San Francisco de Asís Church Records provide one of the most important collections of Catholic parish registers for Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. This guide includes direct access to baptism, marriage, and death records preserved between 1858 and 1941, helping researchers locate ancestors and document Puerto Rican family history.
San Francisco de Asís Church Records in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Nestled within the historic streets of Old San Juan, San Francisco de Asís Church has served generations of Puerto Rican families for more than a century. For genealogists, historians, and anyone researching their Puerto Rican ancestry, the parish registers preserved by this church provide an invaluable window into the lives of thousands of individuals who were baptized, married, and buried in the capital city.
This page brings together a convenient index to the surviving sacramental records for San Francisco de Asís Parish, covering:
- Baptisms: 1858 to 1927
- Marriages: 1858 to 1941
- Deaths (Burials): 1858 to 1923
Rather than searching through dozens of digital volumes individually, you can quickly identify the appropriate record book using the tables below. Each volume includes a direct link to the digitized images, along with available indexes whenever they exist.
Whether your ancestors lived in San Juan, recently arrived from Spain, migrated from other municipalities of Puerto Rico, or were part of the island’s military, commercial, or maritime communities, these parish records often contain information that cannot be found in civil records alone.
Among the details you may discover are:
- Full names of the individuals
- Parents and grandparents
- Places of origin
- Occupations
- Legitimate or natural birth status
- Marriage witnesses
- Burial information
- Names of priests who performed the sacraments
- Occasionally, marginal notes documenting later marriages, legitimations, or deaths
For many Puerto Rican families, these records provide the crucial link needed to extend family lines into the early nineteenth century and, in some cases, even earlier through references to previous generations.
The tables below have been organized by record type and chronological coverage to help you quickly locate the appropriate volume for your research.
About San Francisco de Asís Church
Founded during the Spanish colonial period, San Francisco de Asís Church is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in Puerto Rico and remains an important landmark within the Old San Juan Historic District. Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the parish served residents living inside the city walls as well as nearby neighborhoods, documenting thousands of baptisms, marriages, and burials that today form an essential resource for Puerto Rican genealogical research.
requently Asked Questions
Where is San Francisco de Asís Church located?
San Francisco de Asís Church is located in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, within the historic district of the capital city.
What records are available?
This collection includes:
- Baptisms (1858 to 1927)
- Marriages (1858 to 1941)
- Deaths/Burials (1858 to 1923)
Are these original church records?
Yes. The links point to digitized images of the original Catholic parish registers.
Why are church records important?
Catholic parish registers often contain genealogical details that do not appear in civil records, including parents, grandparents, places of origin, occupations, witnesses, and family relationships.
Can these records help trace Spanish ancestry?
Absolutely. Many entries identify whether individuals or their parents were natives of Spain (naturales de España or naturales de la Península), making these records particularly valuable for researchers tracing Spanish origins or investigating potential pathways to Spanish citizenship.
Baptism Records (1858 to 1927) Part One
| Book Number | Year | Race | Image | Index | Comments/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1858-1861 | Image | Index | ||
| 1858-1870 | Enslaved/Esclavos | Image | Index | ||
| 2 | 1861-1865 | Image | Index | ||
| 3 | 1865-1867 | Image | Index | ||
| 4 | 1867-1870 | Image | Index | ||
| 1870-1871 | Image | Index | |||
| 5 | 1871-1875 | Image | Index | ||
| 6 | 1875-1879 | Image | Index | ||
| 7 | 1880-1883 | Image | Index | ||
| 8 | 1884-1885 | Image | Index |
Baptism Records (1858 to 1927) Part Two
| Book Number | Year | Race | Image | Index | Comments/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 1885-1886 | Image | Index | Continuation of Book 8 | |
| 9 | 1886-1889 | Image | Index | ||
| 10 | 1890-1899 | Image | Index | ||
| 11 | 1899-1911 | Image | Index | ||
| Not indicated | 1912-1921 | Image | Index | ||
| Not indicated | 1921-1926 | Image | Index | ||
| 13 | 1926-1937 | Image | Index |
Marriage Records (1858 to 1941)
| Book Number | Year | Race | Image | Index | Comments/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1858-1867 | Image | Index | ||
| 1 | 1859-1867 | Marriages of the Enslaved | Image | Index | Only 22 pages in this book. |
| 1867-1874 | Image | Index | |||
| 1874-1883 | Image | Could be a continuation of the book above. | |||
| 3 | 1883-1889 | Image | Index | ||
| 4 | 1889-1904 | Image | Index | ||
| 5 | 1904-1921 | Image | Index | ||
| 6 | 1922-1941 | Image | N/A |
Burial Records 1858 to 1923
| Book Number | Year | Race | Image | Index | Comments/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1858-1861 | Image | N/A | ||
| 2 | 1862-1864 | Image | Index | ||
| 3 | 1865-1866 | Image | Index | Ends in Nov 1967 | |
| 4 | 1866-1867 | Image | Index | ||
| 4 | 1867-1872 | Image | Index | Continuation of #4 | |
| 5 | 1872-1878 | Image | Index | ||
| 6 | 1878-1882 | Image | Index | ||
| 1882-1883 | Image | N/A | 94 Images | ||
| 1882-1886 | Image | Index | |||
| 8 | 1886-1893 | Image | Index | ||
| 1893-1923 | Image | Index | Starts Jan. of 1894 |
Continue Your Research
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