Tools

Tools, templates, and guides to help you organize and document your Puerto Rican genealogy research.

Available Tools

Research Log

✓ Available Interactive

Track your searches systematically to avoid duplicating effort and document negative searches.

Includes: Date, repository, purpose, results, next steps — with browser-based storage and text export

Open the Research Log
New to logging? See Module 4: Keep a Research Log in our Getting Started guide.

Family Group Sheet

✓ Available Interactive

Standard form for documenting a nuclear family with source citations.

Includes: Parents, children, vital events, sources

Open the Family Group Sheet

Genealogical Spanish Glossary

✓ Available PDF

Common Spanish terms found in Puerto Rican genealogical records.

Includes: Vital record terms, relationship terms, occupations, locations

Browse the Glossary
⬇ Download as PDF
Using these terms in records? Our Navigating Civil Records course shows them in context.

Puerto Rico Municipality Guide

✓ Available Interactive

All 78 municipalities with parish and civil registry information.

Includes: Foundation dates, parish names, how far back records extend, and mother town relationships

External Resources

Curated third-party tools that complement our collection while custom resources are in development.

BYU Spanish Script Tutorial

External

The gold standard for learning colonial Spanish handwriting. Essential for reading Puerto Rican parish and civil records.

Best for: Letter forms, abbreviations, and regional script variations

Open BYU Spanish Script Tutorial

DNA Painter: What Are the Odds? (WATO)

External

An interactive tool for evaluating DNA match hypotheses using probability modeling.

Best for: Testing whether a DNA match fits a proposed family relationship

Open DNA Painter WATO

Evidence Explained

External

The authoritative reference for source citation in genealogical research, by Elizabeth Shown Mills.

Best for: Citation models for Puerto Rican civil, church, and colonial records

Visit Evidence Explained

FamilySearch: Puerto Rico Records

External

Free access to digitized Puerto Rican civil registration, Catholic church records, and more.

Includes: Civil Registration 1885–2001, Catholic Church Records 1645–2021

Browse All Puerto Rico Records

Resources in Development

The following tools are planned for our collection. Check back as we build them out.

Research Plan Worksheet

Plan your research strategy by identifying goals, sources to search, and questions to answer.

Includes: Research question, known facts, sources to search, timeline

🔜 Coming Soon

Pedigree Chart

Visual representation of your direct-line ancestors.

Includes: 4-generation and 5-generation versions

🔜 Coming Soon

Source Citation Worksheet

Properly document your sources using Evidence Explained format.

Includes: Citation elements for common Puerto Rican records

🔜 Coming Soon

Evidence Analysis Form

Analyze and correlate evidence from multiple sources.

Includes: Source evaluation, information type, evidence classification

🔜 Coming Soon

Spanish Paleography Guide

Learn to read old Spanish handwriting found in colonial records, with Puerto Rico-specific examples.

Includes: Common letter forms, abbreviations, examples from Puerto Rican records

🔜 Coming Soon

Calendar Conversion Tool

Convert between Julian and Gregorian calendars for pre-1582 records.

🔜 Coming Soon

Proof Summary Template

Document simple conclusions with direct evidence and minor conflicts.

Based on: BCG Genealogical Standards

🔜 Coming Soon

Proof Argument Template

Build complex arguments using indirect evidence or resolving significant conflicts.

Includes: Introduction, evidence presentation, analysis, conclusion

🔜 Coming Soon

DNA Match Tracking Spreadsheet

Organize your DNA matches and track your analysis progress.

Includes: Match name, cM shared, MRCA, research notes

🔜 Coming Soon

What Are the Odds? (WATO) Guide

Our step-by-step guide to using DNA evidence with the WATO method, tailored for Puerto Rican families.

🔜 Coming Soon

Contributing to Our Resources

We’re building this resource library for our community. If you have:

Templates you’ve created that help with research
Guides you’ve written on specific topics
Tools that could benefit other researchers

Please contact us to discuss contributing to our tools collection.

Request a Resource

Is there a template, guide, or tool that would help your research? Let us know what you need, and we’ll consider adding it to our collection.

All resources provided are for educational purposes and personal research use. Please cite appropriately when sharing your research.