Digitized Ponce Church Records 1835 to 1948
Ponce was established in 1692 and had settled prior to this year. While churches did exist prior to 1836, it is the earliest records that were filmed for the region. I cannot say if books prior to this date exist and if they do, they were never filmed. Most importantly, Ponce has a large connection…
Joseph Vaguizu – An Infant Slave in Puerto Rico
I’ve edited this post with the following… I want to thank the source of this record, an individual who is collecting records for Toa Alta. I wanted his okay before putting his name out there. I cannot thank Angel Perez-Galarza enough for providing me with numerous images on those that were enslaved. This record is…
Ceiba Digitized Church Records 1840 – 1978
As I move forward in transcribing more records for different municipalities, I am discovering regions where I do not believe I have any ancestors but also how vast this island actually is. While I see many comments that slavery existed on the eastern part of the island, the truth is that it existed everywhere equally…
Digitized Maunabo San Isidro Labrador Records 1800 – 1935
Many of the municipalities and towns names in Puerto Rico originate from the indigenous people that populated the island, the Tainos. Their history and existence can be found throughout the island. The majority of people who identify their ancestry to the island are now discovering through DNA that almost all of us have connection to…
Caguas Digitized Church Records 1730 – 1968
While Caguas in Puerto Rico records start in 1730, there are many records that have been lost prior to this year. It is quite unfortunate as many questions remain unanswered regarding those that live in this region prior to this year. We can only get a glimpse of those ancestors via the death books. This…
Manumitted Enslaved People in Puerto Rico
Most people do not realize that slavery still existed on the island of Puerto Rico well after the United States had freed those enslaved. In Puerto Rico, slavery ended in 1873 by the Spanish National Assembly. However, those enslaved were not exactly free, they had to work for an additional 3 years for those that…