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[[Category:States of Brazil]]
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Guide to '''State of Pará family history and genealogy''': birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
{{Para-sidebar}}
'''Most of your genealogical research for Pará will be in two main record types: civil registration (''registros civis'') and church records (''registros da igreja''). This article will teach you methods for locating and searching these two record groups.'''
 
 
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<div style="max-width:300px">__TOC__</div>
<div id="fsButtons"><span class="online_records_button">[[Brazil Online Genealogy Records]]</span>
<span class="community_button">[[FamilySearch Genealogy Research Groups|Ask the <br>Community]]</span></div>
<div>[[Image:Brazil Map Para.png|thumb|<center>State of Pará</center>]] </div>
</div>
 
==History==
The region of the Amazon valley, by the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494, was in possession of the Spanish Crown, the Portuguese expeditionaries, with the purpose of consolidating the region as Portuguese territory.  Despite the construction of a large fort, the occupation of territory was marked by early Dutch and English incursions in search of spices, hence the need of the Portuguese to fortify the area. <br> In 1823, the Pará had decided to join the independent Brazil, which had been separated during the colonial period, reporting directly to Lisbon, however the political infighting continued. The most important of them, the Cabanagem in 1835, did decree the independence of the province of Pará.<br>
Cabanagem was a popular and social revolt during the Empire of Brazil, in the Amazon region, was influenced by the French Revolution, mainly due to extreme poverty, hunger and disease that devastated the Amazon at the beginning of the period. The revolt spread from 1835 until January 1840, due to the process of independence of Brazil in 1822, which did not occur immediately in the province due to political irrelevance.<br> Indians, blacks and mestizos in most poor class members, all named cabanos, teamed against the Regent Government and rebelled, in order to increase the importance of the region in Brazil's central Government addressed the issue of poverty of the people of the Amazon as one of the reasons, all lived in mud huts.  At the bottom of the rebellion, there has been a mobilization of the Brazilian Empire against the reactionary forces of the province of Grão-Pará in expelling such insurgents who wanted to keep the region as a Portuguese colony or territory independent.<br>
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par%C3%A1]
==Municipalities==
{| style="width:60%"
|-
<ul class="column-spacing-fullscreen" style="padding-right:5px;">
    <li>[[Abaetetuba, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Abaetetuba]]</li>
    <li>[[Abel Figueiredo, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Abel Figueiredo]]</li>
    <li>[[Acará, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Acará]]</li>
    <li>[[Afuá, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Afuá]]</li>
    <li>[[Água Azul do Norte, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Água Azul do Norte]]</li>
    <li>[[Alenquer, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Alenquer]]</li>
    <li>[[Almeirim, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Almeirim]]</li>
    <li>[[Altamira, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Altamira]]</li>
    <li>[[Anajás, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Anajás]]</li>
    <li>[[Ananindeua, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Ananindeua]]</li>
    <li>[[Anapu, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Anapu]]</li>
    <li>[[Augusto Corrêa, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Augusto Corrêa]]</li>
    <li>[[Aurora do Pará, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Aurora do Pará]]</li>
    <li>[[Aveiro, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Aveiro]]</li>
    <li>[[Bagre, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Bagre]]</li>
    <li>[[Baião, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Baião]]</li>
    <li>[[Bannach, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Bannach]]</li>
    <li>[[Barcarena, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Barcarena]]</li>
    <li>[[Belém, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Belém]]</li>
    <li>[[Belterra, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Belterra]]</li>
    <li>[[Benevides, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Benevides]]</li>
    <li>[[Bom Jesus do Tocantins, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Bom Jesus do Tocantins]]</li>
    <li>[[Bonito, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Bonito]]</li>
    <li>[[Bragança, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Bragança]]</li>
    <li>[[Brasil Novo, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Brasil Novo]]</li>
    <li>[[Brejo Grande do Araguaia, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Brejo Grande do Araguaia]]</li>
    <li>[[Breu Branco, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Breu Branco]]</li>
    <li>[[Breves, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Breves]]</li>
    <li>[[Bujaru, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Bujaru]]</li>
