Historical Record Collections Added in March 2020

5.9 million records were added in March from two collections: a collection of death records from Pernambuco, Brazil, and an electoral rolls collection from New Zealand. This addition brings the total number of historical records on MyHeritage to 11,937,366,053.

Brazil, Pernambuco Deaths, 1930–2017

This collection consists of  3.1 million records from public and church cemeteries in Recife, the capital city of the state Pernambuco in Brazil. The majority of the records in this collection are exclusive to MyHeritage. The records may include the name of the deceased, gender, date of death, age at death, and often other important information such as the name of the person’s spouse, father, mother, and children.

All of the records from the five public cemeteries in the city of Recife are exclusive to MyHeritage. They include the Santo Amaro Cemetery, the Casa Amarela Cemetery, the Parque das Flores Cemetery, the Tejipió Cemetery, and the Várzea Cemetery. This collection also contains records from various churches in the Archdiocese of Recife, which manages cemeteries in partnership with the City Hall. The church records starting from 1964 onward are exclusive to MyHeritage. While most of the records in the collection are from 1930 to 2017, some records may predate or postdate this period.

This collection includes the death record of the famous Pernambuco artist, Vicente Murillo La Greca. Born and raised in Recife, La Greca left his hometown at age 18 to study art first in Rio de Janeiro and then later in Rome, Italy.

The Execution of Frei Caneca, painted by Murillo La Greca in 1924 [Credit: Collection of the Murillo La Greca Museum]

La Greca’s death record includes the date of his death, age at the time of death, and place of death. Our index contains these details and also infers an approximate birth date.

Death Record of Vicente Murillo La Greca, Brazil, Pernambuco Deaths, 1930–2017

Also in this collection is the death certificate of Brazilian broadcaster and politician, Paulo Marques Pessoa. After graduating from the Catholic University in Pernambuco in 1978, Paulo moved to Recife where he worked in the Radio and Television Division of the city’s press office. In 1981, Paulo left broadcasting when he was elected to the state legislature. In 1986, he was elected to the federal legislature. After an unsuccessful election campaign in 1990, he returned to his journalist roots and even worked as a columnist at the newspaper, Folha de Pernambuco. 

Paulo’s death certificate lists his date of death, age of death and details such as the cause of death and next of kin relatives. 

Death Certificate of Paulo Marques Pessoa, Brazil, Pernambuco Deaths, 1930–2017

Search Brazil, Pernambuco Deaths, 1930–2017

New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1881–1935

This collection of 2.8 million records provides information on persons in New Zealand who were registered to vote in 1881, 1893, 1896, 1911, 1925, and 1935. Records may include the following: given name, surname, and the electorate and region where the individual resided. The individual’s address, occupation, and elector number may also be viewable.

Electoral rolls can serve as a substitute for census listings. They are particularly important for genealogy work in New Zealand, because the earliest available census listing is from 1961.

In 1893, New Zealand became the first country to grant women the right to vote, due in no small part to the hard work of suffragist Kate Wilson Sheppard. Kate authored numerous articles and led moving protests for the cause. Ultimately, her petition with 30,000 signatures convinced the New Zealand Parliament to extend the right to vote to women in 1893. 

Her voter registration from the same year is indexed in this collection and contains details about her voter registration, address, and occupation.

Search New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1881–1935

Summary

Searching these collections on MyHeritage is free. To view these records or to save records to your family tree, you’ll need a Data or Complete subscription.

If you have a family tree on MyHeritage, our Record Matching technology will notify you automatically if records from these collections match your relatives. You’ll then be able to review the record and decide if you’d like to add the new information to your tree.

Enjoy the new collections!