R E S E A R C H   G U I D A N C E

Brazil
Research Outline
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Table of Contents
Helps For Using This Research Outline
     References To Other Family History Library Publications
Archives And Libraries
     National Government Archives And Libraries
     State Archives
     Civil And District Civil Registry Offices
     Diocese And Parish Archives
     Libraries And Archives Of Portugal
     Private And Public Libraries
     Historical And Genealogical Societies
     Inventories, Registers, And Catalogs
Biography
Cemeteries
Census
     Bahia State Census
     São Paulo State Census
     Paraná State Census
     Polish Census
     Searching Census Records
     Searching In Big Cities
Church Directories
Church History
     Roman Catholic
     Judaism
     Other Religions
Church Records
     General Historical Background
     Information Recorded In Church Registers
     Records Not At The Family History Library
     Search Strategies
Civil Registration
     Information Recorded In Civil Registers
     Locating Civil Registration Records
     Records At The Family History Library
     Locating Records Not At The Family History Library
     Search Strategies
Court Records
Directories
Emigration And Immigration
     Finding Your Ancestor’s Town Of Origin
     Passenger Lists
     Immigration To Brazil
     Records Of Brazilian Emigrants To The United States
     Other Records Of Departure
Encyclopedias And Dictionaries
Gazetteers
     Finding Place Names In The Family History Library Catalog
     Modern Place Names
     Historical Place Names
Genealogy
     Major Collections And Databases
     Family Histories
     Computer Networks And Bulletin Boards
Heraldry
Historical Geography
     The Captaincies
     States
History
     Local Histories
Jewish Records
Land And Property
Language And Languages
     Language Aids
Maps
     Using Maps
     Finding The Specific Town On The Map
     Finding Maps And Atlases
Military Records
     Military History
Minorities
Names, Personal
     Surnames
     Given Names
Native Races
Nobility
Notarial Records
Occupations
Periodicals
     Obtaining Periodicals
Probate Records
Slavery And Bondage
Social Life And Customs
Societies
Taxation
Other Records Of Brazil
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions

JEWISH RECORDS

The Jews in Portugal were given many privileges and rights from 1392 to 1422. Many of the Spanish Jews had immigrated to Portugal and contributed to its economy. In 1548 some Jews were banished to Brazil, and from 1530 to 1680 Jews settled in Brazil.

The Institutions of Inquisitorial Tribunals were instituted early to investigate Catholics for heresy. Accusations brought against Jews in Brazil as part of the inquisition were sent to Lisbon for trial. The inquisition officially lasted until 1821, when the rights Jews had held in 1422 were restored to them. The original records of the Portuguese Jews are in the “Inquisitorial Section” of the National Archives of Torre do Tombo.

Meyer Kayserling wrote a history of the Jews in Portugal. This history, written in German, includes information about their migration. Since the book’s original publication in 1867, intensive studies on this subject have been conducted by several additional scholars. Some good background information on Brazilian Jews can be found in:

Kayserling, Meyer. História dos Judeus em Portugal (History of the Jews in Portugal). Translated by Gabriele Borchardt Correa da Silva and Anita Novinsky. São Paulo: Livraria Pioneira Editora, 1971. (FHL book 946.9 F2k; computer number 0029077.)

Os Judeus Portugueses Entre os Descobrimentos e a Diáspora (The Portuguese Jews between the Discovery and the Diaspora). Lisboa: Associação Portuguesa de Estudos Judaicos, 1994. (FHL book 946.9 F2j; computer number 0827765.)

Saraiva, Antonio José. Inquisição e Cristãos- Novos (Inquisition and New Christians) 3.a edição. Porto: Editorial Inova, 1969. (FHL book 946.9 H6s; computer number 0029919.)

Elkin, Judith Laikin. Jews of the Latin American Republics. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1980. (FHL book 980 F2e; computer number 0103108.)

See also “Judaism” in the “Church History” section of this outline.

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