    <li>[[Cachoeira do Arari, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Cachoeira do Arari]]</li>
    <li>[[Cachoeira do Piriá, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Cachoeira do Piriá]]</li>
    <li>[[Cametá, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Cametá]]</li>
    <li>[[Canaã dos Carajás, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Canaã dos Carajás]]</li>
    <li>[[Capanema, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Capanema]]</li>
    <li>[[Capitão Poço, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Capitão Poço]]</li>
    <li>[[Castanhal, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Castanhal]]</li>
    <li>[[Chaves, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Chaves]]</li>
    <li>[[Colares, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Colares]]</li>
    <li>[[Conceição do Araguaia, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Conceição do Araguaia]]</li>
    <li>[[Concórdia do Pará, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Concórdia do Pará]]</li>
    <li>[[Cumaru do Norte, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Cumaru do Norte]]</li>
    <li>[[Curionópolis, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Curionópolis]]</li>
    <li>[[Curralinho, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Curralinho]]</li>
    <li>[[Curuá, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Curuá]]</li>
    <li>[[Curuçá, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Curuçá]]</li>
    <li>[[Dom Eliseu, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Dom Eliseu]]</li>
    <li>[[Eldorado dos Carajás, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Eldorado dos Carajás]]</li>
    <li>[[Faro, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Faro]]</li>
    <li>[[Floresta do Araguaia, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Floresta do Araguaia]]</li>
    <li>[[Garrafão do Norte, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Garrafão do Norte]]</li>
    <li>[[Goianésia do Pará, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Goianésia do Pará]]</li>
    <li>[[Gurupá, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Gurupá]]</li>
    <li>[[Igarapé-Açu, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Igarapé-Açu]]</li>
    <li>[[Igarapé-Miri, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Igarapé-Miri]]</li>
    <li>[[Inhangapi, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Inhangapi]]</li>
    <li>[[Ipixuna do Pará, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Ipixuna do Pará]]</li>
    <li>[[Irituia, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Irituia]]</li>
    <li>[[Itaituba, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Itaituba]]</li>
    <li>[[Itupiranga, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Itupiranga]]</li>
    <li>[[Jacareacanga , Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Jacareacanga]]</li>
    <li>[[Jacundá, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Jacundá]]</li>
    <li>[[Juruti, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Juruti]]</li>
    <li>[[Limoeiro do Ajuru, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Limoeiro do Ajuru]]</li>
    <li>[[Mãe do Rio, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Mãe do Rio]]</li>
    <li>[[Magalhães Barata, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Magalhães Barata]]</li>
    <li>[[Marabá, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Marabá]]</li>
    <li>[[Maracanã, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Maracanã]]</li>
    <li>[[Marapanim, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Marapanim]]</li>
    <li>[[Marituba, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Marituba]]</li>
    <li>[[Medicilândia, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Medicilândia]]</li>
    <li>[[Melgaço, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Melgaço]]</li>
    <li>[[Mocajuba, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Mocajuba]]</li>
    <li>[[Moju, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Moju]]</li>
    <li>[[Mojuí dos Campos, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Mojuí dos Campos]]</li>
    <li>[[Monte Alegre, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Monte Alegre]]</li>
    <li>[[Muaná, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Muaná]]</li>
    <li>[[Nova Esperança do Piriá, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Nova Esperança do Piriá]]</li>
    <li>[[Nova Ipixuna, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Nova Ipixuna]]</li>
    <li>[[Nova Timboteua, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Nova Timboteua]]</li>
    <li>[[Novo Progresso, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Novo Progresso]]</li>
    <li>[[Novo Repartimento, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Novo Repartimento]]</li>
    <li>[[Óbidos, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Óbidos]]</li>
    <li>[[Oeiras do Pará, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Oeiras do Pará]]</li>
    <li>[[Oriximiná, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Oriximiná]]</li>
    <li>[[Ourém, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Ourém]]</li>
    <li>[[Ourilândia do Norte, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Ourilândia do Norte]]</li>
    <li>[[Pacajá, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Pacajá]]</li>
    <li>[[Palestina do Pará, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Palestina do Pará]]</li>
