Seven years ago, I wrote about the marriage that occurred between my 4th great-grandmother, Dorotea Ramos Martínez, and her husband Manuel Ruiz Soto on 19 July 1860 in Maunabo, Puerto Rico. I was not a descendant from Manuel, but from her first husband Tomás Ruiz. Nonetheless, I found this marriage interesting because there was a second degree of consanguinity noted on their marriage. When I visited the Archivo Histórico Diocesano, I went looking for a marriage dispensation for their marriage; however, I was not able to find one. Revisiting this line on my tree I realized I missed something very important on the document.
So today I want to talk about the rookie mistake I made and try to make the pieces fit to solve this consanguineous mystery.
Identifying an Error
Looking at this marriage again, I noticed something that I had not noticed before when I first read this record (I was a novice when it came to consanguinity!). The record actually stated they had an “impedimento de segundo grado de afinidad lícita” meaning that Manuel and Dorotea were not related to each other; if not, Manuel and Dorotea’s first husband were related to each other. This made much more sense especially since both men were surnamed Ruiz and when I tried to find Dorotea’s connection to Manuel the first time around I was unable to.
Segundo grado meant a second degree relationship, meaning that Tomás Ruiz and Manuel Ruiz could have been brothers; however, other relations are possible such as Manuel or Tomás being an uncle to the other person. The only way to prove their connection would be to find documents to factually show their connection. This would mean locating their baptismal records and any other record that can help to identify their connection.
Below is a simple family tree showing Dorotea’s and Manuel’s parents’ name as well as Dorotea’s first marriage to Tomás Ruiz.
Document Proof
Manuel Ruiz Soto
In his marriage, Manuel was listed as a native of Maunabo, and the legitimate son of Julián Ruiz, deceased, and Ramona Soto. A baptism was located in the Maunabo parish records that stated Manuel was born on 1 January 1831 and baptized on 18 January 1831. His parents were Julián Ruiz and Ramona Soto, and his godparents were Jacinto Soto and María Rodríguez. It is important to note that Manuel’s godfather’s surname was Soto – the same as his mother’s. Future research may yield a familial connection.
Tomás Ruiz
Tomás likely married Dorotea around 1844 to 1850 in Maunabo; however, no marriage has been located for this couple yet. Despite not having his marriage record, nor his death record, we were able to learn the names of Tomás’s parents through his daughter’s baptism – María Higinia Ruiz Ramos (my 3rd great-grandmother).
For extra measure, another son’s (José Casiano Ruiz) baptism was located which also confirmed that Tomás’s mother was Marcelina Ruiz.
As it stands, this is what the family tree now looks like. Dorotea’s parents’ names were removed as the relationship is not through them.
With this information, this means that Tomás and Manuel cannot be brothers as they do not share the same parents. Locating Tomás’s baptism record confirmed that he was the son of Marcelina Ruiz. Tomás was born on 7 March 1826 and baptized on 30 March 1826. His godparents were Juan Ruiz and Tomasa Amaro. Juan Ruiz shares the same surname as Tomás’s mother and future research may yield a relationship between them.
Though no clear relationship has been established, it is clear that Tomás Ruiz and Manuel’s family had a connection. How do we know this? Because Tomás appeared as a godfather with Dorotea Ramos in 1855 for Juana Ruiz’s child. Juana Ruiz was listed as the daughter of Julián Ruiz and Ramona Soto.
Have I figured this mystery out? No… not yet! This relationship is not as straight forward as I thought. I can definitely acknowledge that I still have some things to learn about consanguinity! My goal is continue learning about these types of relationships and learn more about the Ruiz family in my tree to see if I can figure out their relationship!
Cover Photo Source: Iglesia Católica San Isidoro Labrador (Maunabo, Puerto Rico), “Matrimonios, Apr. 1859-Jun. 1883,” pg. [folded], no. 36, Manuel Ruiz and Dorotea Ramos, marriage, 19 July 1860; accessed as “Registros Parroquiales, 1645-1969,” browsable images, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1807092 : accessed 22 February 2026).
Thank for your Puerto Rican genealogy research and sharing your experience.