Recognizing the Opening Formula<\/h2>\n
Many nineteenth-century records begin with a formula such as \u201cAos vinte dias do m\u00eas de maio…\u201d<\/em>, meaning \u201cOn the twentieth day of the month of May…\u201d. The priest usually identifies the parish church and then records that the child was baptized.<\/p>\n The child’s given name normally appears near the beginning of the entry. In older records the baptism entry may contain only a given name, even when the person later used several surnames. The record may also state the exact date, and sometimes the hour, of birth.<\/p>\n Look for expressions such as filho leg\u00edtimo de<\/em> or filha leg\u00edtima de<\/em>. The father’s name usually appears first, followed by the mother’s name. Records may also include occupations, birthplaces, where the parents married, and where they were living.<\/p>\n Many Portuguese baptism records identify all four grandparents. The expressions neto paterno de<\/em> e neto materno de<\/em> identify the paternal and maternal grandparents and can immediately extend a family tree by another generation.<\/p>\n Godparents should never be ignored. They were often relatives or close associates of the family. Repeated appearances of the same godparents in several baptism records can help identify relationships between households.<\/p>\n These terms can describe different facts. A person could be native of one parish, a parishioner of another, and resident in a third. This distinction is essential when following families who moved between neighboring parishes or islands.<\/p>\n Later records often contain notes in the margins recording a marriage, death, legitimation, or another ecclesiastical event. Always inspect the entire page.<\/p>\n Children did not always use exactly the same surnames as their parents. A person might use a paternal surname, maternal surname, combination of surnames, religious name, or a different form after immigration. Dates, parents, grandparents, parish, occupation, and other evidence should be considered together.<\/p>\n The Azores preserve a rich collection of parish registers, although surviving dates vary from parish to parish. Identifying the correct island, municipality, and parish is often the key to extending an Azorean family line.<\/p>\n When you find a baptism entry, first note its date and the exact parish. Distinguish the child’s birth date from the baptism date; they are often close but need not be identical. Write down the names of the parents and both pairs of grandparents exactly as recorded, including any differences in surname spelling.<\/p>\n A baptism entry is not always enough to prove that you have found the correct person. Compare other records from the same household, including Portuguese marriage records<\/a> and the baptisms of siblings. The wider guide to Portuguese parish records<\/a> explains how different parish books support one another.<\/p>\n Fagundes Genealogy specializes in Portuguese and Azorean genealogical research, including locating original records, transcription, translation, and family reconstruction.<\/p>\nFinding the Child’s Name and Birth Date<\/h2>\n
Identifying the Parents<\/h2>\n
Grandparents and Earlier Generations<\/h2>\n
Godparents as Family Clues<\/h2>\n
Natural, Parishioner, and Resident<\/h2>\n
Marginal Notes<\/h2>\n
Portuguese Names Can Change<\/h2>\n
Baptism Records in the Azores<\/h2>\n
Portuguese baptism records: a careful research checklist<\/h2>\n
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Need Help Reading a Portuguese Record?<\/h2>\n