Puerto Rico Getting Started
Contents
Puerto Rico Getting Started[edit | edit source]
Where to Start[edit | edit source]
- Write down what you know
- Gather records you may already have
- Organize what you know
- Contact family for any useful information, stories, and records they may have.
- Know the town of origin:
Probably the most important piece of information you will need to begin research in Puerto Rico is the name of a specific town in Puerto Rico where your ancestor lived.
- Ask for help
Puerto Rico Finding Records[edit | edit source]
Types of Records[edit | edit source]
- Jurisdctions
Places are usually written from smallest to largest:
- Barrios, Municipality, Country
When a church parish is known it is written in this manner:
- Parish, Barrios, Municipality, Country
- Civil registration: The system by which a government records the vital events (births, marriages, and deaths) of its citizens and residents.
- Catholic church records: Baptisms or christenings, marriages, and burials created by Catholic churches.
Online Records[edit | edit source]
- The most up to date Puerto Rico online records:
Puerto Rico Online Genealogy Records
- Civil registration records online:The Civil Registration records are located on the municipality level,
Puerto Rico Guided Research contains links to civil registration collections.
- Church Records: FamilySearch has Catholic Church records from the Archdiocese of San Juan Historical Archive.
Puerto Rico Guided Research contains links to Catholic Church collections.
Puerto Rico Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records is a wiki article describing the Catholic Church Records collection.
Puerto Rico Quick Start Guide[edit | edit source]
Research Strategies[edit | edit source]
- Who to search for?
If you don’t know the names of the parents, but you know the name of a spouse and/or the names of some of the children:
- begin with a marriage search
- search for the birth/baptism record for one of the children
Names and Locations Known[edit | edit source]
- Puerto Rico: Ancestor's birth, marriage, or death location and names of parents, children, or spouse are known:
Puerto Rico Guided Research contains links to the best record resources
Names and Locations Unknown[edit | edit source]
- Puerto Rico: Ancestor's birth, marriage, or death location and names of parents, children, or spouse are NOT known:
Guided Research What else you can try gives additional guidance and resources to find information for your ancestor.
Finding a locality[edit | edit source]
- Wikipedia (Spanish version works the best)
- Try a keyword search in the FamilySearch Catalog for Puerto Rico Gazetteers
Online resources[edit | edit source]
For other online resources please review the Wiki article Hispanic Genealogy Resources Online
