Module 4 — Repositories and How to Access Records

Where Puerto Rico colonial military records are held — Segovia, PARES, AHN, AGPR, and FamilySearch — and step-by-step guidance for submitting remote research requests to the Archivo General Militar de Segovia.

Intermediate

Part of the Spanish Colonial Military Records course.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, you will:

Know which repository holds which types of Puerto Rico colonial military records
Understand how to submit a remote research request to the Archivo General Militar de Segovia
Know what PARES is and how to search it effectively
Know what the Archivo General de Puerto Rico holds and how to contact staff

4.1 Overview of Repositories

Five major repositories hold Puerto Rico colonial military records. No single repository has everything. Understanding which archive holds what will save you from submitting requests to the wrong institution.

Repository	Location	Primary Holdings	Online Access
Archivo General Militar de Segovia	Segovia, Spain	Filiaciones, hojas de servicio, muster rolls for most PR militia units	No — request required
Portal de Archivos Españoles (PARES)	Online	Partial AHN collections; some military tribunal records	Free; partial
Archivo Histórico Nacional (AHN)	Madrid, Spain	Military tribunal records (consejos de guerra); pension files; Ultramar series	Via PARES (partial)
Archivo General de Puerto Rico (AGPR)	San Juan, PR	Local militia records; Pardo Militia files; colonial government records	No — in-person or request
FamilySearch	Online	Limited PR military holdings; some indexed	Free; sparse

4.2 Archivo General Militar de Segovia

The Archivo General Militar de Segovia is the primary repository for Puerto Rican colonial military records. When a researcher asks “where are the military records for my Puerto Rican ancestor?”, the answer in most cases is Segovia.

Website and Contact

Archivo General Militar de Segovia (official site)


Address	Plaza Reina Victoria Eugenia, s/n, 40003 Segovia, Spain
Phone	+34 921 460 758
Fax	+34 921 460 757
Email	agmsegovia@et.mde.es

What Segovia Holds

Filiaciones for the provincial militia (white and Pardo units), organized by regiment and battalion
Hojas de servicio for militia officers, filed alphabetically by surname
Listas de revista (muster rolls) for militia companies, organized by unit and date
Revistas de inspección for militia units
Administrative correspondence for the Puerto Rico military command

Records span primarily from the late 17th century through 1898, with the most substantial coverage from the 1760s (Bourbon reforms) onward.

Accessing Records Remotely

Segovia does not provide online access to individual documents. Researchers outside Spain have three options:

Email request: The most practical option for most researchers. Segovia accepts genealogical research requests by email.
Mail request: A written letter sent to the archive is equally valid.
In-person visit: Researchers may visit by appointment; the archive is in the city of Segovia, approximately 90 minutes from Madrid by train.

How to Submit an Email Request

Prepare your request in Spanish if possible; if not, a clear request in English will generally be understood and processed. Include:

Your name and contact information
The ancestor’s name (both surnames if known; note common variant spellings)
The unit, if known (regiment, battalion, company name)
The time period of likely service (decade and century is sufficient if you do not know the exact years)
What you are requesting: specify whether you want a filiación, a hoja de servicio, listas de revista, or a search of whatever is available for that name and unit
A brief explanation that you are conducting genealogical research

Example request text: “Estimados señores: Estoy investigando la historia de mi familia y quisiera saber si existe algún expediente o filiación militar para un antepasado que posiblemente sirvió en la milicia provincial de Puerto Rico a finales del siglo XVIII o principios del XIX. Su nombre era Juan Valentín Mendez, y creemos que era natural de Rincón, Puerto Rico. Si usted puede confirmar la existencia de documentación y proporcionar copias, le agradecería. Quedo a su disposición para cualquier información adicional.”

Turnaround time: Responses can range from a few weeks to several months, depending on request volume and the complexity of the search. Follow up after 60 days if you have not received a response.

Fees: Segovia may charge a fee for document reproduction or extended research. Ask about fees in your initial request.

Pardo Militia note: In your request, specify whether you believe the ancestor served in a Pardo or Moreno unit. Use the phrase “Milicias de Pardos y Morenos” in your request. This helps Segovia staff search the correct record series.

4.3 PARES: Portal de Archivos Españoles

PARES (Portal de Archivos Españoles) is the Spanish government’s free online research portal, aggregating finding aids and some digitized documents from multiple Spanish national archives.

