South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region, Nicaragua Genealogy

Guide to South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, church records, parish registers, and civil registration.

History

 * On September 12, 1502, Christopher Columbus reached the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, at the point of Cabo Gracias a Dios, then skirted the coast to the mouth of the so-called Río del Desastre (Río Grande de Matagalpa).
 * The English begin the occupation of the Mosquitia, with opposition from the Spanish Crown, from the year 1633.
 * The first English colonies emerged in Bluefields and Cabo Gracias a Dios, composed of a few whites, Indians and mostly blacks. The English dedicated themselves to trade and agriculture on the banks of the Coco River and the Escondido River, planting sugar cane and indigo.
 * Depended on the labor of black slaves brought from Jamaica.
 * On February 12, 1894, 350 Nicaraguan soldiers took possession of the city of Bluefields, while the population slept. Soldiers seized government buildings and the Mosquitia Reserve archives, and then raised the Nicaraguan flag.
 * King Robert Henry Clarence and his Government were declared rebels.
 * The King was then rescued by the British and taken aboard a ship to Jamaica, where he received asylum and pension for life.
 * The South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region was founded on October 30, 1987.
 * The South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region has a population of approximately 415,000 people.

Municipalities in South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region
The following municipalities were part of Zelaya Central Department before 1986, but now belong to South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region:

Civil Registration

 * See the municipality.

Church Records

 * See the municipality.

Court Records

 * Expedientes judiciales del ramo penal, 1877-1978 - Click on the link to see the records’ availability.
 * Expedientes judiciales del ramo civil, 1911-1971 - Click on the link to see the records’ availability.

Cemeteries

 * 1922-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Indexed cemeteries in South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region at FindAGrave