Early History
Salinas (Spanish pronunciation: [saˈlinas]) is a town and municipality in southern Puerto Rico. Located on the island’s south coast, south of Aibonito and Cayey; southeast of Coamo, east of Santa Isabel; and west of Guayama.
In 1840 Salinas was established, and on July 22, 1841, its first municipal council was formed, including Don Agustín Colón Pacheco as Mayor, Don Jose Maria Cadavedo as Sargent of Arms, and Don Juan Colon as Captain of the Civil Guard. And in addition, five hacendados were Don Antonio Semidey, Don Antonio Morelli, Don Francisco Secola, Don Julio Delannoy, and Don Jose Antonio Torres. In 1847 it was annexed to the municipality of Guayama until 1851, when it regained its status as a municipality.
Observations of Parroquial Books
The church holds an almost complete archive, whose parish books return practically to the town’s foundation (1851). The first book of free whites and browns baptisms began in January 1854. At first, it was a part of Coamo; It became an independent parish by the Governor of the Bishopric decree on January 17, 1854. The remaining series start from this date. The book of minutes and ordinances of the pastoral visits is significant, beginning with a circular from Bishop Gil Esteve’s Vicar General, Dr. Jose Oriot Cost (March 1, 1852). In addition, it contains many essential documents from Bishops Carrion and Puig. In addition, it has many vital records from Bishops Carrion and Puig.
Source pg 113, #46, 1964, Lino Gomez
Personal Observations of the Films in Family Search
Family search has digitized records commencing in 1854, although the municipality broke away from Coamo in 1841. However, the catalog is mislabeled. For example, there are an additional 13 years despite stating that the baptism records ended in 1910. In addition, the 1927 marriage records are not available. I suspect they are misfiled, as this is known to occur.
A final suggestion, since Salinas was a part of Coamo, is to look at the records for Coamo before 1854, in addition to Santa Isabel, Aibonito, Guayama, and finally, Cayey. The further your research goes, the more likely your ancestors have origins in these towns.
Baptisms
| Book | Year | Race | Image | Index | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1854-1867 | Whites, Pardos, Freed Blacks | 4 | 250 | |
| 1 | 1854-1871 | 267 | 354 | A continuation of the above file, 1854-1867. | |
| 2 | 1867-1878 | 374 | 652 | ||
| 3 | 1878-1885 | 661 | |||
| 4 | 1885-1890 | 941 | |||
| 5 | 1890-1894 | 1257 | |||
| 6 | 1894-1901 | 1570 | |||
| 7 | 1901-1906 | 1885 | 2195 | ||
| 7 | 1899-1902 | 4 | 319 | A continuation of the above film, 1899-1902. | |
| 8 | 1906-1910 | 127 | |||
| 9 | 1911-1918 | 352 | |||
| 10 | 1919-1923 | 702 |
Marriages
Burials
| Book | Year | Image | Index | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1854-1872 | 1488 | 1722 | |
| 2 | 1874-1882 | 2310 | 14 | The first 24 pages are missing. Includes scattered records from 1854. |
| 2 | 1882 | 4 | 14 | A continuation of the above film. |
| 3 | 1882-1889 | 1742 | 1943 | |
| 4 | 1889-1899 | 1969 | 2275 | |
| 6 | 1913 | 2304 | There are only two pages in this book. |
Confirmations
As stated in my previous articles, do not discount the confirmation books. They contain the names of Parents and their God-parents. In addition, you may find siblings you were not aware of. Finally, in the event of a baptism missing, you could find them in the confirmation books listed with their parent. This will be proof of your lineage. Also, grandparents were chosen as Godparents. You would be surprised you may discover a relative you did not know about.
| Book | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1860-1942 | 37 |
Below is an article in the Hereditas written by Mr. Sergio A. Rodríguez Sosa for the Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía in 2018. He generously donated it to this section and shared it with all of you. In addition, he studied the church records for Salinas. As you can see, many more books are available but not online. You will also see his detailed description of the condition of the books. Thank you, Mr. Rodríguez Sosa, for this contribution.
If you want to purchase the Hereditas or become a member, please visit the SPG’s website.
Inventario-de-los-fondos-documentales-de-la-Parroquia-Nuesra-Senora-de-la-Monserrate-de-Salinas-Puerto-Rico
I just found out in geneanet.org this article referent to the 1842 orders by the governor of Zpuerto Rico instructing the municipality of Salinas to construct its first church after it was declared a town by a group that included my maternal ancestor Julio Delannoy. According to the article the architect in charge was my paternal ancestor Jose Brossard
That is excellent.