church Records Civil Registration Colonial Records Compiled Genealogies Court Records Directories Emigration & Immigration Heraldry Jewish Records Land & Property Military Records Nobility Notarial Records Online Genealogy Records Probate Records Religious Records Slavery & Bondage Taxation Websites

Brazil Background

Biographies Church History Encyclopedias & Dictionaries Gazetteers Historical Geography History Languages Maps Naming Customs Periodicals Social Life & Customs

Brazil Genealogical Word Lists

Portuguese

Cultural Groups

Cultural Groups Indigenous Peoples

Local Research Resources

Archives & Libraries Societies Local FamilySearch Center

Brazil

Research Strategies

Purpose of Research Tips and Strategies Wiki Page The Brazil Research Tips and Strategies page consists of links to specific research strategies for Brazil. It also contains general tips and other resources for finding your ancestors in this locality.

Brazil Research Strategies

• Getting started
• "How to" Guides
  
• Finding Town of Origin - locating the town your ancestor was from
• Record Finder - gives suggestions for records to search
• Online Learning - Video Classes
• Brazil Research Guide
• BYU Research Outline for Brazil

Brazil Research Tips

• Birth, Marriage, and Death Information: There was no government-mandated record of birth, marriage, or death until 1850, where the Catholic Church was required to keep the birth and death records for the government. The Catholic Church continued to do so until 1870, where n the records were moved to the Justice of the peace.
  Prior to that date, all such events were recorded by the Catholic Church. Learn more about Brazil Catholic Church Records.
• Finding Parents: Catholic church records frequently recorded the parents and grandparents of the person being baptized or married. This tradition was carried into civil registration records.

Brazil Records to Search

• Civil Registration: Civil registrations of births, marriages, and deaths of individuals became standardized by the 1880s in Brazil. For help with using and locating civil registration records for Brazil see Brazil Civil Registration.
• Church Records: The Roman Catholic Church has long been an integral part of Brazilian society and culture. Most of your ancestors from Brazil were Catholic and were recorded in local church records called parish registers (registros paroquias). The catholic church recorded births, marriages, deaths, and burials in parish registers. Catholic parish records are some of the best in the world, stretching back hundreds of years to the earliest settlements of Brazil. For help with using and locating Catholic Church records for brazil see Brazil Church Records.

Reading the Records

• Reading Aid for Brazilian Birth Certificates
• Reading Aid for Brazilian Marriage Certificates
• Reading Aid for Brazilian Death Certificates
• Portuguese Genealogical Word List
  
• Genealogical Documents Examples and Handwriting Helps

Brazil Record Finder

This Record Finder is designed to help you determine the best record to search for the type of information you are looking for. For a more complete list, visit Portugal Record Finder.

What you are looking for:	Try these records first:	Other useful records:
Age	Church Records, Civil Registration	Census, Emigration and Immigration
Birth date and birthplace	Church Records, Civil Registration	Emigration and Immigration
Death information	Church Records, Civil Registration	Newspapers, Cemeteries
Marriage information	Church Records, Civil Registration	Census,
Emigration information	Emigration and Immigration	Census, Biography, Naturalization and Citizenship
Parents, children, and other family members	Church Records, Civil Registration, Directories	Newspapers, Biography, Court Records
Language helps	Word List, Handwriting	Brazil Language and Languages

Further Brazil Research

For more research in Brazil, including research at the district level, visit the Brazil page on the Wiki.