Seeing Brazilian Church Records – Searchable Databases
When I first took my DNA test years ago with 23andMe, the last thing I expected to find was Brazilian cousins. As I wrote to them, many stated that they are always known that their ancestors were from Brazil and didn’t realize that they would match with cousins from the Caribbean. Although I am born in the USA, I am a first-generation born since both my parents were born in the Caribbean.
Once I tested with AncestryDNA, I found many more Brazilian cousins who are 4th cousins. This had to do with the fact that Ancestry has the largest database of matching cousins. While having your DNA done for genealogical purposes is a great move to help in your research, I need to kill the idea that you’ll have an instant tree. That is not the purpose of having your DNA tested. It is another tool in helping you confirm that your tree is correct or assists you in knowing where else to look for your ancestors.
That being said, yes I have many Brazilian cousins and know I will be able to connect them as I add more ancestors to my tree. I recommend that you read up on Brazilian history to understand where to search for your ancestors. There is a really great GIF on the history link that shows you how the layout of the country changed, it will be useful in your research.
So the first three links below provide you with a search database for marriages, deaths, and births. All links will open in a new window to make it easier for you.
Note that these are not for all churches so first search these databases and if you can’t locate the record, I will be posting an additional post addressing images.