Portugal, Santarém, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. The Portugal, Santarém, Catholic Church Records collection is available to the Family History Library, FamilySearch Centers, and to members of the supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The images can be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you.

Title in the Language of the Record
Portugal, Santarém, Registros Paroquiais

Record Description
This collection includes Catholic Church records created by parishes in the district of Santarém. These records include: baptisms, marriages, and deaths. The text of the records is in Portuguese. Additional images will be published as they become available. The records are housed at the Arquivo Distrital de Santarém.

Record Content
Baptism records may contain the following information:


 * Child’s name and gender
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Parents’ names and residence

Marriage records generally contain the following information:


 * Marriage date and place
 * Bride’s name, age, origin and residence
 * Groom’s name, age, origin, residence and occupation
 * Parents’ names
 * Witnesses’ names

Death records usually contain the following information:


 * Name of the deceased
 * Age, gender, origin and residence
 * Date and place of death
 * Witnesses’ names

How to Use the Record
To search this collection, it would be helpful to know the following information:


 * Name of ancestor
 * Date of event
 * Parish of event

Search the Collection
To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "District" category ⇒Select the "Municipality" category ⇒Select the "Civil Parish" category ⇒Select the "Parish" category ⇒Select the "Record Type and Years" category which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

Using the Information

 * Use the age to calculate a birth date.
 * Birth and marriage records usually give the parents’ names. Look for records of the parents.
 * The same parish may include records for siblings or other family members.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Portuguese. For help with reading the records, see the following wiki article: Portuguese Genealogical Word List

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who records in the same or nearby parishes.

Unable to Find your Ancestor?

 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. In addition local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the records of nearby parishes.

Related Websites

 * Portuguese Genealogical Research
 * Arquivo Distrital de Santarém

Related Wiki Articles
Portugal Church Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Portugal, Santarém, Catholic Church Records, 1881-1911

When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.