Ciales, Puerto Rico Genealogy

Guide to Municipality of Ciales family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

History
The town of Ciales was founded on June 24, 1820, by Isidro Rodríguez and was originally named Villa Lacy, after the Spanish General, Luis de Lacy. History also mentions that Celis was named after a family of early settlers in the region.

Their economy is mostly agricultural, coffee being the primary crop. The government has set up a development program by sponsoring some factories: The leading manufacturer of refrigerated trailers in the world. Also, a tobacco factory.

Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, which left all municipalities, including Ciales, without power for months. Massive rainfall and landslides affected many areas of Puerto Rico.

As of the U.S. Census records of 2010, the population was 18,782.

Civil Registration
More recent records are protected by privacy laws. However, close relatives can request them for genealogy.
 * Puerto Rico Birth, Death, Marriage Certificates

Online Records

 * Puerto Rico, Civil Registration, 1805-2001, index, incomplete
 * Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885-2001, index, incomplete
 * Puerto Rico, Civil Registration, Ciales, browse images
 * — index

Church Records
Until the church records of this municipality are digitized and published online, write to the local Catholic Church for records prior to 1876. To find the address of the local parish, consult the Catholic Directory. For help with writing your letter or e-mail, use the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy. If it seems that the priest would prefer to correspond in Spanish, use the Spanish Letter Writing Guide.

Census Records
Search the 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 census records for information about your Puerto Rican ancestors who were there during that time period. Click here to go to the Puerto Rico Census Page