Dearest Family Members & Friends

Welcome to my Goan Genealogy Site

My aim is to start with my paternal family from Moira, an idyllic village in 
the taluka (district) of Bardez in North Goa and show the relationships between 
individuals from this village and others through this family tree network.

I have been researching my Goan family history for a few years now and hope 
this site becomes a useful tool for family around the world to discover their 
roots and ancestry in Goa.  I think this quote is ideal to start with - "After 
coping with generations of wander-lust, that often snapped ties with their roots, 
Goans from far and near return with renewed interest to trace back their 
origins..." (Frederick Noronha)

In my opinion, Goa is the best place in the world to research your ancestors 
because of the well-kept colonial records, the village 'gaunkari' system 
and the rural networks of 'vangodd' (extended clans).  I began with oral 
traditions and now I have discovered so much from the wealth of information 
in the local church records and the Archives in Panjim.  To discover your roots 
you must also understand local customs, traditions, culture and history and Portuguese 
is essential to understand any historical records.

Please help me in my genealogical research and fill in the missing gaps and 
especially point out any corrections that I may need to make!  Not all the information 
on this site is correct, so please note that details have been collected from a 
variety of primary and secondary sources.  Enjoy viewing the family tree stretching 
back with individuals born in the 1600s!  I also recommend that you use the 
relationships tool to see how you are related to other family members!

Have fun, enjoy looking around and please leave a message on the Guest Book!

Richard S. De Souza