Puerto Rico Finding Records: Difference between revisions
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<div id="fsButtons"><span class="online_records_button">[[Puerto Rico Online Genealogy Records]]</span></div> | <div id="fsButtons"><span class="online_records_button">[[Puerto Rico Online Genealogy Records]]</span></div> | ||
===Online Civil Registration=== | ===Online Civil Registration=== | ||
*'''1805-2001''' {{RecordSearch|1682798|Puerto Rico, Civil Registration, 1805-2001}} - at- [https://www.familysearch.org/search/ FamilySearch] - [[Puerto Rico Civil Registration Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]; index | *'''1805-2001''' {{RecordSearch|1682798|Puerto Rico, Civil Registration, 1805-2001}} - at- [https://www.familysearch.org/search/ FamilySearch] - [[Puerto Rico Civil Registration Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]; index and images, incomplete | ||
Births, marriages, deaths, indexes and other records created by civil registration offices in Puerto Rico. Some records may date prior to 1885 as a few municipalities began civil registration before that date. Some of these records have been indexed and are searchable as part of this collection. Additional indexed records will be published as they become available.<br> | Births, marriages, deaths, indexes and other records created by civil registration offices in Puerto Rico. Some records may date prior to 1885 as a few municipalities began civil registration before that date. Some of these records have been indexed and are searchable as part of this collection. Additional indexed records will be published as they become available.<br> | ||
The same collection is available on '''Ancestry.com'''. If you do not have a membership, you can search these records for free at a [[ | The same collection is available on '''Ancestry.com'''. If you do not have a membership, you can search these records for free at a [[Family History Centers|'''Family History Center''']]: | ||
*'''1885-2001''' [https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=9100 Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885-2001] at Ancestry — index | *'''1885-2001''' [https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=9100 Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885-2001] at [https://www.ancestry.com/search/ Ancestry] — index and images $ | ||
===Online Church Records=== | ===Online Church Records=== | ||
*'''1645-1969''' {{RecordSearch|1807092|Puerto Rico, Catholic Church Records, 1645-1969}} - at- [https://www.familysearch.org/search/ FamilySearch] - [[Puerto Rico Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]; index | *'''1645-1969''' {{RecordSearch|1807092|Puerto Rico, Catholic Church Records, 1645-1969}} - at- [https://www.familysearch.org/search/ FamilySearch] - [[Puerto Rico Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]; index and images<br> | ||
The Catholic Church records are from the Archdiocese of San Juan Historical Archive. They include records from the municipalities of: | The Catholic Church records are from the Archdiocese of San Juan Historical Archive. They include records from the municipalities of: | ||
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== Municipality == | == Municipality == | ||
To find church, civil or other records for your ancestor in Puerto Rico using the [https:// | To find church, civil or other records for your ancestor in Puerto Rico using the [https://familysearch.org/catalog-search FamilySearch catalog], you will need to know the various levels of jurisdictions (government or religious administrative divisions) in Puerto Rico. Only two locality levels are normally used. The country of Puerto Rico is divided into municipalities (municipios), and cities, towns, villages, etc. | ||
Under the municipality level you will find civil registration records. In large cities there may be several offices. Some small towns may not be their own municipality and therefore their records will not be kept in the town. You will need to determine the correct municipality or municipio in order to locate the civil registration records. Municipality records will be located in the [https:// | Under the municipality level you will find civil registration records. In large cities there may be several offices. Some small towns may not be their own municipality and therefore their records will not be kept in the town. You will need to determine the correct municipality or municipio in order to locate the civil registration records. Municipality records will be located in the [https://familysearch.org/catalog-search FamilySearch catalog] under the name of the municipio. | ||
== Church == | == Church == | ||
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== Records from FamilySearch == | == Records from FamilySearch == | ||
Once you have identified the name and jurisdiction of the town of your ancestors you will want to check the [https:// | Once you have identified the name and jurisdiction of the town of your ancestors you will want to check the [https://familysearch.org/catalog-search FamilySearch Catalog] and [https://familysearch.org/#form=historical_records FamilySearch Record Collections] for records about your ancestors. For more information about how to search the FamilySearch catalog you will want to read [[Using the FamilySearch Catalog|Using the FamilySearch Catalog]]. | ||
To search the catalog, as well as indexed records and images available online from FamilySearch, you will need to visit [https://familysearch.org/ FamilySearch.org]. To find the record collections for Puerto Rico, scroll down the page and click on [https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1®ion=CENTRAL_SOUTH_AMERICA Caribbean, Central and South America]. | To search the catalog, as well as indexed records and images available online from FamilySearch, you will need to visit [https://familysearch.org/ FamilySearch.org]. To find the record collections for Puerto Rico, scroll down the page and click on [https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1®ion=CENTRAL_SOUTH_AMERICA Caribbean, Central and South America]. | ||
Revision as of 13:16, 21 December 2020
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Online Records[edit | edit source]
Online Civil Registration[edit | edit source]
- 1805-2001 Puerto Rico, Civil Registration, 1805-2001 - at- FamilySearch - Puerto Rico Civil Registration Records - FamilySearch Historical Records; index and images, incomplete
Births, marriages, deaths, indexes and other records created by civil registration offices in Puerto Rico. Some records may date prior to 1885 as a few municipalities began civil registration before that date. Some of these records have been indexed and are searchable as part of this collection. Additional indexed records will be published as they become available.
