Portugal Church Records: Difference between revisions

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== Catholic Church Records  ==

Catholic church records are a vital part of Portuguese research. As part of the reforms carried out during the Council of Trent in 1562, parish priests were required to record the births, marriages, and deaths of every member of their parish. Prior to this, parish church books almost exclusively recorded the the births, marriages, and deaths of nobility, while only about seven percent of the common people's vital events were recorded.  

In 1910, the leaders of the newly established First Portuguese Republic ordered that all records of birth, marriage, and death created by the Catholic Church be transferred to the government. Some of these records are now in the national archive in Lisbon, called the "Torre do Tombo", some are in archives that were established in each district, and some were lost in this transfer.

Many of these original records in the national archives and the various district archives have been digitized by the Portuguese Government and FamilySearch. Many have also been microfilmed and are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog.  

The following three indexes include various Portuguese localities. The years are an overall range, some localities may be from earlier or later years.  

In partnership with the Genealogical Society of Utah, the Portuguese government is digitizing the parish records in their archives. Images are made available first at the District Archives, then on FamilySearch. To more easily access the parish records, links to the portal Tombo.pt have been provided to link researchers to the digital record collection at the Portuguese archive.

| {{RecordSearch|2014755|Portugal, Portalegre, Catholic Church Records, 1859-1911}}*

| [http://tombo.pt/d/portalegre Portugal, Portalegre, Civil Registration, Catholic Church Records, and Passports]

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| Porto

== Types of Records ==

=== Baptisms (''Batismos'')===

Catholic tradition dictates that baptism is essential to salvation. Because of this, infants were usually baptized soon after their birth.

* Child's name

* Father's name

*Grandparent's names and residences

*Witnesses' residences

=== Marriages (''Casamentos'')===

Couples usually married in the bride’s parish. Catholic parish register marriage records usually contain:

*Profession of groom and bride

*Age of groom and bride

=== Marriage Proceedings (''Processos de Casamento'') ===

Marriage proceedings were pre-nuptial documentation compiled by potential partners and provided to church authorities in order to qualify for marriage. They can be used to augment marriage records and possibly provide additional biographical information on the potential bride or groom.

*Name of bride and groom

*Name of parents

*Birthdates and birthplaces of bride and groom

*Any former marriages

=== Marriage Dispensations (''Dispensação'') ===

When an impediment was discovered for a couple who wished to marry, a bishop's dispensation was required in order for the couple to wed within the Catholic church. Impediments included child marriage, inability to consummate the relationship, a previous marriage, abduction, marriage to a non-Catholic, being closely related by blood (consanguinity), or being closely related by marriage (affinity).

Unlike birth, marriage, and death records, marriage dispensations are kept at Diocesan archives, and most have not been digitized.

*Names of potential bride and groom

*Residences of potential bride and groom

*(Occasionally) Names of parents

*(Occasionally) Charts, graphs, or documents showing relationship between potential bride and groom

=== Wills (''Testamentos'') ===

Record of the estate distribution at the death of the testator.<br>

*Name of testator

*Residence of testator

*Description of all personal and real estate of the testator

== Church Records in Portuguese Archives  ==

Sometimes, duplicate copies of birth, marriage, and death records were sent to a parish's dioceses. These archives also store marriage impediments, and other documentation that may be useful in tracing a parish priest. You can find contact information for dioceses at the website [http://www.conferenciaepiscopal.pt/v1/dioceses/ Conferência Episcopal Portuguesa] or at [[Portugal Church Directories]].

== References ==

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