Portugal, Braga, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection of church records includes the years 1530 to 1911.

The records included in this collection are those of baptisms, marriages, and deaths or burials from parishes in the in the Diocese of Braga, Portugal.

These parish records have been preserved relatively well. Some of the older registers appear to have some physical damage; therefore, some data may be difficult to read or some even may be lost. However, in general, they are in good condition for extracting genealogical information. Earlier records were handwritten in narrative style, but newer records are handwritten in formatted registers.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Portuguese; also see the section For Help Reading These Records for translation helps.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before using this collection it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence
 * Estimated marriage or birth year

View The Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 
 * 1) Select District
 * 2) Select Municipality
 * 3) Select Civil Parish
 * 4) Select Parish
 * 5) Select Record Type and Years to view the images.

For Help Reading These Records
For help reading these Portuguese records, see the following resources:


 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Portuguese Letter-writing Guide
 * Learning Center Resources:
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 1
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 2
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 3

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

What Do I Do Next?

 * When you have found your ancestors original record, it is a good idea to make a copy of it or cite where you found it for future reference.
 * It's always a good idea to keep your citation on a Research Log. This is an important tool to help keep track of what you have and have not found.  Family search wiki has a  Research Log that you can download and use.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.
 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date.
 * For records after 1911, it is suggested that you research both the civil registry and the church records to verify information.

What if I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For?

 * New information is constantly being indexed, microfilmed or updated. Periodically check back and see if your ancestor’s records have been added.  You can see if the area you’ve been looking in has been recently updated by going to Historical Records Collections and notice the asterisk for recently added or updated records.
 * Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names. Transcription errors could occur in any handwritten record; also, it was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name. Click here for a list of Spanish name abbreviations
 * 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 localities (or military units, counties, parishes, etc.).
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

"Portugal, Braga Catholic Church Records, 1530-1911." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Arquivo Distrital de Braga.
 * Collection Citation:

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