    <li>[[Paragominas, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Paragominas]]</li>
    <li>[[Parauapebas, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Parauapebas]]</li>
    <li>[[Pau d'Arco, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Pau d'Arco]]</li>
    <li>[[Peixe-Boi, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Peixe-Boi]]</li>
    <li>[[Piçarra, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Piçarra]]</li>
    <li>[[Placas, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Placas]]</li>
    <li>[[Ponta de Pedras, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Ponta de Pedras]]</li>
    <li>[[Portel, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Portel]]</li>
    <li>[[Porto de Moz, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Porto de Moz]]</li>
    <li>[[Prainha, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Prainha]]</li>
    <li>[[Primavera, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Primavera]]</li>
    <li>[[Quatipuru, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Quatipuru]]</li>
    <li>[[Redenção, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Redenção]]</li>
    <li>[[Rio Maria, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Rio Maria]]</li>
    <li>[[Rondon do Pará, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Rondon do Pará]]</li>
    <li>[[Rurópolis, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Rurópolis]]</li>
    <li>[[Salinópolis, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Salinópolis]]</li>
    <li>[[Salvaterra, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Salvaterra]]</li>
    <li>[[Santa Bárbara do Pará, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Santa Bárbara do Pará]]</li>
    <li>[[Santa Cruz do Arari, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Santa Cruz do Arari]]</li>
    <li>[[Santa Isabel do Pará, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Santa Isabel do Pará]]</li>
    <li>[[Santa Luzia do Pará, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Santa Luzia do Pará]]</li>
    <li>[[Santa Maria das Barreiras, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Santa Maria das Barreiras]]</li>
    <li>[[Santa Maria do Pará, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Santa Maria do Pará]]</li>
    <li>[[Santana do Araguaia, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Santana do Araguaia]]</li>
    <li>[[Santarém Novo, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Santarém Novo]]</li>
    <li>[[Santarém, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Santarém]]</li>
    <li>[[Santo Antônio do Tauá, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Santo Antônio do Tauá]]</li>
    <li>[[São Caetano de Odivelas, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|São Caetano de Odivelas]]</li>
    <li>[[São Domingos do Araguaia, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|São Domingos do Araguaia]]</li>
    <li>[[São Domingos do Capim, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|São Domingos do Capim]]</li>
    <li>[[São Félix do Xingu, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|São Félix do Xingu]]</li>
    <li>[[São Francisco do Pará, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|São Francisco do Pará]]</li>
    <li>[[São Geraldo do Araguaia, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|São Geraldo do Araguaia]]</li>
    <li>[[São João da Ponta, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|São João da Ponta]]</li>
    <li>[[São João de Pirabas, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|São João de Pirabas]]</li>
    <li>[[São João do Araguaia, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|São João do Araguaia]]</li>
    <li>[[São Miguel do Guamá, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|São Miguel do Guamá]]</li>
    <li>[[São Sebastião da Boa Vista, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|São Sebastião da Boa Vista]]</li>
    <li>[[Sapucaia, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Sapucaia]]</li>
    <li>[[Senador José Porfírio, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Senador José Porfírio]]</li>
    <li>[[Soure, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Soure]]</li>
    <li>[[Tailândia, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Tailândia]]</li>
    <li>[[Terra Alta, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Terra Alta]]</li>
    <li>[[Terra Santa, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Terra Santa]]</li>
    <li>[[Tomé-Açu, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Tomé-Açu]]</li>
    <li>[[Tracuateua, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Tracuateua]]</li>
    <li>[[Trairão, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Trairão]]</li>
    <li>[[Tucumã, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Tucumã]]</li>
    <li>[[Tucuruí, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Tucuruí]]</li>
    <li>[[Ulianópolis, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Ulianópolis]]</li>
    <li>[[Uruará, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Uruará]]</li>
    <li>[[Vigia, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Vigia]]</li>
    <li>[[Viseu, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Viseu]]</li>
    <li>[[Vitória do Xingu, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Vitória do Xingu]]</li>
    <li>[[Xinguara, Pará, Brazil Genealogy|Xinguara]]</li>
</ul>
|}
 
