Casamentos de Escravos, Forros e Livres, 1849-1867

The volume contains marriage records of enslaved, freed (forro), and free people registered in the Church of Nossa Senhora da Assunção de Cabo Frio, RJ between 29 Apr 1849 and 05 Apr 1867. It does not have an opening or closing charter. Entries were signed by the following clergy: Vicar José Francisco Ferraz Durão; Coadjutor Ignácio Felizardo Fortes; and parish priest (pároco) José Francisco Marques. Among others, the volume documents marriages between free white people and freed people of color (pardos forros); a marriage between an indigenous groom and an African-descended bride (fl.62v); a marriage between an indigenous groom and a white bride (fl 72f); marriages between free whites and freed people of color; and the marriages of Portuguese and French people. Some of the freed people have parents who remain enslaved, some of them belonging to Captain Manoel Furtado de Mendonça. Among enslaved brides and grooms appear a number of slaves belonging to Father Joaquim Gonçalves Porto, a major slaveholder. African ethnonyms/"nations" mentioned: Benguela and Rebolo. Among others, the volume documents the marriages of the following elites: Doctor José Vieira de Almeida, Bacharel Domingos de Oliveira Maria, Doctor Albino da Silva Maia (whose wedding was celebrated in the oratory of the plantation (fazenda) of Captain Antonio Garcia da Roza Terra in Porto do Carro), Doctor Carlos Augusto Ferraz de Abreu, and a mixed-race son of Lieutenant Colonel Antonio José de Souza, who was a native of the Vila da Barra de São João. Interestingly, formerly enslaved brides and grooms and/or slaves are frequently referred to as "innocents" (inocentes), a term usually reserved for children in baptismal and burial records. Physical characteristics: The volume is comprised of 199 numbered, sequential folios in good condition that have come loose from the binding. The cover is intact. Some of the folios are difficult to read due to ink damage. Dimensions: 33cm x 23cm. Owner(s) of original material: Arquivo da Cúria Metropolitana de Niterói.