Cidra, Puerto Rico Church Book Indexes 1818 to 1937

Early History

Cidra, Puerto Rico, has an exciting history that dates back to the Taíno region of Cubuy. Chief Caguax oversaw Cidra and covered a significant portion of the center of Puerto Rico. Not many records show the region’s population after the Spanish colonization. Still, according to historical documents, a Catalan named Frujols built a shrine in 1795, where a small village settled. The settlement became a ward of Cayey until 1807, when Victoriano de Rivera asked the Governor for permission to establish an independent town. Later, Bibiana Vazquez donated the land needed, and Governor Salvador Melendez approved the petition. Wenceslao Vazquez took the lead quickly after Victoriano de Rivera became ill.

Cidra, at the time, had 26 houses and 11 huts; its name comes from the citron fruit. Following its foundation, a church and city hall were built. By 1822, there were already two public schools in town. Two years later, a road connecting the city with Caguas was built. In 1868, the population of Cidra was more than 5,000 residents, including European immigrants and enslaved people.

Cidra Districts

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Cidra is subdivided into barrios.

Personal Notes and Observations

It seems like reviewing Cidra’s church books is quite a challenge. The earlier books are difficult to view due to issues due to water stains, and some of the records have faded over time, making it difficult to make out the documents. It’s essential to remember that many of the residents in the area migrated from other places. Try to check out Cayey, Naranjito, Bayamon, and other nearby areas. The transcription below could be a helpful tool in navigating through the records. Best of luck to you, and hopefully, you’ll be one of the fortunate ones to find information about your ancestors.

Baptisms

Book	Year	Image	Index	Race	Notes
1	1818-1830	4		Pardos, Enslaved
2	1830-1840	219
3	1840-1847	410	390	Pardos, Enslaved
4	1847-1871	875
3	1840-1850	668	651	Whites, Pardos
4	1850-1853	1039	1012
5	1853-1856	1189	1177
6	1856-1859	1348	1337
7	1859-1864	1530	1497
8	1864-1868	1726
9	1868-1878	1920
10	1878-1880	2115
11	1880-1888	2394
12	1888-1895	4
13	1895-1904	332
14	1904-1908	608
15	1909-1914	865
16	1914-1918	1146
17	1918-1922	1525
18	1922-1925	1923
19	1925-1926	2210
20	1926-1929	2448
21	1929-1931	2676
22	1931-1933	4

Confirmations

Book	Year	Image
1	1829-1871	108
	1908	318
	1918	384

 Marriages

Book	Year	Race	Image	Index	Notes
	1854-1867		263	237	The first few images are not in great condition.
	1820-1849	Pardos	444
	1819-1850		584
5	1868-1893		791	769	Additional Index 976
6	1894-1918		1009	1314
7	1918-1926		1367	1341
8	1926-1937		1667	1640

Burials

Book	Year	Image	Index	Notes
2	1828-1844	1904
3	1849-1857	2075
4	1857-1871	2212
5	1871-1890	2403
6	1890-1900	4

Transcriptions Available

Here are two transcriptions available for your review. They are courtesy of Liza Ceballos, Beatriz Viera, and Reynar Cruz Quiles. Thank you for your valuable work and for saving our vision!