Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885-2001

Civil registration in Puerto Rico began in 1885. Prior to that, registrations of vital events were kept by the Catholic Church, which was the predominant religion. This collection includes registrations of births, marriages, and deaths in Puerto Rico, which at the start of civil registration was a colony of Spain and after the Spanish-American War in 1898, a protectorate of the U.S.

Civil registration typically took place within a few days of the event, although the gap was sometimes longer. Pay close attention to differentiate the date of the registration versus the actual event date. This collection also includes a few records for events that occurred as early as 1836 but weren’t registered until later. For example, you may find a record for an 1852 birth that wasn’t registered until 1912.

Birth records generally include:

• name of the registrant (who may be the father), age, marital status, occupation, origin, and residence
• date, time, and place of birth
• name of the child and legitimacy
• names of parents, their age, marital status, occupation, origins, and residence
• grandparents’ names, origins, and whether deceased
• date and place of registration

Marriage records can include:

• groom’s name, age, race, marital status, occupation, residence, and origin
• bride’s name, age, race, marital status, occupation, residence, and origin
• names of both sets of parents, origins, age, race, occupation, residence
• name and age of person giving consent (usually bride’s father)
• date and place of the declaration
• date and place of the marriage
• names of witnesses, marital status, occupation, origins, and residence

Death records may contain the following details:

Medical certificate

• name of the deceased (married women’s death records may be registered with her married name or maiden name)
• decedent’s age, marital status, residence, and race
• date and time of death
• cause of death
• informant’s name and relationship to the decedent

Death declaration

• informant’s name, age, marital status, occupation, origins, residence, and relationship to the deceased
• decedent’s name, origin, age, race, marital status, occupation, residence
• date, time, place, and cause of death
• parents of the decedent and their origins
• grandparents of the decedent
• burial place
• date and place of registration