Carolina • Trujillo Bajo • Loíza • Río Grande • Trujillo Alto
About These Enslaved Residents Records
These records document enslaved residents of Puerto Rico identified in historical records from the northeastern municipalities of Carolina, Trujillo Bajo, Loíza, Río Grande, and Trujillo Alto. The collection covers records dating primarily from 1868 through 1873, during the final years of slavery under Spanish rule in Puerto Rico.
For genealogists researching African and Afro-Puerto Rican ancestry, records concerning enslaved individuals can provide important information that may not appear in conventional genealogical sources. Names, locations, family relationships, ages, and other identifying information can help researchers connect individuals across church, civil, census, and emancipation records.
The transcriptions available on this page focus specifically on northeastern Puerto Rico and should not be interpreted as a complete registry of all enslaved people living in Puerto Rico during this period.
Areas Included in This Collection
The records and transcriptions available in this collection include enslaved residents associated with:
- Carolina
- Trujillo Bajo
- Loíza
- Río Grande
- Trujillo Alto
Researchers should keep in mind that municipal and parish boundaries changed over time. Individuals may therefore appear in records associated with neighboring communities or under historical place names.
Historical Context: Enslaved Population of Puerto Rico
Slavery existed in Puerto Rico for centuries under Spanish colonial rule. Historical population statistics demonstrate changes in the number of enslaved and free people of African descent living on the island from the colonial period through the nineteenth century.
The historical table below provides broader demographic context for slavery in Puerto Rico. It includes population figures by racial and legal classifications from the early Spanish colonial period through 1873, the year slavery was abolished in Puerto Rico.
Researching Enslaved Ancestors in Puerto Rico
Tracing an enslaved ancestor often requires comparing several types of historical records. An individual may appear differently from one document to another, and surnames may be absent, changed, or recorded inconsistently.
Researchers should compare information found in these transcriptions with Catholic baptism, marriage, and burial registers, civil records, census records, notarial documents, emancipation records, and other surviving historical sources.
The names of enslavers may also provide important genealogical clues. Parish and civil documents sometimes identified enslaved individuals through the household or person who held them in slavery. Following those names across different records may help distinguish individuals with similar given names and reconstruct family relationships.
Transcriptions of Enslaved Residents, 1868–1873
The following transcription contains records associated with enslaved residents of Carolina, Trujillo Bajo, Loíza, Río Grande, and Trujillo Alto.
These records are provided as a genealogical research aid. Researchers are encouraged to verify transcribed information against the original historical documents whenever those records are available.
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Sources and Research Notes
The population table presented above is included as historical context for understanding changes in Puerto Rico’s enslaved population through 1873.
Source: https://tracingafricanroots.wordpress.com/puerto-rican-results/
Additional historical and genealogical resources concerning slavery, emancipation, and enslaved families can be found in the Slavery in Puerto Rico section of Hijos de Coamo Puerto Rico.