==Civil Registration (''Registros civis'')==
Civil registration records (''Registros civis'') are government records covering birth, marriage, and death. They are an excellent source of names, dates, places, and relationships.
 
In 1850, a law was passed requiring registration of births and deaths throughout the country. Until 1870, the Catholic Church was required to keep this record. After 1870, these records were to be kept by the justices of the peace. Since 1827, the government has accepted marriages performed in the Catholic Church as official marriages.
 
Civil registration records are kept on a municipal level by local civil registration offices. Records are subsequently sent on to a municipal, district, or delegation office. People from small villages often reported their births, marriages, and deaths to a nearby central municipality office. Many towns in Brazil are very new. If you do not find records for the city you need, you will need to determine when the city was founded and from which older city it was created (try a Google search). Origins of cities are also given in the reference book, [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/1018565 Cidades e vilas 1998,] which can be consulted online from a FamilySearch Center computer.
 
=== 1. Online Digital Records for Civil Registration ===
For localities several in Brazil, civil registration records have been filmed, and digitized online copies of the records are available through FamilySearch Historical Records. Filming continues and more records are added as they become available.  Until records become available for Pará, research should rely mostly on church records and on writing for civil  certificates..  The majority of birth, marriage, and death events would be recorded both in civil and in church records.
*'''1815-1995''' {{RecordSearch|4473609|Brazil, Pará, Civil Registration, 1815-1995}} at FamilySearch — [[Brazil, Pará, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]; index and images
 
===2. Writing for  Civil Registration Certificates===
It is possible to obtain civil registration records by writing to the local civil registry in the municipality. Civil officials will generally answer correspondence in Portuguese. Your request may be forwarded if the records have been sent to state archives. '''''This method is not always reliable. Officials might or might not respond.''''' Using available church records is advisable first.<br>
<br>
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_municipalities_in_Par%C3%A1 '''List of municipalities in Pará.''']
<br>
 
Write a brief request in Portuguese to the proper office using this address as guide replacing the information in parentheses:<br>
 
:'''Cartório de Registro Civil'''
:'''([http://postalcode.globefeed.com/Brazil_Postal_Code.asp postal code]), (municipality), Pará'''
:'''BRASIL'''<br><br>
 
*[http://postalcode.globefeed.com/Brazil_Postal_Code.asp '''Find the Brazilian postal code here.''']
 
Send the following:
 
*Money for the search fee, usually $10.00
*Full name and the sex of the ancestor sought
*Names of the ancestor’s parents, if known
*Approximate date and place of the event
*Your relationship to the ancestor
*Reason for the request (family history, medical, and so on)
*Request for a photocopy of the complete original record
<br>
 
'''Write your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing your letter in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this [[Portuguese Letter-writing Guide|Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.]]'''
<br>
 
== Church Records (''registros da igreja'') ==
The vast majority of Brazilians were Catholic and were registered in entries for baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials in the local church records. Often two and sometimes three generations are indicated in the registers, with personal information on the family. Church records are the main source prior to 1850, when civil registration began. After this date one should search in both church and civil records, since there may be information in one record that does not appear in the other. For instance, the church records may only list the godparents, while the civil records may list the grandparents.
 
