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Introduction to Puerto Rico Genealogy: NYPL Resources

A research guide to online and print resources for genealogy related to individuals from Puerto Rico.
Guide by Diane Dias De Fazio.

Color panoramic print of Puerto Rico skyline and ships in the harbor beyond

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. "Panorama de San Juan de Puerto-Rico." [detail]. The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Your research on genealogía puertorriqueña (Puerto Rican genealogy) may take you to different Divisions and Research Libraries of The New York Public Library, and to collections farther afield. This page offers catalog links and selected resources. Click the images on this page to learn more about NYPL Research Libraries and Divisions that hold materials on Puerto Rico.

Recommended Databases

Ancestry Library Edition collection highlights include Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885-2001; Puerto Rico, Social and Population Schedules, 1935-1936 (English and Spanish); Puerto Rico, Registro Central de Esclavos, 1872 (in Spanish).

FamilySearch offers a variety of genealogical record collections including access to Puerto Rico records including birth, marriage, death, church records, and civil registration. For more information consult the FamilySearch research guide Puerto Rico Genealogy.

Indigenous Peoples of North America Over 50 archival collections documenting the Native American experience from institutions such as the Library of Congress, the Association on American Indian Archives, and the U.S. National Archive. Includes information and records about the Taino of Puerto Rico. 

Newspapers and Periodicals

Hereditas : revista de genealogía Puertorriqueña Semiannual magazine. 

El coqui de ayer : the Puerto Rican Hispanic Genealogical Society newsletter. Includes articles about how to search Puerto Rican genealogy, research techniques, church archives, etc.

Newspapers.com collections include Gazeta de Puerto-Rico (in Spanish), for 1836-1902. 

Latin American Newsstream provides full-text information in Spanish and Portuguese from 41 newspapers from Puerto Rico and 11 Latin American countries, including Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil. 

 

Accessibility for Print Disabilities

For researchers with print disabilities, the Library has resources and services available upon request. The following services are available:

Digitization of Select Research Materials

Researchers who are homebound or have a print disability or visual impairment can explore many of our research collections online and request digitization of specific items of interest. To request the digitization service, email accessibility@nypl.org. Please note that you must be a patron of the Andrew Heiskell Library. This digitization service only includes material belonging to the research collections and does not apply to branch/circulating collections. 

Screen Readers and Enlargers 

Every public PC at all New York Public Library locations is equipped with JAWS screen reading software and MAGic software for enlarging the screen, changing colors and contrast, and screenreading. 

Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library

The Andrew Heiskell Library offers popular reading materials in accessible audio and braille formats, as well as free membership to the Bookshare database of over one million accessible texts. It also offers individual coaching and a large variety of group workshops on topics related to accessible technology. Check the listings on our website, call 212-206-5400, or email talkingbooks@nypl.org for details. It also hosts many networking groups, resource fairs, writing workshops, accessible art workshops, book clubs, and other events. All are listed in the quarterly newsletter, available by email, website (text or audio), or over the phone.

Selected items from NYPL collections

From Library collections, genealogists can learn about historical lives and events in Puerto Rico. Please note: unless otherwise noted, these titles and their content are in Spanish. 

Shared Collection Catalog

The Shared Collection is a joint initiative that combines the extensive research collections of The New York Public Library, Columbia University, Princeton University, and Harvard University—members of the Research Collections and Preservation Consortium (ReCAP)—in one catalog and allows patrons from all four institutions to search and request materials from these combined holdings for delivery to their home institution.

Through the catalog, users can discover nearly 11 million volumes from NYPL's research collections, plus an additional 8 million volumes from Columbia and Princeton. With the addition of Harvard's collections, users now have access to more than 22 million volumes.

Digital Collections

Search hundreds of thousands of pictures, maps, and historic texts from The New York Public Library. Below are a sampling of Puerto Rico-related digital collection items: