Basic Portuguese Paleography

About the Guide

If you are interested in additional information to learn how to read old Portuguese handwriting for the purpose of extracting information from parish records, you may consult the Basic Portuguese Paleography manual. This resource provides basic principles, examples, and practice exercises. This manual was first published in 1978 by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is now available for download on this website in PDF format.

To download individual chapters, click on the links below.

	Introduction Preliminary Pages  Introduction
	Chapter 1 Historical Notes
	Chapter 2 The Alphabet
	Chapter 3 Variations in Spelling
	Chapter 4 Unfamiliar and Latin Terms
	Chapter 5 Special Concerns
	Chapter 6 Abbreviations
	Chapter 7 Names and Naming Customs
	Chapter 8 Transcription of Characters
	Bibliography Annotated Bibliography​