=== 1. Online Digital Records for Church Records ===
For some localities, digital copies of Catholic church records can be searched online:
*'''1930-1976''' {{RecordSearch|2177288|Brazil, Pará, Catholic Church Records, 1930-1976}} at FamilySearch - index & images
'''Batismos''' are infant baptisms, which are used for birth information. '''Matrimônios'''' are marriages. ''' "Óbitos"''' are deaths.  '''"Índice"''' is the index.
 
=== 2.  Microfilm Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog ===
If the locality and time period you need are not included in the online records, the next step is to find them in the microfilm collection of the FamilySearch Library. Currently, they are being digitized, and plans are to complete that project by 2020. Check back occasionally to see if your records have become available. In the meantime, some of them might be available at a [https://www.familysearch.org/help/fhcenters/locations/ '''FamilySearch Center'''] near you. <br>
To find a microfilm:
 
:::a. Click on this link to see a list of [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/results?count=20&placeId=1929900&query=%2Bplace%3A%22Brazil%2C%20Par%C3%A1%22 '''records for Brazil, Pará'''].
:::b. Click on '''"Places within Brazil, Pará"''' and a list of towns and cities will open.
:::c. Click on the '''town or city''' you wish to search.
:::d. Click on '''"Church Records"''' topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
:::e. Choose the correct '''event and time period''' for your ancestor.
:::f. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. [[File:FHL icons.png|75px]].  Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm. 
 
=== 3. Writing to a Catholic Priest for Church Records ===
Baptism, marriage, and death records may be searched by contacting or visiting local parish or diocese archives in Brazil. Brazil has no single repository of church records. Write your request in Portuguese whenever possible. '''''This method is not always reliable.  Officials might or might not respond.'''''
 
*Find the address for the parish church your ancestors used: [http://www.thecatholicdirectory.com/directory.cfm?fuseaction=show_country&country=BR '''The Catholic Directory, Brazil.]<br>
 
Write a brief request in Portuguese to the proper church using this address as guide replacing the information in parentheses:<br>
 
:'''Reverendo Pároco'''
:'''Paróquia de (name of parish) '''
:'''([http://postalcode.globefeed.com/Brazil_Postal_Code.asp postal code]), (municipality), Pará'''
:'''BRASIL'''
<br>
 
*[http://postalcode.globefeed.com/Brazil_Postal_Code.asp '''Find the Brazilian postal code here.''']
 
When requesting information, send the following:<br>
 
*Money for the search fee, usually $10.00
*Full name and the sex of the ancestor sought
*Names of the ancestor’s parents, if known
*Approximate date and place of the event
*Your relationship to the ancestor
*Reason for the request (family history, medical, and so on)
*Request for a photocopy of the complete original record
<br>
'''Write your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing your letter in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this [[Portuguese Letter-writing Guide|Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.]]'''
<br>
 
==Reading the Records==
 
*You do not have to be fluent in Portuguese to read your documents. Genealogical records usually contain a limited vocabulary. Use this [[Portuguese Genealogical Word List|Portuguese Genealogical Word List]] to translate the important points in the document.
 
*To learn how to read Portuguese records, study the [https://script.byu.edu/portuguese-handwriting/introduction '''The Portuguese Script Tutorial.''']
 
*Reading aids are samples of typical records with translations of key words provided.
**[[Reading Aid for Brazilian Birth Certificates]]
**[[Reading Aid for Brazilian Marriage Certificates]]
**[[Reading Aid for Brazilian Death Certificates]]
==== Tips for finding your ancestor in the records ====
*Births were usually reported within a few days of the birth by the father of the child, a neighbor, or the midwife. A search for a birth record should begin with the known date of birth and then searching forward in time, day by day, until the record is found.  It might be found within a few days of the actual birth date, but in some instances, it might be weeks or months later.
*In the larger cities of Brazil such as Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, or others, there are several registration offices located throughout the city. If you know in which part of the city your ancestor lived, you should begin your search in the records of the office nearest their home. If you do not know, you will need to search office by office.
*Some civil registration books have indexes in the front or back of them. These indexes are often by the given name of the child. You may have to check every entry in the index if your ancestor had more than one given name.
*Marriages typically took place in the hometown of the bride.
*Death records can be particularly helpful for people who may not have had a civil birth or marriage record but died during the period when civil registration had begun.<br>
 
