In 1764, one hundred thirty-eight families living in Guaynabo (known as Buinabo at that time) petitioned the Governor of the Island to choose a church in the town, separate from the Parish of San Juan. The Guaynabo parish was one of the first twenty founded on the Island, and it is estimated that its structure was built in 1765. This structure is listed in the National Register of Historic Monuments. There is an additional historical account of Guaynabo:
Guaynabo was founded in 1769 by Pedro R. Davila (P.R.) after a struggle for division from the municipality of Bayamón. Previously, the municipality was known as Buinabo, a name popularly said in Taíno, “Here is another place of fresh water.” Irish officer Thomas O’Daly and fellow Irishman Miguel Kirwan settled the area in the late 18th century and developed a farm and sugarcane plantation named Hacienda San Patricio. The plantation no longer exists, but the land is now the central business district of Guaynabo and the San Patricio Plaza shopping mall.
The “Barrios” that make up the City of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
Observations of Parish Books
The series of baptismal books is essential, the first of which dates back to 1765, when the parish was founded. They follow, without gaps, the second (1792-1803), third (1803-1812), and fourth (1812-1818) books. They contain interesting indications about the primitive history of the town.
On the other hand, the series of marriage records did not begin until 1771, and there is no previous book since the following one (1814-1840) bears the second number. The same happens with the burial books, which the first covers from December 1771 to 1808. It must be missing pages since the second book includes 1812 to 1824. In the first of these burial books, there are many references to the construction of the new church between 1795 and 1803.
The so-called first book of confirmations began in 1829. Gutierrez de Cos confirmed 2,614 people in that year. Brother Francsico de la Puente 1740 in 1847, and Gil Esteve 766 in 1852.
From November to December 1765, the Puerto Rican Franciscan Father Cosme Sanchez was in charge of the parish. From then on, he appears very frequently performing the same functions or helping the parish priests administer the sacraments.
San Pedro Mártir, Colimar, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico – Baptisms
- It is possible that the first two books, from 1765 to 1803, are books 1 & 2.
- Many of the books are missing indexes or possibly never had one.
- It appears that book nine is missing or never filmed.
| BOOK | YEAR | IMAGE | INDEX | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film # Film 2238269 | ||||
| 1 | Sep. 4, 1765, to May 1792 | 94 | No | The first few pages are torn. |
| 2 | Jun. 2, 1792, to March 31, 1803 | 535 | No | |
| 3 | Jun. 4, 1803 to Feb. 7, 1812 | 863 | No | |
| 4 | Feb. 9, 1812, to Dec. 6. 1818 | 1158 | No | |
| Film # 2238270 | ||||
| 4b | March 4, 1814, to Dec. 6, 1818 | 15 | No | |
| 5 | Dec. 9, 1818, to Aug. 19, 1823 | 401 | No | |
| 6 | Aug. 24, 1823, to Jul. 31, 1829 | 595 | No | Review the last couple of pages for additional updates to the book by the priest. |
| 7 | Aug. 8, 1829, to Nov. 30, 1833 | 805 | It states there is a separate index for this book. | |
| 8 | Dec. 8, 1833 to Jun. 1844 | 615 | 1036 | Separate film; 2238264-004553830. |
| 10 | Apr. 1855 to Apr. 28 1855 | 1080 |
| BOOK | YEAR | IMAGE | INDEX | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film # 2238271 | ||||
| 11 | Oct. 1, 1860, to Dec. 8, 1861 | 43 | 17 | Starts Dec. 8, 1861, to Dec. 30, 1866 |
| 12 | Jan. 1, 1867, to Sep. 15, 1872 | 374 | 358 | Indexed by first name, and it ends with M. |
| 13? | Aug. 27, 1872, to Mar. 11, 1877 | 730 | 715 | Indexed by first name. |
| 14 | March 18, 1872, to Apr. 30, 1882 | 1083 | 1063 | |
| Film # 2238059 | ||||
| 14b | 6 | 1063 | Continuation of book 14. |
INDEXES For Books 15, 16, 17, 18
- These books are in two different films. Some books have their index, but a combined typewritten index exists. I decided to present it in a separate table for that reason.
