Utuado, Puerto Rico Genealogy

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

History
Utuado was founded October 12, 1739, by Sebastian de Morfi. The firat settlers to Utuado was because a Gold Rush in the area in the 1600-1700's. During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Utuado's population continued to grow as coffee gained in importance and growers saw the need for high altitudes and mountainous terrain to produce the best coffee beans. People not only migrated from the Puerto Rican coastal towns but also from Ireland (Founder Sebastian de Morfi = Sebastian Murphy), Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands of Majorca and Menorca, all seeking the riches that coffee had to offer.

Hurricane Maria in 2017 triggered many landslides in Utuado. In many areas of Utuado there were more than 25 landslides per square mile due to the large amount of rainfall.

In the United States census of 2010 listed the population as: 33,100.

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, 1805-2001

 * Puerto Rico, Civil Registration, 1805-2001, index, incomplete
 * Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885-2001, index, incomplete
 * Puerto Rico, Civil Registration, Utuado, 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.

Online Records

 * 1645-1969 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

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