The same collection is available on Ancestry.com. If you do not have a membership, you can search these records for free at a Family History Center:
- 1885-2001 Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885-2001 at Ancestry — index and images $
Online Church Records[edit | edit source]
- 1645-1969 Puerto Rico, Catholic Church Records, 1645-1969 - at- FamilySearch - Puerto Rico Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records; index and images
The Catholic Church records are from the Archdiocese of San Juan Historical Archive. They include records from the municipalities of:
|
|
|
|
Municipality[edit | edit source]
To find church, civil or other records for your ancestor in Puerto Rico using the FamilySearch catalog, you will need to know the various levels of jurisdictions (government or religious administrative divisions) in Puerto Rico. Only two locality levels are normally used. The country of Puerto Rico is divided into municipalities (municipios), and cities, towns, villages, etc.
Under the municipality level you will find civil registration records. In large cities there may be several offices. Some small towns may not be their own municipality and therefore their records will not be kept in the town. You will need to determine the correct municipality or municipio in order to locate the civil registration records. Municipality records will be located in the FamilySearch catalog under the name of the municipio.
Church[edit | edit source]
Church records are listed in the catalog under the city or town where the parish is located. A parish is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction where a Catholic priest serves and keeps records. The parish is usually named for a Saint and is located in the largest town in the parish jurisdiction. Large cities may have many parishes while a small town usually only have one.
Place Levels (Jurisdictions)[edit | edit source]
Places are usually written from smallest to largest on a family group record:
- Bayamón, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
- Barrios (city/town), Municipality (county), Country
The Civil Registration records are located at the county level, and you will need to know this to find the civil registration records in the FamilySearch Catalog.
When you want to include the parish, which is especially important in large cities, in your locality field you would write it in the following manner:
- San Mateo, Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Parish, Barrios (city/town), Municipality (county), Country
The parish of San Mateo is located in the barrios (city) of Santurce in the municipality (county) of San Juan.
To find your localities, see the following sources:[edit | edit source]
- A great resource is the Spanish Wikipedia page. It has a page for most of the municipalities of Puerto Rico, which tell you the history of the municipality and information about its creation.
- Google Maps is a great place to figure out distances between towns.
To find your Catholic parish, see the following sources:[edit | edit source]
- You can learn if your ancestor’s town or city had an established parish by checking a Catholic church directory. It will list the archdiocese officials and the dioceses with their parishes, so you can easily determine all nearby parishes. It may include historical information about each parish, and sometimes it provides addresses for parishes, the diocese headquarters, and the diocese archives where additional records may be kept.
If your ancestor came from a large city that had several parishes, you will need to know what section of the city he or she lived in to determine what parish he or she belonged to. However, in a large city such as San Juan, you may find that even if you know the closest parish, sometimes the family went to the cathedral or the parish of a relative in the same city for the baptism of a child. If you do not find the complete family in the home parish, search the surrounding parishes of the city.
If your family lived in a very small village that did not have an established parish, you will need to check a map, church directory, or gazetteer to determine which nearby town had a parish.
Records from FamilySearch[edit | edit source]
Once you have identified the name and jurisdiction of the town of your ancestors you will want to check the FamilySearch Catalog and FamilySearch Record Collections for records about your ancestors. For more information about how to search the FamilySearch catalog you will want to read Using the FamilySearch Catalog.
To search the catalog, as well as indexed records and images available online from FamilySearch, you will need to visit FamilySearch.org. To find the record collections for Puerto Rico, scroll down the page and click on Caribbean, Central and South America.