New Course: Looking for Ancestors in Historical Puerto Rican Newspapers
A free 5-lesson intermediate course on finding and using digitized Puerto Rican historical newspapers for genealogy. Covers Chronicling America, ADNPR, dLOC, El Mundo, and more. Includes a real 1872 Rincón case study and search terms for slavery-related records.
April 20, 2026
Learn MoreCourses & Modules
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Puerto Rican Slave Records Course Now Available
February 27, 2026: A new four-module course covers the 1872 Registro Central de Esclavos, including step-by-step research workflows, a bilingual glossary of key terms, and a printable extraction worksheet. Available in English and Spanish.
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Census Records: Module 4 Fully Updated
February 27, 2026: Module 4, covering U.S. Federal Census records from 1910 to 1950, has been expanded with new content, additional examples, and updated resource links.
Research Guides
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New Guide: Genealogical Proof Standard
January 1, 2026: A practical reference covering the five GPS elements and how to apply them to Puerto Rican research, with worked examples and a compliance checklist.
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New Guide: Genealogical Spanish Glossary
January 1, 2026: More than 200 terms from Puerto Rican civil and church records, with definitions, usage examples, and notes on historical spelling variations.
Site Features
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Upcoming: May 2026 Meeting — From Cabo Rojo to San Francisco
April 16, 2026: Our May meeting is now open for registration. Fred Rodríguez Segarra, board member of the Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía, presents 'From Cabo Rojo to San Francisco,' tracing a Puerto Rican family across generations and geography, followed by member brick walls and breakthroughs.
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New: San Sebastián Municipality Detail Page
April 12, 2026: The San Sebastián detail page is now live — covering the town's 1752 founding as Las Vegas del Pepino, its 22 barrios, the revolutionary role it played in the Grito de Lares, parish and civil registry dates, coat of arms symbolism, and a full genealogy research toolkit with links to FamilySearch records and key historical books.
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New: Cabo Rojo Municipality Detail Page
April 12, 2026: The Cabo Rojo detail page is now live — covering the town's 1771 founding, its eight barrios, parish and civil registry dates, coat of arms symbolism, and a full genealogy research toolkit including links to the OECH history PDF, FamilySearch records, and key books on Betances and Cofresí.
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Updated: Family Group Sheet — New Fields for Puerto Rican Research
April 7, 2026: The Family Group Sheet now includes Occupation, Parish (Christening/Burial), and Cause of Death fields for each parent, per-parent source citations, and Sex and Still Living columns for children.
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New: San Germán Municipality Detail Page
March 17, 2026: The first full municipality detail page is live for San Germán — covering parish records, civil registry dates, barrios, neighboring towns, coat of arms, and a complete genealogy research toolkit.
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Updated: Resources Page — Now with Filters and Badges
March 16, 2026: The Resources page has been redesigned with category filter chips, Free/Subscription badges, and a Top Picks section to help you find the most useful tools faster.
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New: Funeral Cards Collection — Rincón, Puerto Rico
March 13, 2026: Browse and search ~154 funeral card images from Rincón and surrounding towns, 1965-2020. Cards include names, birth and death dates, birthplaces, and funeral home information.
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New: AI Quick Start Handout for Gemini and Claude
March 5, 2026: A one-page reference guide covering privacy setup, how to configure a genealogist persona, five ready-to-use prompts, and GPS reminders for Gemini and Claude.
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New: AI Best Practices for Genealogists
March 5, 2026: The AI in Genealogy page is now split into two: a short intro for new members and a full best practices reference covering limitations, GPS compliance, and privacy.
Coming Soon
These projects are currently in progress:
- Member Resources: Downloadable Templates — Research logs, family group sheets, source citation worksheets, and more. Practical tools for organizing your Puerto Rican genealogical research.
- Research Guide: DNA Testing for Puerto Rican Ancestry — A dedicated guide to DNA testing in Puerto Rican research, covering testing options, interpreting results, and GPS-compliant documentation.
- Census Records Modules 5 and 10 — Module 5 (Municipal and Barrio Enumerations) and Module 10 (Using AI for Census Analysis) are being expanded with full content to complete the 10-module course.
Archive
Earlier updates are organized by year as the list grows.
- 2025 archive coming soon