Searching for that Enslaved Ancestor
Many, and for some unknown reason, believe that slavery in Puerto Rico existed only on the eastern part of the island. The reality is that slavery existed throughout the entire island. There was no imaginary line separating the two sides. Thinking this way will lead people down the wrong path in finding their ancestors. There…
Culebra Church Records 1896 – 1976
Culebra, known as the last Virgin Island, sits off the coast of Puerto Rico to the east. The island wasn’t always inhabited by those from the island but finally in 1880 people began migrating to the island. In the past, the island had prior inhabitants, including pirates. Note that Culebra consists of the main island…
Digitzed San Lorenzo Church Records
While there are many records in Caguas going back to the 1700s, that isn’t the case for San Lorenzo. San Lorenzo was founded in 1737 and was initially known as San Miguel de Hato Grande and later people simply called it Hato Grande. I had previously posted about the 1884 Census that is in excellent…
Cidra Church Record in Puerto Rico
Cidra, known as “Town of the Eternal Spring”, is located in the eastern central region of Puerto Rico. Its location is just north of Cayey; south of Comerío and Aguas Buenas; east of Aibonito; and west of Caguas. The town was founded in 1809. Knowing this information is important since you’ll need this information as…
Aibonito Church Books in Puerto Rico
Researching Puerto Rico ancestry is not as difficult today as it was in many years past. Today, there are hundreds of records available online. This post is about Aibonito and the available online church records. Aibonito is a small municipality that sits in the mountainous area of Puerto Rico. It is surrounded by Coamo, Barranquitas,…
Manumission Records of Slaves in Jamaica
One of the terms that many of us that descend from enslaved ancestors know is the word manumission. Manumission is the term used when referencing the freedom of those that were enslaved. The term is used when individuals managed to attain their freedom, whether through the slaveholder freeing them or through the enslaved person purchasing…