Okay, finally moving our way out of Toa Alta (just for a bit, since I have some more Toa Alta ancestors in the near future to write about). On this post I want to focus on my 3rd great grandfather, Cruz Rivera Collazo – another man of much mystery!
I was first introduced to Cruz’s name when I came across my great grandfather’s birth record in 1920. It mentioned that his maternal grandfather was Cruz Rivera, mestizo, native from Patillas (where he currently lives in 1920) and his wife Luisa Masantini, native of Patillas and deceased (another ancestor of much mystery!).
 |
| Cruz Rivera & Luisa Masantini [FamilySearch] |
Cruz Rivera, appears on the 1910 census with a daughter named Amalia Rodríguez who I’m pretty sure are my Cruz Rivera and Amalia, since Luisa’s surname was also “Rodríguez”, this further solidifies that Cruz Rivera Collazo, born about 1860 and living in barrio Guardarraya, Patillas, Puerto Rico is my 3rd great grandfather.
 |
| Cruz Rivera Collazo – 1910 Census [Ancestry] |
Since his daughter married in 1919 and was living in Salinas, we find Cruz Rivera living in Patillas with his grandson, Felix Santiago y Rivera, son of Amalia but from an unknown father. Both times we see Cruz listed as single, since he never officially married Luisa and unable to read or write.
 |
| Cruz Rivera Collazo – 1920 Census [Ancestry] |
Unfortunately, that’s the last time Cruz officially appears on a record for me. It is possible that he moved to Salinas and lived the rest of his life there, but I haven’t been able to find a “Cruz Rivera Collazo” in census records past 1920; I did find a Cruz Rivera living with a cousin surnamed Santiago in Salinas, potentially related to Felix’s father. However, I don’t have conclusive evidence that it’s the same man. I also have no idea what Cruz’s parents’ names were. Since Amalia was born out of wedlock, I have found a record (which I think is her baptism) that only lists a Luisa Rodríguez but no Cruz Rivera. This was pretty common for children born out of wedlock, to list one of the two parents and sometimes a father would “recognize” their child in the record. We know Cruz is the father from records, yet we don’t know who the parents Rivera and Collazo are. I’ll have to keep searching for more information and ties to try and figure this out, I haven’t even been able to find brothers and sisters for Cruz who might help fill in some gaps.
Here’s to hoping that I’ll be able to crack this brick wall soon and find out more about my ancestors in Patillas! Patillas is on the southern coast of Puerto Rico and the barrio in which Cruz and Amalia lived in faces out to the Caribbean Sea! I would love to visit Patillas one day! Also Patillas is about 2-3 towns away from Salinas so I wonder how Amalia and my 2nd great grandfather met! Here is a picture of where Patillas geographically is on the map of Puerto Rico as well as its barrios.
 |
| Patillas, Puerto Rico [Google] |
 |
| Guardarraya, Patillas, Puerto Rico [Google] |
