Aguada, Puerto Rico Genealogy

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

History
The island of Puerto Rico was believed to been entered into by Christopher Columbus in 1493 via the port of Aguada. Over the ensuing years, the name of the town was changed as often as control of the area changed governments. In 1529, the local Tainos (indigenous people), burned down the Monastery built by King Charles ll of Spain, killing the friars and burning it down. Aguada became a stopover point for ships on their way to Spain from Various posts in South America. The port was also the main place for mail between South America and Puerto Rico. In 1898, Puerto Rico became a territory of the United States under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. Early in the 20th century, the town of Aguada was affected by two major disasters. In 1912 there was a huge fire that destroyed most of the town buildings such as the city hall which contained all the city archives. In 1918, the San Fermin earthquake destroyed the church and many other structures within the town. As of 2010, the current population was 41,959. The economy of Aguada is based on sugarcane, cattle, and wood products.

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, Aguada, 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