Vieques, Puerto Rico Online Church Records 1844 to 1922

Historical Timeline of Vieques

Pre-Colombian

Archaeological evidence suggests that Vieques were first inhabited by ancient Indigenous peoples of the Americas who traveled mainly from South America between 3000 BCE and 2000. However, estimates dates of these prehistoric dates of inhabitation vary widely.

Spanish Colonial Period

The Spanish did not, however, permanently colonize Vieques at this time. For 300 years, it remained a lawless outpost frequented by pirates and outlaws. In the 17th and 18th centuries, European powers such as the French, English, and Danish attempted to colonize the island of Vieques. The Spanish repulsed them.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Spanish took steps to settle and secure the island permanently. In 1811, Don Salvador Meléndez, then governor of Puerto Rico, sent military commander Juan Rosselló to annex Vieques. In 1832, under an agreement with the Spanish Puerto Rican administration, Frenchman Teófilo José Jaime María Le Guillou became Governor of Vieques. He was instrumental in the establishment of large plantations. Thus marking a period of social and economic change.

Le Guillou is known as the founder of Vieques, although this title is also given to Francisco Saínz. Don Francisco was governor from 1843 to 1852 and founded Isabel Segunda. This is the main town in Vieques, named after Queen Isabel II of Spain. In 1854 Vieques is now part of Puerto Rico.

During the second part of the 19th century, thousands of slaves of African descent were brought to Vieques to work the sugarcane plantations. They arrived from mainland Puerto Rico and the nearby islands of St. Thomas, Nevis, Saint Kitts, Saint Croix, and many other Caribbean islands.

European Colonial Period

The island also received considerable attention as a possible colony from Scotland. Numerous attempts to buy the island proved unsuccessful. Finally, along the route to Darien in 1698, the Scottish fleet made landfall and took possession of the island. This was in the name of the Company of Scotland Trading to Africa and The Indies. However, Scottish sovereignty of the island proved short-lived, as a Danish ship arrived shortly afterward and claimed the island. From 1689 to 1693, the island was controlled by Brandenburg Prussia as Krabbeninsel (German for crab island), where the English name Crab Island came from.

Observations of Church Records

The Parish Books started in 1844, from the very foundation of the only town on the Island: Isabel II. The first book of baptisms contains those of free (1844-1858) and enslaved people (from January 1844 onwards). ; the second free covers from 1858 to 1864.

The first marriages comprised from 1884 to 1881; At first, there were marriage dispensations granted by Bishops Carrion and Puig. According to a book of confirmations, these two bishops visited the Island in 1860 and 1865 and in 1876 and 1882, according to a book of confirmations.

Los archivos historicos de Puerto Rico, Apuntes de una vista, 1960, pagina 129. L. Gomez

Vieques Online Church Records

There are many books for baptisms for Vieques and many unaccounted for. However, the books started at the Island of Vieques’s foundation in 1844. I found the book that covers burials for Culebra, so I included that one in the index for Culebra, which I didn’t have when I completed it. In addition, there were many duplicate filming, but I didn’t include those.

FamilySearch transcribed many of the books. However, I did notice many were not. Therefore, I suggest researching the books if your family is from here.

If you are researching your ancestors before this year, I will look at towns from the island’s east side. Places I would look at; Fajardo, Luquillo, Cieba, etc. Good luck with your research.

Baptisms for Vieques

• Film # 008038554 & Film # 00803552

Book	Year	Race	Image	Index	Notes
	Film # 008038554
1	1844-1870	Freed	3	310	This appears to be a book that was rewritten.
	1860	Enslaved	303		Images 303 to 309 are for the enslaved baptisms. For the index, see above.
2	May 1858-Dec 1864	Freed	330	608
3	Nov. 25, 1864-Feb. 28, 1869	Freed	625	907	The last page indicates a single baptism for the year 1863.
4	Mar. 1, 1869-Dec. 24, 1873	Freed	927	1225
5	Dec. 20, 1874-1881		1235	1520	Although the book states it ends in 1873, there are entries from Book 8 that ended in 1881.
6	Jan. 1882-May 1885	All	1543	1753
7	1885-1887	All	1763	1971	Index out of sequence.
8	Dec. 1880-1891	All	1980	2022
	1887-1891		2026	2277
9	Aug. 6, 1891-1897	All	2288	2544
	Film # 00803552
10	Sep. 4, 1897-Oct. 18, 1903		4	311
11	Oct. 25, 1903-Jul. 20, 1908		340	645
12	1908-1911		696		(Folios 1-183)
12	1911-1913		945		(Folios 184-252) Continuation of the above book.
13	1913-1918		1040	1407
14	May 2, 1918-Jul. 26, 1922		1445	1822

• Film # 004553732

Book	Year	Race	Image	Index	Notes
1	Jan. 1, 1844-1860	Pardo	6
1	Jan. 1, 1844-Aug. 4, 1860	Whites	188

Confirmations

• Film # 008038552

Book	Year	Image
1	1860-1882	1862
2	1908-1945	1963

Marriages

• Film # 008038552

Book	Year	Race	Image	Index	Notes
1	1844-1881		2120		Dispensas
	1844-1881		2133	2408	PDF-Transcribed by Ivonna Santana Ríos.
2	1882-1907		2421	2557	Dispensas
	1882-1907		2431
3	1908-1920		2563	2662

• Film #004553732

Book	Year	Race	Image	Index	Notes
1	1844-1857		1
2	1857-1870		1

Burials

• Film #008038553

Book	Year	Race	Image	Index	Notes
1	1844-1860	Freed, Enslaved	3	285	PDF Transcribed by Ivonna Santana Ríos.
2,3,5	1860-1871		310	598	The first page states its books 2, 3, and 5.
1	1891-1893		609-610		(For Culebra)
	1871-1881		610	810
4	1882-1888		917	1118
	1888-1892		830	899
6	Jan. 12, 1892-Nov. 12, 1920 & May 30, 1920-Jan. 8, 1922		1128
1	Jan. 1, 1844-1860	Whites	1		Pages are cut off. See below, Film #004553732

• Film #004553732

Book	Year	Race	Image	Index	Notes
1	1844-1860	Whites	1		Pages are cut off. Review the copy below.
	1844-1860	Whites	721		Copy

Sources

• FamilySearch
• I want to thank Yvonne Santana Ríos for her help in assembling this index and providing her transcriptions.
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