Genealogy Research Surnames Ancestry Records Puerto Rican DNA Nicknames explained About Who's Who Historical Resources Blog Puerto Rican Migration Language& Culture of Spain Old World Names Pueblos Tales from the States Hometown Cuentos. Civil registration in Puerto Rico began in 1885. Prior to that, registrations of vital events were kept by the Catholic Church, which was the predominant religion. This collection includes registrations of births, marriages, and deaths in Puerto Rico, which at the start of civil registration was a colony of Spain and after the Spanish-American.
Puerto Rican Genealogy/Hispanic Genealogy
Before embarking on a search for your ancestors from Puerto Rico, it is very important to have a good background in the history and culture of Puerto Rico. Most birth, marriage and death records are kept at the local or town level so it is crucial to know the town(s) your ancestors came from. Additionally, it is important to know that the Catholic Church played a large role in Puerto Rican Society. Church records, also kept at the local level, provide valuable information about baptisms, marriages, First Communions, Confirmations, etc. A solid understanding of the roots of Hispanic surnames or family names is necessary because on official records, both the maternal and paternal surnames were used. Having an understanding of these names will help in the record deciphering process. Below is a list of books that cover much of the background understanding that will aid in a successful genealogy search. There are also a number of websites which are great sources for searching records and all of the websites listed below have detailed explanations and directions about how to best go about a search.
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Compiled 2019
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