Portal de Archivos Españoles (PARES)

What PARES Contains Relevant to Puerto Rico Military Research

PARES does not hold digitized Puerto Rico militia filiaciones from Segovia — those are not online. However, PARES does provide access to:

Archivo Histórico Nacional (AHN) collections: Including the Ultramar series, which contains colonial administrative records from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other territories. Military tribunal records (consejos de guerra) from Puerto Rico are sometimes found here.
Inquisición and Consejos sections: Occasional military-adjacent records
Some census and administrative records from colonial Puerto Rico that may reference militia service

How to Search PARES

Go to pares.mcu.es
Use the search bar to enter a name, place, or document type
Filter results by archive (select Archivo Histórico Nacional for colonial Puerto Rico records)
Use the Búsqueda avanzada (advanced search) to add date ranges and documentary type filters

Search tip: Enter your ancestor’s surname without diacritics first (e.g., “Valentin” instead of “Valentín”), as some records were indexed without accents. Then repeat with the accented form.

Managing expectations: PARES is valuable for broad research but will not substitute for a Segovia request for filiaciones. Treat PARES as the first, free step; Segovia is the deeper step.

4.4 Archivo Histórico Nacional (AHN)

The Archivo Histórico Nacional in Madrid holds records from the colonial administration, including:

Consejos de Guerra (military tribunals): Court martial proceedings, which can contain detailed testimony about individuals and events
Ultramar series: Colonial government correspondence that sometimes includes military matters
Pensiones militares (military pensions): Requests from soldiers or widows, often containing biographical testimony

Most AHN holdings relevant to Puerto Rico are accessible through PARES (Section 4.3 above). For records not yet digitized, a research request can be submitted directly to the AHN.

Pension records note: Military pension files are often overlooked but genealogically rich. A widow’s pension application typically includes her name, the deceased soldier’s name and service history, the couple’s marriage record, and sometimes testimony from neighbors or fellow soldiers. If your ancestor died in service or shortly after discharge, a pension file may exist at the AHN.

4.5 Archivo General de Puerto Rico (AGPR)

The Archivo General de Puerto Rico in San Juan holds military records that were retained on the island rather than sent to Spain. These include:

Filiaciones and muster rolls for locally administered militia companies
Some Pardo Militia records (filiaciones and listas de revista for Puerto Rico-based Pardo units)
Colonial government records (Sección de Gobernadores Españoles) that include military correspondence and administrative orders
Post-1898 records: Some Spanish-era military files were retained on the island when Spain departed

AGPR is also the repository for Puerto Rico civil registration records (1885-onward) and Catholic Church transcriptions, which you will use alongside military records in Module 5.

Accessing AGPR

AGPR is located in San Juan and does not offer extensive remote access. Researchers can:

Visit in person: The archive is open to researchers; call ahead to confirm hours and appointment requirements
Submit a written inquiry: AGPR staff can respond to specific research questions and confirm whether a particular type of record survives for a given unit or time period

Pardo Militia at AGPR: When visiting or writing to AGPR, ask specifically for expedientes militares or listas de revista for the Milicias de Pardos y Morenos of the relevant municipality or region. AGPR staff are familiar with these collections.

4.6 FamilySearch

FamilySearch Puerto Rico Genealogy has digitized substantial portions of Puerto Rico’s civil and church records, but its Puerto Rico colonial military holdings are sparse. Searching FamilySearch for military records is worth a few minutes but should not be your primary strategy.

What to try:

Search the FamilySearch catalog under “Puerto Rico — Military records” to see what has been cataloged
Search the FamilySearch main database for your ancestor’s name; occasionally, filiación data has been transcribed into broader collections
Check the FamilySearch Wiki page for Puerto Rico for updates on recent digitization projects

FamilySearch digitization of Spanish colonial military records is an ongoing project. What is unavailable today may become available in future years; it is worth re-checking periodically.

4.7 Building Your Repository Search Plan

With the five repositories in mind, here is the recommended search sequence:

Start with PARES (free, online): Search for the ancestor’s name and any associated keywords. Check AHN Ultramar and military sections. Takes 30-60 minutes.
Check FamilySearch (free, online): Search the catalog and main database. Takes 15-30 minutes.
Contact AGPR (if the ancestor served in a locally administered unit or if you are researching a Pardo Militia line): Email or write to confirm holdings. Allow several weeks for a response.
Submit a request to Segovia (for filiaciones and muster rolls — the core military genealogical record): Prepare your request carefully (see Section 4.2) and allow one to several months for a response.

Do not skip to Segovia without first checking PARES. Occasionally the document you need is already digitized, saving you a request cycle.

What’s Next

Module 5 brings everything together: a step-by-step research strategy for finding a specific ancestor in military records, integrating what you find with church and civil sources, and writing a GPS-compliant research conclusion.

← Module 3 · Module 5 →

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