Madeira Genealogia
Welcome to Madeira and Porto Santo Genealogies. On Madeira’s emigration trail. A place entirely devoted to the genealogical research in Madeira and Porto Santo ancestors who were born in the islands or that from here, emigrated to the four corners of the world.
Whether Portuguese or foreign citizen, we can help you make your family tree from an ancestor that was born or lived in Madeira archipelago. Perhaps ancestors that, like many others, emigrant! You came to the right place if you are looking to get some biographical information of some traveler or tourist who in the past visited these Atlantic islands. We also do research on the Local history, paleographic transcriptions of ancient documentation and translation of official documents to English.
Our team consists of technicians trained in the area of history, professional experience linked to the historical research of Madeira in general and the genealogy of Madeira families in particular.
The islands of Porto Santo and Madeira claimed for the Portuguese Crown respectively in 1418 and 1419, experienced a rapid settlement with people coming mainly from Minho and Algarve, as well as foreigners, then settling ahead of businesses such as the “white gold” (sugar) or the “ruby nectar” (wine) so appreciated in international markets, bringing so much wealth and fame to this archipelago. Its largest island, Madeira, reached such great economic prosperity in the early sixteenth century to the point of King Manuel I in 1508, raising the town of Funchal to city. This was the first large city founded by Europeans in the Atlantic area.
From Europe to the archipelago came foreign surnames like Acciaioly , Berenguer , Bettencourt , Bianchi, Drumond , Esmeraldo , Espranger , Lomelino or Valdavesso , amongst many others. Visiting Madeira came: Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte on his way to his exile to the island of St. Helena ( 1815) , Empress Elisabeth of Austria , better known as Sissi ( 1860 and 1893) , Charles of Austria , the last Austro-Hungarian emperor ( late in Funchal in 1922 ) or Winston Churchill , the " British Lion " ( 1950) .
From an early age this territory was confronted with serious structural problems related with farming the land. The existence of a secular policy based on an economic monoculture, first based on the production of sugar and , later , depending on the wine focussed on export , meant that along the Madeiran history , particularly in hatching times of severe agricultural crisis , mainly in the eighteenth century , its people emigrated in search of food to their mouth that was being denied by tight " feet of earth ."
This Madeira diaspora , which is now widespread across the globe, set out initially to Brazil , Demerara (Guyana ) , Hawaii , United States , Venezuela , South Africa , Angola and Australia and more recently to Guernsey and Jersey ( British islands English Channel).
Find the route of your family name since the sixth century to the present and the changes of the same over the generations
If you live abroad and don’t master the Portuguese language, we can translate your documents to English in order to support the research.
We carry out paleographic transcriptions of documents whose reading is compromised.
We take as a beginning point the person you intend to investigate and can go as far the number of generations you request.
We take as a beginning point the person you intend to investigate and can go as far the number of generations you request. A demand that at best can go back to the XVI century.
Our family trees boast a modern graphic line and as such may well be framed. We provide the tree in electronic form via e- mail and also a report with all details. We can also provide digital copies of the documents read, and exceptionally, and only if we are asked, we can ship by registered mail the simple photocopies of documentation and the report that supports the research.