Finding my 4th great-grandmother

Sometimes in genealogy, the most important step is taking none at all – take a break from your tree! Though it might seem counter-productive, spending too much time on a specific branch can cause burnout, in my opinion. There are many times you might find yourself coming across dead-ends and brick walls with what seems like no discovery in sight. In moments like this I usually jot down everything I know, what I have been able to discover, the lack of documents or evidence I might have to prove something, and then leave the branch alone. This has been the case for my maternal-grandfather’s mom’s side of the family. Since many of the records for this side of the family pre-Puerto Rican Civil Registry are not online because the church did not let the LDS (Latter Day Saints) Church microfilm them, I can not find a lot on them like I can on my other branches. So when I take a stab at that branch I do not spend too much time on it because there are not many documents left for me to explore. 

Except recently while revisiting the branch, I noticed that I was getting a leaf for my 4th great-grandmother with a death in Morovis, Puerto Rico. I knew that this specific family was from this part of Puerto Rico, but I had already looked and had not found a death for her – plus this was a Lucía Rodríguez and not a Luisa Rodríguez. Nonetheless, I decided to take another look since I had not researched this family in a good while. Lo and behold, the death record WAS indeed the death record for my 4th great-grandmother. 

Luisa (tiburcia?) Rodríguez

I first discovered my 4th great-grandmother’s name via the birth of my 2nd great-grandmother and the death record of my 3rd great-grandmother. Interestingly enough, my 2nd great-grandmother’s birth is recorded twice in Morovis – one seems like an authentic version or original entry while the other is a copy. In both records the maternal grandfather is listed as Julián Rivera and I am noticing for the first time that there is a discrepancy in the spelling of the maternal grandmother. In the original style entry, it seems to say “Lucía” while in the copy it shows as “Luisa”. I would not be too surprised if there was a transcribing error when they created the second entry. Both entries state that Julián Rivera and Luisa/Lucía Rodríguez are originally from Barranquitas and deceased at the time of Ramona’s birth (1887). See below for yourself! 

Source: Registro Civil (Morovis, Puerto Rico), “Nacimientos 1885-1893, L.1-7 (2 L. numerados 3 y 6),” pg. 324, no. 193, Ramona Rivera Rivera, birth, 28 August 1887; accessed as “Puerto Rico, Civil Registry, 1885-2001,” browsable images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9100/: accessed 24 July 2022).
Source: Registro Civil (Morovis, Puerto Rico), “Nacimientos 1885-1893, L.1-7 (2 L. numerados 3 y 6),” pg. 324, no. 193, Ramona Rivera Rivera, birth, 28 August 1887; accessed as “Puerto Rico, Civil Registry, 1885-2001,” browsable images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9100/: accessed 24 July 2022).

It is later in Estebania’s death in 1919 that her mother is listed as “Tiburcia”. At the time of her death, Estebania was already a widow and the death was reported by a neighbor which likely explains why the name does not match with other earlier records. I think it is an interesting coincidence that both names (Lucía and Tiburcia) end in “-cia”. 

Source: Registro Civil (Morovis, Puerto Rico), “Defunciones 1907-1926, L. 15-16, 1-6),” pg. 228, no. 187, Estebania Rivera Rodríguez, death, 26 July 1919; accessed as “Puerto Rico, Civil Registry, 1885-2001,” browsable images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9100/: accessed 24 July 2022).

Lucía rodríguez aponte

The death record in 1885 for Lucía Rodríguez Aponte (new second surname which I never had) gives us information about her life which we can use to confirm her identity. 

Source: Registro Civil (Morovis, Puerto Rico), “Defunciones 1885-1886),” pg. 62, no. 187, Lucía Rodríguez Aponte, death, 14 December 1885; accessed as “Puerto Rico, Civil Registry, 1885-2001,” browsable images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9100/: accessed 24 July 2022).

The record states that Casimiro Otero Rivera, a married agricultor living in the the barrio of Río Grande, came forward to declare the death of Lucía Rodríguez Aponte – he was listed as hijo político (the son in law) of Lucía. She had died the day before, the 13th of December 1885 in the neighborhood of San Lorenzo from enfermedad degeneración – a degenerative illness. She was the widow of Julián Rivera Matos and their marriage produced 5 children: Juana, Estebania, María José, Juan Bautista, and Petrona. She was the legitimate daughter of Pedro Rodríguez (ignoring his second surname) and Juana Aponte Ramos, both of Barranquitas and already deceased. She did not leave behind a will and testament. 

At first though I had initially ignored the record since it was listed as Lucía, this goes to show you to always read the record! Estebania herself is listed as a daughter and the husband Julián Rivera is listed as well! The most important clue here is the declarant himself, a son in law of Lucía. It is actually via María José (listed as María Josefa in her death record) that we know that Casimiro is her husband. In that record the parents for María Josefa are listed as Julián Rivera and Lucía Rodríguez. Though in the record below she is only listed as a widow, the name of the declarant “Casimiro Otero Rivera” is the same as his father who was deceased. 

Source: Registro Civil (Cidra, Puerto Rico), “Defunciones 1925 jul.- 1937 ago.),” pg. 309, no. 62, María Josefa Rivera Rodríguez, death, 21 March 1935; accessed as “Puerto Rico, Civil Registry, 1885-2001,” browsable images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9100/: accessed 24 July 2022).

Conclusion

I now have the second surname for Julián Rivera (Matos), and the names of Lucía’s parents. Seeing Aponte and Ramos make me think that this family might have roots in Coamo since these names seem to pop up there quite a bit. I know have to beginning search for this couple, there are a few church records for Barranquitas up on FamilySearch but there are only marriages and baptisms – hopefully I can still find something on Julián Rivera and Lucía Rodríguez! 

So remember, take a break when you are stuck and hopefully focusing on something else will allow you to return with clarity and more focus! Happy hunting!

Have you ever mistakingly ignored a record?

1 thought on “Finding my 4th great-grandmother”

  1. Antwan Duckett

    Her parents shared the names of my 6th great-grandparents. My Juana’s likely second surname could be Miranda. They were from Manati and lived in Bayamon and Guaynabo and Caguas. There were a lot of men named Pedro Rodriguez in Coamo, including the Capitan. Speaking of areas, Corozal and San Sebastian are the hardest ones to crack.

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