Puerto Rico, Agricultural Schedules of the 1935 Special Census - FamilySearch Historical Records

Puerto Rico

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of images of the agricultural schedules from the census taken in 1935 by the Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration under the supervision of the United States Bureau of Census. Production items relate to the year 1935 and the other items to December 1, 1935.

Document sections are represented by Roman Numerals (e.g., I, II, III, etc.).


 * Sections I and II contain genealogical information. Section VI also gives the race and number of people living on the land.
 * Sections III-XI only contain information pertaining to the land itself, if any and number of animals, and the type and number of machinery used on that land.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish and French.For help reading these records see the following guides: If you speak Spanish, the following free online lesson may be helpful to learn how to use the information in these records: If you speak French, the following guides may be helpful:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2
 * Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish
 * French Word List
 * France Language and Languages

What Can these Records Tell Me?
Sections I-II of the census include the following information:


 * Name of the manager/operator of each farm
 * Address or residence
 * Race
 * Date the manager/operator began working the land
 * Other occupation(s)
 * Name of other people that pieces of the land have been leased to
 * Address of other people that pieces of the land have been leased to
 * Name of owner and whether he is living or deceased

Sections III-XI of the census include the following:


 * Acreage
 * Value and indebtedness
 * Number of farm buildings and inhabitant
 * Crops for sale
 * Number and kind of domesticated animals
 * Details about machinery used on farm

The Informe del Enumerador (Enumerator Report) gives the:


 * Municipality (Municipalidad)
 * District number
 * Name of district (barrio)
 * The Numero de la finca en orden de visita just states what number this land is in the order the enumerator visited.
 * E.D. stands for Enumeration District and is the number assigned by the Census Bureau to this district for census purposes (i.e., how the Census Bureau tracks and enumerates parcels of land).

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before using this collection it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence
 * Estimated marriage or birth year

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information you find to your records
 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference; see the section Citing this Collection for assistance. Save or print a copy of the image
 * Use the information found in the record to find other records such as emigrations, port records, and ship’s manifests.
 * Use the record to see if other family members who may have immigrated with the person you are looking for are listed and have additional information or leads; you may also find additional information on new family members in censuses.
 * Use the information found in the record to find land and probate records.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names. Transcription errors could occur in any handwritten record; also, it was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name. Click here for a list of Spanish name abbreviations
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records.
 * Check other possible ports of entry records to find more generations of the family.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Puerto Rico.
 * Puerto Rico Finding Records
 * Research Tips and Strategies

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.