User:Caileigholdroyd/Sandbox/Santa Catarina

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



Brazil Online Genealogy Records Ask the Community

Online Resources

 * 1714-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1850-1999 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

History
Europeans began settling with the Spanish on Santa Catarina island in 1542. The Portuguese took control in 1675 and established the captaincy of Santa Catarina in 1738, bringing families from the Azores to populate the shore. In 1839, during the Ragamuffin War, there was an unsuccessful attempt for Santa Catarina to secede from the Empire of Brazil to form the independent Juliana Republic, which was defeated after four months. Between early 19th century and mid 20th century, a great number of European immigrants arrived to Santa Catarina. Many of these immigrants were from Germany, Austria, and Italy. These immigrants created an abundance of small, family-held farms, many of which continue to exist in the interior of the state. 

Church Records (Registros da Igreja)

 * 1714-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

1. Online Digital Records for Church Records
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. For some localities, digital copies of Catholic church records can be searched.

The index is incomplete for most areas. For best results, browse the images.

2. 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), Santa Catarina
 * BRASIL


 * Find the address for the parish church your ancestors used: The Catholic Directory, Brazil.
 * Find the Brazilian postal code here.

When requesting information, send the following:

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.
 * 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

Civil Registration (Registros Civis)

 * 1850-1999 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

1. Online Digital Records for Civil Registration
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 Family History Center computer.


 * For many localities, digital copies of civil registration can be searched.


 * The index is incomplete for most areas. For best results, browse the images.


 * If you cannot find your ancestor within the images on FamilySearch, you can follow the instructions below.

2. Writing for Civil Registration Certificates
If the records are not online, and you do not have ready access to the microfilms, civil registration records in Brazil can be obtained 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.
 * List of municipalities in Santa Catarina

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), Santa Catarina
 * BRASIL


 * 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

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.
 * To learn how to read Portuguese records, study the The Portuguese Script Tutorial.
 * "Nascimentos" are births. Matrimônios and "Casamentos" are marriages. "Óbitos" are deaths. "Índice" is the index.


 * 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 Santa Catarina, 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
Santa Catarina, Brasil - Genealogia
 * 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.