Peñuelas, Puerto Rico Church Records Indexes

Peñuelas is located along the south coast of the Island and nestled against the Caribbean Sea. It is known as “The Valley of the Flamboyant Trees,” the Island’s symbolic tree, and “the Capital of the Güiro,” a traditional percussion instrument. But what makes Peñuelas truly special is its beautiful views and pleasant climate throughout the year.

The municipality was officially established in 1793, while in 1788, eighty families called the region their home. Peñuelas sits on the southwesterly part of Puerto Rico, west of Ponce and east of Guaynilla. And just west of Guaynilla sits Yauco.

It is vital to locate the town where an event occurred. For example, searching for a birth record will indicate the city where your ancestors resided. Next, you must find that town on a map and locate the nearby Church. This information is essential if you need to find a document you assume will be in that Church and may not be there.

Again, it is crucial to know the towns’ founding dates as records may appear in another jurisdiction. Thus helping you locate your ancestors’ documents.

Observations of Peñuelas Church Books from 1964

The oldest books date back to 1813. It consists of the fifth parish book for the Burial items made for the Holy Church of the Patriarch San Jose of the Town of Peñuelas. The period covers from November of the year 1813 and concludes in 1828. There is another fifth book, in which the items of the previous one were copied, but only up to 1818. From 1813 to 1823, it includes the oldest book of pardo baptisms. There is another book that goes from 1823 to 1827. There is also the first book of baptisms (November 1813.) For confirmation, there is the Second Book, which covers from 1829 to 1850. Fr. Joaquin de Olleria was a resident priest in 1827.

Lino Gomez

Baptisms -Church records, 1817 to 1926

Book	Year	Race	Image	Index	Notes
1	1817 to 1823	Pardos, Blacks, Free Blacks, Enslaved	4		It’s a very light copy and difficult to make out.
1	1823 to 1827	P, B, FB, E	457
1	1835 to 1838	P, B, FB, E	253
1	1838 to 1840	P, B, FB, E	3
13	1840 to 1843	P, B, FB, E	436
1	1841 to 1850	Whites	829
4	1843 to 1846	P, B, FB, E	628
15	1846 to 1852	P, B, FB, E	1332		The Book is in very poor condition.
1	1850 to 1860	Enslaved	151	153
16	1852 to 1854	Whites, Pardos	893	885	Grandparents’ names are mentioned.
17	1854 to 1858	Whites, Pardos	1055	1041	The book is in very poor condition.
18	1858 to 1860	Whites, Pardos	1324	1300
19	1860 to 1863	Whites, Pardos	642	1748
20	1863 to 1866	Whites, Pardos	928	1758	It’s a very light copy, and it’s difficult to make out.
21	1866 to 1870	All Classes (AC)	1218	1781
22	1870 to 1873	AC	1503	1809
23	1873 to 1876	AC	1789	1768
24	1876 to 1879	AC	3	1842
25	1879 to 1881	AC	297	1872
26	1881 to 1884	AC	606	583
27	1884 to 1885	AC	887	987
28	1885 to 1888	AC	1029	999
29	1888 to 1891	AC	1426	1909
30	1891 to 1894	AC	1766	1933
31	1894 to 1897	AC	2072	1959
31	1896 to 1897	AC	4		Book continuation.
32	1897 to 1901	AC	128	4
33	1901 to 1909	AC	383	31
34	1909 to 1913	AC	893	77
35	1913 to 1918	AC	1148	119
36	1918 to 1923	AC		146	The book is in poor condition.
1	1923 to 1926	AC	1504

Civil Registration Records from 1917 to 1919

Church book #36 is missing, but an index is available (Image 146). So, I visited the Civil Registration Records and found several books filmed. Some of these books cover those years. Although the books are not in the best condition, they cover the years from 1917 to 1919. The years from 1919 to 1922 are missing, but it skips from November 1923 to November 1924 and includes an index.

I included this table with the Civil Registration records to show you how to locate records when a Church book is missing. Unfortunately, this may not be the best example because several books are missing in the Civil books. However, since the years from 1917 to 1919 do exist, it’s possible to locate a birth registration for your ancestor. Sadly, you will not find out if they were registered between 1919 and October 31, 1923, unless written after November 1923. I hope this makes sense!

Book	Year	Image	Index
34	1915-1916	6-272	N/A
34	1915-1916	276-606	607
35	May 1916 to June 1917	641	None
36	Jul 1917 to Jul 1918	799	1129
37	June 26, 1917, to July 10, 1919	1466	N/A
42	June 26, 1917, to July 10, 1919	7	318

Marriages for Peñuelas

While observing these marriage books, please keep in mind that in some of the indexes, surnames beginning in N, O, and P are sometimes combined and not separated. This is not the case for all books; it is just the case for a few. In addition, the marriage book for 1842-1860 is not in order. Therefore, you will need to review this book carefully.

Book	Year	Race	Image	Index	Notes
3	1813-1822	Pardos, Freed Blacks	220
3a	1813-1849	Whites	1505
2	1822-1842	Pardos, Freed Blacks, and Whites	1605
3	1842-1860	Pardos, Freed Blacks, and Whites	1797	189	This book is not in order. Many records are damaged.
4	1860-1874	All classes	421	396
5	1874-1892	All classes	723	700	The O’s are combined with the P’s.
6	1892-1909	All classes	1030	1002
7	1909-1928	All classes	1306	1284

Inscriptions of Burials for Peñuelas

Book	Year	Image	Index	Notes
5	1813-1818	2101
5	1813-1828	2222		A duplicate book, #5.
5	1828	4		Continuation of book #5.
6	1828-1841	127
5	1841-1852	1039
6	1852-1857	535
7	1857-1863	789	1011
8	1863-1868	1044	1133
9	1868-1873	1382	1357
10	1873-1880	1692	1666
11	1880-1885	2002	1977
11	1885-1886	5		Continuation of book #11.
12	1886-1892	64
13	1892-1898	404	368
14	1898-1900	691	661
15	1900-1903	944
14	12 May 1868	690/691		“El Ideal Catolico” appears to mention baptisms and deaths. It is worth looking at. It includes parents’ names for baptisms.

Confirmations for Peñuelas

Do not discount these books. They will contain parents and godparents, which will offer you valuable information. As you can see below, a book of confirmation begins in 1829 and continues through 1850. As you can see above, no baptism books existed from 1829 to 1840. So, it is essential to view these records in the hopes that you will mention your ancestors from that period.

Book	Years	Image
2	1829-1850	1467
3	1850-1890	1661
4	1890-1927	1950

Civil Registration records for Peñuelas

You will find the link to the Civil registration records below.

Civil Registration Records from 1885 through 1995

Link

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• FamilySearch