A recent find in the Lares 1878 census provided me a new clue to the origin of my 4th great-grandfather Francisco González Rivera. Though living in Lares in 1878 with his wife Severina Padilla, the census told us that he was actually from Aguadilla, which was new information for me.
These lesser known documents are extremely helpful because they provide us a glimpse into Puerto Rican life before the creation of the Civil Registry in 1885. Similarly, when one cannot easily access church records from these towns, these additional records can be crucial in providing new clues about our ancestors. For example, not only did I learn that Francisco was from Aguadilla, but I also learned that Severina was actually his second wife as he was listed as segunda nupcias. I’m not sure who his first wife was, but hopefully in the future more records will help to identify her and this first marriage.
Looking for Aguadilla
Church Records
Fortunately, some of Aguadilla’s church records are available online. These included baptismal records around the time Francisco would have been born. Knowing his parents’ names, Martín Gonzalez and Luciana Rivera, I searched in the Archivo Digital de Aguadilla for any mention of him in the early 1800s.
To my surprise, I found a baptism record that matched fairly well with what I had. Francisco was baptized on 10 March 1817 and born on 28 February 1817. His parents were listed as Martín González, a native of El Pepino (San Sebastián) and Juliana de Rivera, native of Moca. Even though he’s mother name was listed as Juliana, likely this was an error of the name Luciana. This is confirmed with the baptism of other siblings in Aguadilla where the mother’s name was listed as Luciana. Before finding the 1878 Lares Census, I had that Francisco was a native of San Sebastián. So seeing that his father was from there was not too surprising. Though the record does not provide the names of his grandparents, it still gives us some solid information of when and where he was born.
I am still missing some records for Francisco González Rivera, i.e, his first marriage record, his second marriage to Severina Padilla, and his death record. Likely he married Severina sometime before 1859 when he had his daughter María Isabel González Padilla and died sometime before 1892 when his wife died.
However, genealogy is a slow game. Though I would love to have every document possible for my ancestors available all at once. The hunt is part of the fun!
Cover Image: Iglesia Católica [Catholic Church] San Carlos Borromeo (Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico), “Bautismos de blancos y pardos, 1815-1818,” vol. 5, p. , no. 833, Francisco González Rivera, baptism, 10 March 1817; accessed as “Libros Parroquiales de Aguadilla 1780-1843,” browsable images, Archivo Digital de Aguadilla (https://archivoaguadilla.org/2022/12/libros-parroquiales-de-aguadilla-1780-1843/: accessed 26 September 2026).
I was curious about this family because my family is also from there. I found a baptism of Francisco’s sister, Maria (4 Jan 1815) and her godparents were my direct ancestors: Jose (Francisco) Lopez and Casimira Hernandez who were from Moca. One of Jose and Casimira’s son, Juan Francisco Lopez, married Juana Gonzalez Hernandez hl Manuel and Maria on 5 Feb 1780, Moca. I wonder if she was related to your Martin.
That’s my next mystery, trying to figure out who Martín’s parents were. I have that his parents were Ángel González and Juana López; however, I would love to find more records to confirm that.