Cidra, Puerto Rico Church Book Indexes, 1818–1937

Researching ancestors from Cidra, Puerto Rico? This guide brings together links to Catholic church books, available indexes, and contributed transcriptions to help you locate family records.

The tables below cover baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and burials. The overall date range is 1818–1937, but coverage varies by record type and book. These resources provide a starting point for exploring the original documents through FamilySearch.

How to Use This Guide

1. Choose a record type. Start with baptisms, confirmations, marriages, or burials.
2. Find the date range. Look for a book covering the approximate year of the event.
3. Click the image number. The link takes you to the starting image listed for that book.
4. Check the index when provided. An index can help you locate an entry before browsing the original records.

Image numbers refer to positions in the digitized image collection. They may differ from the handwritten page or folio numbers in the church book.

A blank cell means that no information or link is provided in this guide. It does not establish that an index or record does not exist.

Some book numbers appear more than once because the records are arranged in separate series. Check the dates and classifications alongside each book number.

Notes on Historical Classifications

Some books use historical racial classifications or identify people as enslaved. These descriptions reflect the terminology and recordkeeping practices of the period. They are included here to help researchers identify the appropriate record series.

A classification in a church record should be evaluated in its historical context and alongside other evidence.

Research Tips and Personal Observations

Some of Cidra’s early church books contain water stains, faded writing, and difficult-to-read entries. If a name is unclear, compare the handwriting with nearby records and look for other documents involving the same family.

If you cannot locate an ancestor in Cidra, expand your search to Cayey and other municipalities connected to the family. A person’s birthplace, residence, and parish of marriage may be different.

Search for spelling variations, review witnesses and godparents, and record the book, image, and page or folio number for each discovery. These details will make it easier to return to the source and explain your findings.

Baptisms

Baptismal records may identify the person baptized, parents, godparents, and sometimes grandparents. They may also include a birth date, residence, or other useful details.

Remember that the baptism date and birth date are different events. Read the entry carefully before recording either date in your family tree.

Book	Year	Image	Index	Race	Notes
1	1818-1830	4		Pardos, Enslaved
2	1830-1840	219	Index	Pardos	21 Jul 1831-18 Jun 1840
3	1840-1847	410	390	Pardos, Enslaved
3	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	Index
9	1868-1878	1920	Index
10	1878-1880	2115
11	1880-1888	2394
12	1888-1895	4
13	1895-1904	332	Index
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

Confirmation records may help establish that a person or family was associated with a parish at a particular time. The amount of information varies, so compare these entries with baptismal and other records.

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

 Marriages

Marriage records may include the couple’s parents, places of origin, marital status, and witnesses. These details can help distinguish people with similar names and connect families across municipalities.

Book	Year	Race	Image	Index	Notes
	1854-1867		263	237	The first few images are not in great condition.
	1820-1849	Pardos	444
3	1819-1850	Blancos	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

Burial records may provide an age, spouse’s name, parents, residence, or other identifying information. Distinguish the burial date from the death date when both appear.

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

Transcriptions Available

The following transcriptions can help you begin your search:

• Confirmations — July 1829
• Marriages — 1819–1839

These contributions are courtesy of Liza Ceballos, Beatriz Viera, and Reynar Cruz Quiles. Thank you for helping make these records more accessible to fellow researchers.

Use transcriptions as finding aids and consult the original records whenever possible to verify names, dates, and family relationships.

Confirmations — July 1829

Marriages — 1819–1839

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 Barrios

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

Help Improve This Guide

Found a broken link, an additional index, or a correction? Please leave a comment with the record type, book, date range, and image number so the information can be reviewed.

Your contributions help make this guide more useful to everyone researching families from Cidra.