Digitilized Parish Records for Loiza, Puerto Rico

Digitilized Parish Records for Loiza, Puerto Rico. Loiza, Puerto Rico, is a town rich in history. Few know that Loiza has one of the oldest Catholic temples in Puerto Rico. The Parroquia del Espíritu Santo and San Patricio in Loiza were founded in 1645. It also preserves dozens of European and Mexican worship articles. Some of which are over 200 years old. It also treasures figures and saints made of Puerto Rican wood. Due to its age, it is part of the Historical Register of Monuments of the United States—an official plaque at the property entrance.

The Dominican Father erected the Holy Spirit and Saint Patrick Parish in the Don Ricardo de Jesus Sanjuro public square. A grandson of Don Juan Ponce de Leon donated the land. This monument is part of the group of hermitages and churches erected during the first efforts of Spanish colonization and settlement in Puerto Rico. This tempo is the oldest in Puerto Rico in continuous use since those precede it in antiquity.

Upon entering it, the massive walls stand out, which has made it possible that in addition to being a religious structure, the temple provided refuge in case of hurricanes or pirate attacks. In fact, during the past storms of Irma and Maria, the temple did not suffer any damage. Furthermore, its location is very particular because the main façade faces the Rio Grande de Loiza, not the plaza built many years later.

Historical content about the parish books

We know that this parish archive consisted, in 1815, of seven books of baptisms, three of marriages, three of burials, two of confirmations, and three of visits and episcopal edicts. (16a) This list is minimal today.

The oldest book of baptisms is book 4, which covers 1785 to 1792. In the front of the book is a note from the parish priest, Francisco Jiménez. He states that his predecessor had not recorded any records since 1781. Therefore, he asks that the Bishop give the order to request information from the community to fill this gap.

On November 9, 1785, Bishop Trespalacios ordered the parish priest to invite the parishioners from the pulpit to supply the data related to births and trinomials. In addition, the Bishop stated; for as long as necessary. And with this information, he attempts to provide information about such lost years. The following baptisms marked #5 (1792-1797) and #6 (1797-1805) exist. There is also a book of marriages (1808-1856); the first deaths range from 1823 to 1834. This comes from a visit in 1964 by Lino Gomez Canedo.

Baptisms for Loiza

Book	Year	Race	Image	Index	Notes
Film # 4553804
	1792 to 1797		5		Transcribed*
	1797 to 1805		200		Transcribed*
	1825 to 1828		467		Transcribed*
13	1835 to 1840	Pardos, Blacks, Enslaved	679	137	Transcribed*
11	1843 to 1846	All Races	994		Transcribed*
Film # 4553805
16(14)	1849 to 1856		5	168	Transcribed*
17	1856 to 1861		303	210	Transcribed*
18	1861 to 1865		472		Transcribed*
19	1864 to 1872		625	232	Transcribed*
20	1872 to 1877		907	260
Film # 4553821
21	1877 to 1883		6		See Index Table-A
22	1883 to 1885		328		Transcribed*
23	1888 to 1892		550		See Index Table-A
24	1892 to 1904		797		See Index Table-A
Film # 4553806
25	1904 to 1906		11	292

Index for Books 21, 22, 23, and 24 (1877 to 1903)

• de Jesus is under J.
• Jimenez instead of Gimenez.
• One surname starts with U, and it’s under W.
• No surnames for K, X, Y, and Z.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

*Below, you will find transcriptions provided by Ivone Santana. She has painstakingly transcribed hundreds of records and has kindly shared them with us.

Loiza, Puerto Rico baptisms that cover the years between 1792 and 1887.

Baptism Books for San Mateo de Cangrejos, Puerto Rico (1773 to 1868)

• Film # 4553823
• The following books are included in another film.

Book	Year	Race	Image	Index	Notes
1	1773 to 1822		186	N/A	Transcribed*
2	1822 to 1838		616	N/A	Transcribed*
3	1838 to 1849		822	N/A	Transcribed*
4	1849 to 1862		981	N/A	Transcribed*
5	1862 to 1868		1188	N/A	Transcribed*

Marriage Records For Loiza, Puerto Rico

Book	Year	Race	Image	Index	Notes
1	1808 to 1856	Whites	411	Transcribed*
	1841 to 1859		554	Transcribed*
7	1880 to 1919		833	6

*Loiza, Puerto Rico church transcriptions of marriages that cover the years between 1808 and 1859.

Burials for Loiza, Puerto Rico, 1819 to 1893

• Film # 004553822

Book	Year	Race	Image	Index	Notes
6	1819 to 1823		43		Transcribed*
	1823 to 1834		294		Transcribed*
10	1846 to 1851	All Races	595		Transcribed*
	1868 to 1880		690		Transcribed*
14	1880 to 1890		979		Transcribed*
15	1890 to 1893		1313
	1894 to 1956		6	Film # 4553823

*Death records for Loiza, Puerto Rico. Below you will find transcriptions of church records and civil registration of the deaths that cover the years between 1819 and 1890.

Sources

• FamilySearch
• A big thank you to Ivonne Santana and Carol Dunkleberger for their assistance in putting this page together for you.
• Church Indexes Main Page