INDEX TABLE
| BOOK | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | Y | Z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 1882-1885 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 29 | 33 | 34 | 40 | 49 | 50 | 54 | 59 | 71 | 73 | 75 | 81 | 82 | 105 | 118 | 123 | 125 | 134 | ||
| 16 1885-1887 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 29 | 33 | 34 | 40 | 49 | 50 | 54 | 59 | 71 | 73 | 75 | 81 | 82 | 105 | 118 | 123 | 125 | 134 | ||
| 17 1887-1891 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 29 | 33 | 34 | 40 | 49 | 50 | 54 | 59 | 71 | 73 | 75 | 81 | 82 | 105 | 118 | 123 | 125 | |||
| 18 1891-1897 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 29 | 33 | 34 | 40 | 49 | 50 | 53 | 54 | 59 | 71 | 73 | 75 | 81 | 82 | 105 | 118 | 123 | 125 | 134 |
| BOOK | YEAR | IMAGE | INDEX | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film # 2238059 | ||||
| 15 | May 7, 1882, to Feb. 22, 1885 | 574 | See Table A | |
| 16 | Feb. 22, 1885, to Sep. 10, 1887 | 835 | See Table A | |
| Film # 2238211 | ||||
| 17 | Sep. 12, 1887, to Dec. 2, 1891 | 225 | 196 See Table A | |
| 18 | Dec. 3, 1891, to Mar. 28, 1897 | 546 | See Table A |
INDEXES For Books 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
INDEX TABLE
- Book 22 is missing but includes the child’s and parent’s names, baptisms, birthdates, and godparents. We are fortunate to have that included in the index.
| BOOK | YEAR | IMAGE | INDEX | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film # 2238211 | ||||
| 19 | Apr. 4, 1897, to Mar. 5, 1905 | 1005 | 972 | A. starts on image 982 |
| Film # 2238077 | ||||
| 20 | Mar. 8, 1905, to Mar. 3, 1908 | 358 | ||
| 21 | Mar. 3, 1908, to Feb. 21, 1910 | 604 | 581 | |
| 22 | Jan. 10, 1914, to Oct. 1916 | 766 | Missing. | |
| 23 | Apr. 4, 1915, to Jan. 1, 1921 | 867 | ||
| Film # 2238208 | ||||
| 23b | 11 | Continuation of book 23. | ||
| 24 | Jan. 1, 1921, to 1927 | 256 | ||
| 25 | Aug. 27, 1927, to Aug. 6, 1931 | 635 | ||
| 26 | 1931 to 1936 | 855 |
Confirmations
San Pedro Mártir, Colimar, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico – Marriages
| BOOK | YEAR | IMAGE | INDEX | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film # 2238060 | ||||
| 1 | Aug. 17, 1771, to Nov. 3, 1790 | 7 | No | |
| Film # 2238061 | Continuation of the above film. | 6 | ||
| 2 | 10 Jan 10, 1814, to Feb. 3, 1840 | 241 | No | |
| 3 | Jul. 5, 1841, to Oct. 3, 1858 | 1078 | No | |
| Film # 2238062 | ||||
| 3b | Aug. 11, 1858, to Oct. 10, 1861 | 6 | Continuation of the above book. | |
| Pastoral Visit | 173 | |||
| 4 | Dec. 12, 1861, to May 30, 1888 | 180 | No | |
| 5 | Jun 16, 1888, to Apr. 23, 1910 | 619 | No | |
| 6 | Apr. 23, 1910, to Oct. 13, 1943 | 1095 | 1021 | |
| 6b | Oct. 13, 1943, to Dec. 31, 1943 | 9 | No |
San Pedro Mártir, Colimar, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico – Burials
| BOOK | YEAR | IMAGE | INDEX | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film # 2238210 | ||||
| 1 | Jan. 1, 1772, to Sep. 14, 1811 | 98 | No | |
| Copy | Jan. 1, 1772, to Sep. 14, 1811 | 455 | (A copy, better quality.) | |
| 1 | Dec. 5, 1771, to Apr. 30, 1816 | 817 | ||
| Copy | Dec. 5, 1771, to Apr. 30, 1816 | 830 | A copy of the above book. | |
| Film # 2238073 | ||||
| 1 | 1813 to 1824 | 7 | No | The book states there is a separate index. |
| 3 | 1824 to 1837 | 278 | ||
| 4 | 1837 to 1853 | 495 | There is a two-page ledger at the end of the book. | |
| 5 | Jun. 1853 to May 1860 | 872 | ||
| Film # 2238074 | ||||
| 6 | May 1860 to Feb. 1870 | 39 | 9 | |
| 7 | Feb. 1870 to Mar. 1875 | 397 | 349 | There are a few records from 1808 (392) in this book. Then commences in 1870. |
| 7b | May 1875 to Jul. 1880 | 7 | A continuation of book seven. | |
| 8 | Aug. 1880 to Oct. 1888 | 460 | 442 | |
| 9 | Oct. 1888 to Nov. 1892 | 837 | 765 | The index is a poor condition. |
| Film # 2238076 | ||||
| 9b | 8 | A continuation of book nine. | ||
| 10 | 1896-1907 | 496 | 455 | |
| 11 | Mar. 1907 to Mar. 1918 | 950 | No |