Brazil Genealogy

South America

Brazil

Guide to Brazil ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, immigration records, census records, family history, and military records.

Brazil Wiki Topics
Beginning Research
Research Strategies Record Finder Finding Town of Origin
Record Types
Cemeteries Census Church Directories Church Records Civil Registration Colonial Records Compiled Genealogies Court Records Emigration & Immigration Compiled Genealogies Jewish Records	Heraldry Land & Property Military Records Nobility Notarial Records Online Records Periodicals Probate Records Religious Records Slavery & Bondage Taxation
Brazil Background
Biography Church History Encyclopedias & Dictionaries Gazetteers Historical Geography History Languages	Maps Occupations Personal Names Portuguese Genealogical Word List Social Life & Customs
Cultural Groups
Cultural Groups Indigenous Peoples
Local Research Resources
Archives & Libraries Societies Family History Centers
Moderator
The FamilySearch moderator for Brazil is Giuseppe Martinengo

Country Information

Brazil is a country in South America bordered by French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay. It was formerly a colony of Portugal. The official language is Portuguese.

Getting Started

Getting Started with Brazil Research Links to articles on getting started with Brazil research. Brazil Research Guide Brazil Genealogy Research Using the Wiki – Video Series: Eight five/six-minute instructional videos training you in how to use this Wiki to find civil registration and church records for Brazil. Getting Started "How to" Guides Research Strategies Brazil Record Finder BYU Research Outline for Brazil

Brazil Research Tools Links to articles and websites that assist in Brazil research. Portuguese Genealogical Word List Reading Aid for Brazilian Birth Certificates Reading Aid for Brazilian Marriage Certificates Reading Aid for Brazilian Death Certificates 1991 Ornithological Gazetteer of Brazil, A-L (mis-labeled A-M), also at the Biodiversity Heritage Library. 1991 Ornithological Gazetteer of Brazil, M-Z, also at the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Portuguese Letter-writing Guide Genealogical Documents Examples and Handwriting Helps

Brazil Online Genealogy Records

Ask the FamilySearch Community

Immigration and Emigration

The population of Brazil is composed of indigenous populations as well as descendants of many different locations including Portugal, Spain, Italy, Africa, Germany, Japan, and several others. Records of an individual's arrival in Brazil, as well as records for those leaving Brazil, can be useful in determining more precise information about the person's hometown or place of origin. For ways to locate information about ancestors arriving in/leaving Brazil, see the article Brazil Emigration and Immigration.

Brazil Clickable Map

Brazil is a republic comprised of 26 states and a federal district (Distrito Federal), which comprises the capital city of Brasilia.

States

Many of Brazil's records are kept at the state and local level and may include civil registrations, censuses, inventories and wills, land records, notarial records, and military records to name a few. States are also divided into counties, and the cities and towns 'municipios' are in the counties, it is possible that a city, especially the larger ones such as Recife and São Paulo , may have a number of counties in them since a state like São Paulo can have over 200 counties.

Acre Alagoas Amapá Amazonas Bahia Ceará Distrito Federal Includes Brasília Espírito Santo Goiás Maranhão Mato Grosso Mato Grosso do Sul Minas Gerais Pará Paraíba Paraná Pernambuco Piauí Rio de Janeiro Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Sul Rondônia Roraima Santa Catarina São Paulo Includes the City Sergipe Tocantins

Finding Your Ancestors' Town in Brazil

• Genealogical records are organized by geographical locality. Civil registration (government birth, marriage, and death records) and church records (christenings/baptisms, marriages, and burials) were kept at the local level. To search these records, you must know the town where your ancestors lived.
• If you do not know your ancestors' town, follow the advice in the Wiki article, Brazil Finding Town of Origin, to search a variety of records that might provide that information.

Online Gazetteers for Finding Your Ancestors' State and Municipality in Brazil

Once you know the town your ancestors lived in, use one of these these gazetteers to find out the state of that town. If the town is small or just a village, the gazetteer will also tell you the municipality if belongs to. You will need to know the municipality to find civil registration records.

• 1991 Ornithological Gazetteer of Brazil, A-L (mis-labeled A-M), also at the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
• 1991 Ornithological Gazetteer of Brazil, M-Z, also at the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
• Cadastro de cartórios do Registro Civil 1981, restricted online except at Family History Centers.

FamilySearch Resources

Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in researching your family.

• Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
• FamilySearch Historical Record Collections
• Family History Center locator map

Other Resources

• BYU Script Portuguese Tutorials