Puerto Rico, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

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Foreign Language Title
Registro Civil y Demográfico de Puerto Rico

Collection Time Period
This collection contains civil records from 1836 to 2001. More specifically, the birth records include the years 1836 to 1931; the marriage records include the years 1836 to 1951; and the death records include the years 1836 to 2001.

Record History
The civil registration in Puerto Rico began to be implemented in early 1885. Before this time, the vital information of a person was registered in the Catholic Church parish records, which at that time had the official authority to justify the civil status of the citizens. At the beginning of the civil registration, the civil registries were maintained by the municipal courts. In 1904, the civil registries were transferred to the office of the municipal secretary. In 1931, the current civil code was approved. This code gave the organization a new name, the Demographic Registry Office of Puerto Rico (Registro Demográfico de Puerto Rico), and transferred the authority to the Health Department. Most records, with the exception of a few earlier records, have been preserved relatively for extracting genealogical information. The whole population of Puerto Rico living since 1885 is registered in these records. Many types of civil records are found in the Demographic Registries; however, this article describes only birth, marriage, and death records.

Why This Collection Was Created?
The Demographic Registry’s basic function and responsibility is to preserve all the vital data of the citizens of Puerto Rico, such as the registration of births, marriages, and deaths. The registry provides certified copies of all documents; makes legal corrections of errors, legal changes, and administrative changes; and recaps all the statistical information for the Health Department.

Record Reliability
The civil registration of Puerto Rico is a very reliable source for doing family history. In order to register an event, the person registering the event needs to provide various legal proofs of identification. The registry also allows 10 days to register a birth free of charge. After that, the person needs to pay a fee. This promotes the registration of all citizens in a timely manner.

Record Description
These are images of civil registration records for Puerto Rico. They include indexes and registers of births, marriages, deaths, and stillbirths. The older records are handwritten in narrative style, and the newer ones are handwritten in formatted records. All the records are written in Spanish.

Record Content
The key genealogical facts found in most birth records are: • Date and place of the event • Name of the principal • Child’s gender • Child’s date of birth • Legitimacy • Parents names, their residence and/or place of origin • Names of witnesse

The key genealogical facts found in most marriage records are: • Date and place of the event • Names of the bride and groom • Their civil status (widowed, single, divorce) at the time of the event • Place of origin and residence of the bride and groom • Names of parents

The key genealogical facts found in most death records are: • Place and date of the event • Place and date of death • Name of the principal (deceased) • Civil status of principal at time of death • Civil status and name of spouse, if married at time of death • Parent’s names • Sometimes, place of burial

How to Use the Record
The civil registration records in Puerto Rico are an excellent source for genealogical research after 1885. Important genealogical data can be found in these records, such as dates, marital status, places of events, names, and other personal data about individuals and other family members. The data may help to fill in information about even an earlier generation.

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Sources of This Collection
"Puerto Rico Civil Registration, 1836-2001," database, FamilySearch; from the Demographic Registry in San Juan, Puerto Rico. "Puerto Rico civil registration." Registro Demográfico de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

How to Cite Your Sources
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