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
The vast majority of Brazilians were Catholic and were registered in entries for baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials in the local church records. Church records are the main genealogical source prior to 1850, when civil registration began. The index is incomplete for most areas. For best results, browse the images.


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

Emailing or Writing to a Catholic Priest for Church Records
If you have searched the index and browsed through all the digitized images during the years your ancestors lived and cannot find them, you may be able to email or write a Catholic Priest to search their archives for them. Records kept at the parish level likely stayed within the parish, but records may be housed in another diocesan archive depending on how they decided to keep the records. Write your request in Portuguese whenever possible. This method is not always reliable. You will need the following information:

Most Diocese have websites. Some Diocese websites list their parishes and a contact for

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.
 * Ask if they would like a donation for the search fee and where it could be sent
 * 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
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.


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

Ordering Civil Registration Documents Online
In some instances, there may not be any civil registration records online to browse during the time period your ancestor lived. Some states allow individuals to order records online.

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

 * 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.

Family History Centers

 * Chapecó Brazil
 * Criciúma Brazil
 * Florianópolis Brazil
 * Florianópolis Brazil Ingleses
 * Ipoméia Brazil
 * Joinville Brazil
 * Lages Brazil
 * São José Brazil
 * Tubarão Brazil
 * Tubarão Brazil Oficinas
 * Vale do Itajaí Brazil

Museums
Santa Catarina, Brasil - Genealogia