Puerto Rican Documents
When looking for Puerto Rican documents, you may find yourself frustrated by the misspellings of your ancestors. I have written to ancestry and Family Tree many times suggesting that they need to have Spanish-speaking editors to review the entries. The misspellings are so egregious that it makes my brain hurt.
If I don't speak Spanish, how do I get information from documents?
There are many documents from Puerto Rico for you to search for family records. Most of them however, are in Spanish. Even the US census records. Below I have included documents with explanations and terms to help you navigate and get the information you need whether you speak Spanish or not! When researching Puerto Rican Civil Records you will find a treasure trove of information but you should keep in mind that they will not all look the same or have the same information for the following reasons:
Don't forget to check out my page about Given Names, which will help confirm or flesh out first names. Puerto Ricans are notorious for their use of nicknames and middle names. However, legal documents required formal, usually Christian names. This can create confusion when searching for documents because these legal names may be unknown to descendants. For example: My bisabulea (great-grandmother) was known to me always as Luisa. Imagine my surprise when I discovered after much searching that her official name in fact was Eustaquia Maria Luisa. It was only then that I was able to find more information about her. One of my abuelos was known as Quíque. I didn't realize until I was a teenager that this was the nickname for his middle name, Enrique.
Birthdates can be tricky also. You may run into a relative celebrating a birthday in January but records list an April birthdate. This occurred more often in rural areas due to the difficulty getting into town to declare new births. The declarations may have happened many months (even years) after the fact and sometimes the birth date was recorded as the date of the declaration instead of the actual birth. Sometimes, it was due to the fact that many households didn't have paper and writing utensils and thus left the birthdate to the memory. Also, the declarant may have not been the parents but instead a relative that was providing several birth declarations at once. This obviously leaves room for mistakes in the record and in memory. This common scenario means a Puerto Rican ancestor may have several birthdates (day and year) listed on different documents. The need for specificity for dates in earlier centuries was not like it is today. You may find a birth certificate with a February date and a military record with a March date. In that case, be sure to use both dates in your records when searching for information.
I(n addition, when looking at census records, keep in mind that every person did not answer the census enumerator for themself. The census taker would speak with whomever they could and that person may have been making estimates based on what they could remember. Be careful not to discard leads based on dates that may be a few days or years off. Marriage and military records tend to be the most accurate because they are first-person accounts of the birthdate.
Also when looking at census records, be sure to always examine the original images. I have found an overwhelming number of records are transcribed incorrectly. This is due to the fact that the transcribers are not Spanish speakers nor are familiar with Spanish names or Puerto Rican culture. Thus, you will find people listed in race column as 'black' because the transcriber did not understand that in Spanish, the B stands for 'blanco' which is 'white' in English. Sometimes the census taker listed labels such as mulatto or trigueño which don't have a translation in the American labeling system. This was due to the fact mentioned above: census takers didn't always get the most accurate information from the person home at the time. In addition, if the census taker was local person, they may have written their own assessment of the household, including writing trigueño or attributing the incorrect surname to children because they assumed they knew the family situation. For example, my great-great grandmother (tatarabuela) Bernabela Feliciano had more than 10 children with Justo Garcia, they never married and she registered with the surname Feliciano. However, on the 1910 census, a neighbor was the census taker and knew Justo was the father and listed the children's surname as Garcia. This is fact was incorrect. Bernabela was fierce about her children NOT using Garcia. In the same census but in a different household, her eldest son, my great-grandfather Leonardo, was also listed with the surname Garcia as well as his children. However, he used his legal name of Leonardo Feliciano his entire life. It was shocking to see him listed with the surname Garcia! It took some investigating to figure out the solution to this mystery. Since no one but the government ever saw the census records, no one had any idea that this ever happened.
If you are looking at records, the censuses particularly, it will be useful to look at Family Relationships. This will help you to see how the people living in one dwelling are related.
- Type - birth, marriage, death
- Town - municipalities' documents vary slightly
- Year - records range from 1885 - 21st century (some may be entirely handwritten, a combination, or mostly typed).
Don't forget to check out my page about Given Names, which will help confirm or flesh out first names. Puerto Ricans are notorious for their use of nicknames and middle names. However, legal documents required formal, usually Christian names. This can create confusion when searching for documents because these legal names may be unknown to descendants. For example: My bisabulea (great-grandmother) was known to me always as Luisa. Imagine my surprise when I discovered after much searching that her official name in fact was Eustaquia Maria Luisa. It was only then that I was able to find more information about her. One of my abuelos was known as Quíque. I didn't realize until I was a teenager that this was the nickname for his middle name, Enrique.
Birthdates can be tricky also. You may run into a relative celebrating a birthday in January but records list an April birthdate. This occurred more often in rural areas due to the difficulty getting into town to declare new births. The declarations may have happened many months (even years) after the fact and sometimes the birth date was recorded as the date of the declaration instead of the actual birth. Sometimes, it was due to the fact that many households didn't have paper and writing utensils and thus left the birthdate to the memory. Also, the declarant may have not been the parents but instead a relative that was providing several birth declarations at once. This obviously leaves room for mistakes in the record and in memory. This common scenario means a Puerto Rican ancestor may have several birthdates (day and year) listed on different documents. The need for specificity for dates in earlier centuries was not like it is today. You may find a birth certificate with a February date and a military record with a March date. In that case, be sure to use both dates in your records when searching for information.
