The Mesa do Desembargo do Paço, institution created in 1808, when Court arrived in Brazil, acted in three important moments of the familiar life: the coice of guardianship to under age persons, the emancipation of the ones that haven't reached the legal age of maturity and, at last, the legitimation of illegitimated children. In this article the author analyses the importance of the documentation, holding bt the National Archives of Brazil, to the Brazilian familiar history.
