Portuguese Civil Death

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TYPES OF CIVIL RECORDS

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DEATH CIVIL REGISTRATION RECORDS

The death certificate (Certificado de Óbito) contains the given names, surnames, marital status, nationality,residence, occupation, and place of birth of the deceased. In addition, it frequently contains the date of birth and the names and surnames of the parents of the deceased , and, in some cases, the cause of death, burial information; and the informant’s name (often a relative or hospital official). If the deceased was married it may give the names and surnames of the spouse, indicating whether the spouse is dead or alive, and the names of the children of the deceased, if any.

Early civil death records are especially helpful because they may list people for whom there are no birth or marriage records. Deaths were recorded within a few days of the event in the town or city where the person died.

Be aware that information in a death record about the deceased’s parents, birth date, birthplace, and so on may be inaccurate since the person who gave the information may not have had complete information. - extracted from BYU Family History Library

Deaths from the early years of civil registration should be searched with special care as they may give information about people born in the eighteenth century with greater detail than the parish records. Such records are especially important where parish records have been destroyed.

Before the invention of photocopies, when people requested a copy of a death record, the civil registration officials would provide a certificate or extract of the record. Death certificates could be a literal and complete transcription of the record or an extract of the same.

The Portuguese terms used to refer to these are usually: Registro de óbito, certificado de óbito, certidão de óbito, atestado de óbito, certidão verbum ad verbum.

SAMPLE DEATH RECORD

Death PORT.jpg

TRANSCRIPTION

Aos trinta dias domes de Novembro daera

de mil esete sentos sesenta e dois annos

faleceu davida presente Francisco

filho de Manoel Fernandes ede sua

molher Francisca Fernandes deste

lugar de Unhaisdevelho edeidade de

nove annos pouco mais ou menos e

foi sepultado dentro da Igreja de

S. Matheus para que conste fis este

firmo que asigno dia ora mes ut. Supra

P.^e Cura Pedro Lopes Fer^a

TRANSLATION

On the thirtieth day of the month of November of the period

of seventeen hundred sixty two years

Francisco passed away from this present life

son of Manoel Fernandes and of his

wife Francisca Fernandes of

this place Unhais de Velho and of the age of

nine years give or take a little and

was buried in the church of

S. Matheus for the record I made this [document]

I sign day hour month ut. Supra

Father Priest Pedro Lopes Fer^a

ADDITIONAL SAMPLES

For more examples of Death civil registration records click here.