===Search Strategy===
*Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find his birth record, search for the births of his '''brothers and sisters'''.
*Next, search for the '''marriage of his parents.''' The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
*You can '''estimate the ages''' of the parents and determine a birth year to search for their birth records.
*Search the death registers for all known family members.
*Repeat this process for both the father and the mother, starting with their birth records, then their siblings' births, then their parents' marriages, and so on.
*If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.
<br>
 
 
<br>
[[Category:Brazil]] [[Category:States of Brazil]]
[[pt:Pará, Brasil - Genealogia]]

Latest revision as of 17:34, 12 April 2024

Guide to State of Pará family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Para Wiki Topics
Brazil flag
Beginning Research
Record Types
Brazil Background
Ethnicity
Local Research Resources
Moderator
The FamilySearch moderator for Brazil is Giuseppe Martinengo

Most of your genealogical research for Pará will be in two main record types: civil registration (registros civis) and church records (registros da igreja). This article will teach you methods for locating and searching these two record groups.


History

The region of the Amazon valley, by the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494, was in possession of the Spanish Crown, the Portuguese expeditionaries, with the purpose of consolidating the region as Portuguese territory. Despite the construction of a large fort, the occupation of territory was marked by early Dutch and English incursions in search of spices, hence the need of the Portuguese to fortify the area.
In 1823, the Pará had decided to join the independent Brazil, which had been separated during the colonial period, reporting directly to Lisbon, however the political infighting continued. The most important of them, the Cabanagem in 1835, did decree the independence of the province of Pará.
Cabanagem was a popular and social revolt during the Empire of Brazil, in the Amazon region, was influenced by the French Revolution, mainly due to extreme poverty, hunger and disease that devastated the Amazon at the beginning of the period. The revolt spread from 1835 until January 1840, due to the process of independence of Brazil in 1822, which did not occur immediately in the province due to political irrelevance.
Indians, blacks and mestizos in most poor class members, all named cabanos, teamed against the Regent Government and rebelled, in order to increase the importance of the region in Brazil's central Government addressed the issue of poverty of the people of the Amazon as one of the reasons, all lived in mud huts. At the bottom of the rebellion, there has been a mobilization of the Brazilian Empire against the reactionary forces of the province of Grão-Pará in expelling such insurgents who wanted to keep the region as a Portuguese colony or territory independent.
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Municipalities

Civil Registration (Registros civis)

Civil registration records (Registros civis) are government records covering birth, marriage, and death. They are an excellent source of names, dates, places, and relationships.

In 1850, a law was passed requiring registration of births and deaths throughout the country. Until 1870, the Catholic Church was required to keep this record. After 1870, these records were to be kept by the justices of the peace. Since 1827, the government has accepted marriages performed in the Catholic Church as official marriages.

Civil registration records are kept on a municipal level by local civil registration offices. Records are subsequently sent on to a municipal, district, or delegation office. People from small villages often reported their births, marriages, and deaths to a nearby central municipality office. Many towns in Brazil are very new. If you do not find records for the city you need, you will need to determine when the city was founded and from which older city it was created (try a Google search). Origins of cities are also given in the reference book, Cidades e vilas 1998, which can be consulted online from a FamilySearch Center computer.

1. Online Digital Records for Civil Registration

For localities several in Brazil, civil registration records have been filmed, and digitized online copies of the records are available through FamilySearch Historical Records. Filming continues and more records are added as they become available. Until records become available for Pará, research should rely mostly on church records and on writing for civil certificates.. The majority of birth, marriage, and death events would be recorded both in civil and in church records.

2. Writing for Civil Registration Certificates

It is possible to obtain civil registration records by writing to the local civil registry in the municipality. Civil officials will generally answer correspondence in Portuguese. Your request may be forwarded if the records have been sent to state archives. This method is not always reliable. Officials might or might not respond. Using available church records is advisable first.


