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Music: Hijos del Cañaveral by Residente ©2017 I do not own the rights to this music.
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What is this website all about? |
Josefina Montalvo y Rodriguez
After decades sifting, searching, and scribing information about my Puerto Rican family history, I thought it might be time to pay it forward. During the early years of the internet, a few sites popped up to give me some insight into what was possible to find in the area of Puerto Rican genealogy but online records were scarce and the web not yet so vast. Those sites only got me so far. Sadly, as the years have passed, the first websites have been forgotten and become outdated, just as the documents have been scanned and made searchable. Having obsolete websites as my only references, I had to forge ahead on my own. Now, I have amassed quite a large family tree with photos and documents and DNA. So all this information sitting in my head led me to want to provide a starting point for Puerto Rican genealogy newbies. Especially for those living on the stateside. A platform, you might say, to jump off from into your journey of family history that passed through Puerto Rico.
First things first: Grab a cup of café con leche, a notepad, your computer, and your mom. (Tell your dad that he’s next.) She will be the best source of information to begin with. Very often, women are the keepers of information for both sides of the family. Of course, if your abuela is around, she should be next on your list. Begin with one side (maternal/paternal) before moving on to the next or your notes will be confusing especially if there are shared surnames. Poke around and find out who the family genealogist was before you. There is one in every family. You may find out that a great-aunt or uncle (Tio/a Abuela) may be a treasure trove of information. Jot down names, dates and places of birth and death. If you already have a tree set up on your computer (see below), you can add directly on as people are speaking. Go as far back as each person can offer. As you are listening, keep in mind that Puerto Ricans often use nicknames but if you are going to be researching, it is important to use full/formal names. Click on the Given Names button above to see more information about Puerto Rican nicknames and other naming practices.
It is important to get both last names as well. One of the many great things about Puerto Ricans is that they used both paternal and maternal surnames in addition to sometimes adding a married name, for example: Josefina Colon y Perez de Rivera. This person may have been known to relatives as: Fina Rivera, especially if she moved to the mainland United States but this shortened version is not going to be helpful as you research because Fina isn't a formal name and Rivera, her married name, is an extremely common surname (and women in Puerto Rico use their birth surnames). Small towns in Puerto Rico often had several generations of the same family living in them so having all the surnames will help in finding relatives. For more information on naming practices go to the Given Names or Surnames pages.
After you have a few names, you should set up a family tree on your computer. Writing too much information on paper can be confusing and eventually misleading if you were to write something in the wrong place. Without boxes and lines, your information will be squished and you may not have information in the correct order. Years ago, I bought a beautiful family tree book (which is now out of print) but I only write in it once a person is vetted and verified in order to avoid permanent mistakes. The downsides to writing in a book is that it only clearly records direct ancestors and my family has tons of primos that I want to record. Puerto Rican genealogy inevitably leads to lots and lots of cousins. Also, it doesn't provide enough space to record as far back as I have gotten. Of course, a good notepad is necessary to write notes about leads such as: occupations, dates, rumors, new people and the like. It is easy to get caught up in the next discovery and forget the pending questions and mysteries that sometimes just need to sit in a notebook until you have time to think about it and are able to move on and or go back to and make connections. So, my advice is to choose a computer-based tree and a really nice journal. They are designed to add many people, pictures, and make changes easily. Once you set it up, check out Genealogy Research.
First things first: Grab a cup of café con leche, a notepad, your computer, and your mom. (Tell your dad that he’s next.) She will be the best source of information to begin with. Very often, women are the keepers of information for both sides of the family. Of course, if your abuela is around, she should be next on your list. Begin with one side (maternal/paternal) before moving on to the next or your notes will be confusing especially if there are shared surnames. Poke around and find out who the family genealogist was before you. There is one in every family. You may find out that a great-aunt or uncle (Tio/a Abuela) may be a treasure trove of information. Jot down names, dates and places of birth and death. If you already have a tree set up on your computer (see below), you can add directly on as people are speaking. Go as far back as each person can offer. As you are listening, keep in mind that Puerto Ricans often use nicknames but if you are going to be researching, it is important to use full/formal names. Click on the Given Names button above to see more information about Puerto Rican nicknames and other naming practices.
It is important to get both last names as well. One of the many great things about Puerto Ricans is that they used both paternal and maternal surnames in addition to sometimes adding a married name, for example: Josefina Colon y Perez de Rivera. This person may have been known to relatives as: Fina Rivera, especially if she moved to the mainland United States but this shortened version is not going to be helpful as you research because Fina isn't a formal name and Rivera, her married name, is an extremely common surname (and women in Puerto Rico use their birth surnames). Small towns in Puerto Rico often had several generations of the same family living in them so having all the surnames will help in finding relatives. For more information on naming practices go to the Given Names or Surnames pages.
After you have a few names, you should set up a family tree on your computer. Writing too much information on paper can be confusing and eventually misleading if you were to write something in the wrong place. Without boxes and lines, your information will be squished and you may not have information in the correct order. Years ago, I bought a beautiful family tree book (which is now out of print) but I only write in it once a person is vetted and verified in order to avoid permanent mistakes. The downsides to writing in a book is that it only clearly records direct ancestors and my family has tons of primos that I want to record. Puerto Rican genealogy inevitably leads to lots and lots of cousins. Also, it doesn't provide enough space to record as far back as I have gotten. Of course, a good notepad is necessary to write notes about leads such as: occupations, dates, rumors, new people and the like. It is easy to get caught up in the next discovery and forget the pending questions and mysteries that sometimes just need to sit in a notebook until you have time to think about it and are able to move on and or go back to and make connections. So, my advice is to choose a computer-based tree and a really nice journal. They are designed to add many people, pictures, and make changes easily. Once you set it up, check out Genealogy Research.
Building a Digital Family Tree
There may be others but you need to be careful as to what is private vs public. At Ancestry.com, I am able to keep living people hidden even in a public tree. Years ago I had a page on Genealogy.com, and I inadvertently published a descendant report that had names and birthdays of living people which I later realized left people vulnerable to identity theft. It took a bit of work to remove it. In this day in age, it is imperative to keep personal information private until you are sure about a connection. |
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Send in your story!
What is YOUR family's story? Where did they settle in the states? |
What is YOUR family's story? From where did they originate in Puerto Rico? |
Each submission should be no more than 2- 3 paragraphs . Please specify the neighborhood, city/town, and state, decade, as well as town of origin in Puerto Rico.
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"You know, you may not be born in Puerto Rico, but Puerto Rican is definitely born in you." - Rosie Perez