I(n addition, when looking at census records, keep in mind that every person did not answer the census enumerator for themself. The census taker would speak with whomever they could and that person may have been making estimates based on what they could remember. Be careful not to discard leads based on dates that may be a few days or years off. Marriage and military records tend to be the most accurate because they are first-person accounts of the birthdate.
Also when looking at census records, be sure to always examine the original images. I have found an overwhelming number of records are transcribed incorrectly. This is due to the fact that the transcribers are not Spanish speakers nor are familiar with Spanish names or Puerto Rican culture. Thus, you will find people listed in race column as 'black' because the transcriber did not understand that in Spanish, the B stands for 'blanco' which is 'white' in English. Sometimes the census taker listed labels such as mulatto or trigueño which don't have a translation in the American labeling system. This was due to the fact mentioned above: census takers didn't always get the most accurate information from the person home at the time. In addition, if the census taker was local person, they may have written their own assessment of the household, including writing trigueño or attributing the incorrect surname to children because they assumed they knew the family situation. For example, my great-great grandmother (tatarabuela) Bernabela Feliciano had more than 10 children with Justo Garcia, they never married and she registered with the surname Feliciano. However, on the 1910 census, a neighbor was the census taker and knew Justo was the father and listed the children's surname as Garcia. This is fact was incorrect. Bernabela was fierce about her children NOT using Garcia. In the same census but in a different household, her eldest son, my great-grandfather Leonardo, was also listed with the surname Garcia as well as his children. However, he used his legal name of Leonardo Feliciano his entire life. It was shocking to see him listed with the surname Garcia! It took some investigating to figure out the solution to this mystery. Since no one but the government ever saw the census records, no one had any idea that this ever happened.
If you are looking at records, the censuses particularly, it will be useful to look at Family Relationships. This will help you to see how the people living in one dwelling are related.
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Puerto Rican Birth Records
I highlighted a birth document below from 1910 with the most important pieces of information highlighted. Puerto Rican birth records from 1885 to around 1900 often list not only parents but grandparents. If the grandparents are listed usually their hometowns and ages will also be indicated. Unfortunately, in many towns, by the 1920s the birth certificates modernize and have very little information.
Puerto Rican Marriage Certificates
You can find a crazy good amount of information from a marriage certificate. The one highlighted here is from 1919. Sadly, by the 1930s, the marriage certificates modernized and provided much less information.
1. Act of Matrimony
2. Names of bride and groom 3. Town of matrimony 4. Date, year 5. Witnesses 6. Age of groom 7. Previous marital status 8. Profession of groom 9. Hometown 10. Neighborhood in current town 11. Bride name 12/13. Age, previous marital status 14 -16. profession, hometown, current neighborhood of residence 17/18. Groom: Birth legitimacy, father's name 19-21. Hometown of father, age, race 22-24. Marital status, profession, current residence 25. Groom: mother's name 26-28. Hometown of mother, age 29-32. Race, marital status, profession, current residence, living status 33. Bride: Birth legitimacy, father's name 34-40. Hometown of father, age, race, marital status, profession, current residence, living status 41. Bride: mother's name 42-48. Hometown of mother, age, race, marital status, profession, current residence, living status 49. Information about previous marriage 50. Information about witnesses |
Puerto Rican Death Certificates
I highlighted a death certificate below from 1938 with the most important pieces of information highlighted. Each is labeled by number. Below the document is an explanation of each. The labels are numbered using the numbers on the record. Some numbers are intentinoally skipped. Keep in mind that this is a death certificate from the 20th century so much of the information is a typed template. Earlier documents are handwritten. *Not available on the mobile site
1 - Town of Record
1a - Neighborhood or section of the town (This is helpful in finding the particular section a family comes from in the census.) 2 - Name of the deceased 4 - Years of residency in town of death (This may help authenticate a move by the person or family.) 6 - Gender of person of record 7 - Skin color or race (as idenitifed by the person documenting) 8 - Marital status at time of death 8a - Name of Spouse 10 - Age at time of death 15 - Native town of deceased/ record will indicate either legitimo (legitimate) or natural (illegitimate) 16/17 - Father's name and hometown 18/19 - Mother's name and hometown 24 - Date of death (mil novecientos = 1900/ mil ochocientos = 1800) 25 - Cause of death |
Puerto Rican Military Documents
Military documents can be very informative. In 1917-1918 and again in 1942, the United States government required every male over the age of 18, to register for the draft for World War I and II. Military documents are unique in that draft cards were double sided and the best information is on the backside. When looking at the images, always check the next image in the roll. These documents can provide solid information about your ancestors such as spouses and physical characteristics.
World War I documents were printed in Spanish. World War II cards were printed in English with some questions in both English and Spanish.
It is important to keep in mind - always examine the original image!
World War I documents were printed in Spanish. World War II cards were printed in English with some questions in both English and Spanish.
It is important to keep in mind - always examine the original image!
The 65th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army is commonly known as the Borinqueneers. This regiment served in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. In 2016, the US Congress recognized the Borinqueneers by awarding the members of the regiment the Congressional Gold Medal.
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"I was born in Puerto Rico...And my blood is taino....Spanish Caribbean in my soul" - Paul Simon, from Songs from the Capeman