Write a brief request in Portuguese to the proper office using this address as guide replacing the information in parentheses:

Cartório de Registro Civil
(postal code), (municipality), Pará
BRASIL

Send the following:

  • Money for the search fee, usually $10.00
  • Full name and the sex of the ancestor sought
  • Names of the ancestor’s parents, if known
  • Approximate date and place of the event
  • Your relationship to the ancestor
  • Reason for the request (family history, medical, and so on)
  • Request for a photocopy of the complete original record


Write your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing your letter in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.

Church Records (registros da igreja)

The vast majority of Brazilians were Catholic and were registered in entries for baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials in the local church records. Often two and sometimes three generations are indicated in the registers, with personal information on the family. Church records are the main source prior to 1850, when civil registration began. After this date one should search in both church and civil records, since there may be information in one record that does not appear in the other. For instance, the church records may only list the godparents, while the civil records may list the grandparents.

1. Online Digital Records for Church Records

For some localities, digital copies of Catholic church records can be searched online:

Batismos are infant baptisms, which are used for birth information. Matrimônios' are marriages. "Óbitos" are deaths. "Índice" is the index.

2. Microfilm Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog

If the locality and time period you need are not included in the online records, the next step is to find them in the microfilm collection of the FamilySearch Library. Currently, they are being digitized, and plans are to complete that project by 2020. Check back occasionally to see if your records have become available. In the meantime, some of them might be available at a FamilySearch Center near you.
To find a microfilm:

a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Brazil, Pará.
b. Click on "Places within Brazil, Pará" and a list of towns and cities will open.
c. Click on the town or city you wish to search.
d. Click on "Church Records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
e. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor.
f. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

3. Writing to a Catholic Priest for Church Records

Baptism, marriage, and death records may be searched by contacting or visiting local parish or diocese archives in Brazil. Brazil has no single repository of church records. Write your request in Portuguese whenever possible. This method is not always reliable. Officials might or might not respond.

Write a brief request in Portuguese to the proper church using this address as guide replacing the information in parentheses:

Reverendo Pároco
Paróquia de (name of parish)
(postal code), (municipality), Pará
BRASIL


When requesting information, send the following:

  • Money for the search fee, usually $10.00
  • Full name and the sex of the ancestor sought
  • Names of the ancestor’s parents, if known
  • Approximate date and place of the event
  • Your relationship to the ancestor
  • Reason for the request (family history, medical, and so on)
  • Request for a photocopy of the complete original record


Write your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing your letter in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.

Reading the Records

  • You do not have to be fluent in Portuguese to read your documents. Genealogical records usually contain a limited vocabulary. Use this Portuguese Genealogical Word List to translate the important points in the document.

Tips for finding your ancestor in the records

  • Births were usually reported within a few days of the birth by the father of the child, a neighbor, or the midwife. A search for a birth record should begin with the known date of birth and then searching forward in time, day by day, until the record is found. It might be found within a few days of the actual birth date, but in some instances, it might be weeks or months later.
  • In the larger cities of Brazil such as Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, or others, there are several registration offices located throughout the city. If you know in which part of the city your ancestor lived, you should begin your search in the records of the office nearest their home. If you do not know, you will need to search office by office.
  • Some civil registration books have indexes in the front or back of them. These indexes are often by the given name of the child. You may have to check every entry in the index if your ancestor had more than one given name.
  • Marriages typically took place in the hometown of the bride.
  • Death records can be particularly helpful for people who may not have had a civil birth or marriage record but died during the period when civil registration had begun.

Search Strategy

  • Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find his birth record, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
  • Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
  • You can estimate the ages of the parents and determine a birth year to search for their birth records.
  • Search the death registers for all known family members.
  • Repeat this process for both the father and the mother, starting with their birth records, then their siblings' births, then their parents' marriages, and so on.
  • If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.




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