Getting Started

Beginning: (noun) the point at which something begins; start

IMPORTANT: Please contact, and credit, the CGC prior to using any part of this page by sending an email to secretary@cubangenclub.org

First Things First!

PLEASE NOTE! WE CANNOT ACCESS RECORDS IN CUBA FOR YOU!

Start with yourself and work your way back to your ancestors, NOT the other way around.
Genealogy is like real estate… it’s all about location, location, location.
Search for any documents, such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, passports, newspaper clippings, obituaries, scrapbooks, albums, and family memoirs that your family may have stored away somewhere. Make photocopies, scans and/or photos of the documents and return the originals as soon as possible.
Become familiar with the countries, cities, and/or towns your ancestors lived in. Search for maps of the areas (both modern era and historic) by using a gazetteer and searching online.
Make a list of all living older relatives. Interview every one of them. Be prepared with a list of questions. Use a recording device for the answers. Respect the person’s privacy.
When interviewing relatives be sure to ask if they have papers or documents that could help you in your search. Bring a digital camera or portable scanner to copy these items if you are conducting the interview in person.
Do not handle original documents unnecessarily to avoid loss or accidental damage from mishaps such as spilling coffee on them.

Things I wish I knew before I started!

Remember to CITE YOUR SOURCE! Document everything you find WHEN you find it!
Record your tree in a genealogy software program. We recommend you keep your data and cited documents in a genealogy software program and NOT JUST on an online, web-based service. – Click here for a PDF discussing the pros and cons of Digital/Electronic Family Trees: Personal vs. Public vs. Collaborative (Our thanks to CGC member, Adalberto Fernandez for this document!)
When writing to a relative for information, make specific requests. Don’t ramble! Offer to share your information.
Ancestry.com does NOT have any Cuban records online. They may have US records generated by your ancestor, but no records from Cuba.
FamilySearch.org does NOT have any indexed records or digitized images for Cuba.
FamilySearch.org Catalog – There are some extracted parish records and/or indexes for the cities of Camaguey, Havana, Remedios, Sancti Spiritus, Santa Clara, Guamutas, Matanzas, and Santiago de Cuba listed in their catalog.
FamilySearch’s Wiki has a page on Cuba.
DNA testing is a helpful tool but it does NOT replace a documented family tree. It’s difficult to make connections with others if you BOTH don’t have working and documented family trees.

Cuban Vital Records

Although Cuba is a small island, you need more than just the island’s name to find your ancestor’s record. Specificity is very important!
There were 6 original provinces in Cuba until 1978.
Currently, there are 15 provinces with a special municipality (Isla de la Juventud is previously known as Isla de Pinos) that does not belong to any province.
BE AWARE that sometimes the capital city of a province/municipality and that province/municipality carry the same name.
Find a map of the area you are researching in (with the current province as well as the province in the time period you are researching.)
The Cuban Civil Registry was not in effect until the 1880s but the different provinces established this practice at different rates.
Use CubaGenWeb’s Cuban Addresses and Telephone Numbers for guidance. You will need to click on the current province of interest (on the left menu) and then review the civil registries for each municipality within that province.
For records prior to the 1880s, you need to use Ecclesiastical records.
You can acquire Parish records from Cuba by writing directly to the ancestral parish. Please be aware that not all parishes have a full-time priest or the resources needed to provide services.
Visit our Civil Records Page.
Visit our Ecclesiatical Records Page.
Visit Cubagenweb.org’s “Where to Find Information” page.

Other Cuban Records

Census Records

Colonial censuses were conducted by the Spanish government in 1774, 1791, 1817, 1827, 1841, 1877 and 1887. It is difficult to ascertain where these are now.
Censuses were taken under American administration in 1899 and 1907 but they are statistical in nature – no names.
The 1899 census contained an appendix with a list of the enumerators (who were hired locally) and is available at the University of South Carolina’s digital collection.
Censuses conducted by the Republic of Cuba in 1910, 1931, 1943, 1953, 1970, 1981, and 1987 are kept by the national repository (Centro de Informacion Cientifico-tecnica) and unavailable for access. These censuses did include personal information such as age, sex, occupation, illegitimate children, etc.
Visit our Census and Padrones Page for more information o what census information is available.
Other records that generated some census-like information were “Padrones” and “Matriculas.”
A Padron was a register or list of taxpayers of a given location. The Catholic church often took “padrones” of its members.
A Matricula is a register of anything (and not just people.)
Visit our Census and Padrones Page for our collection of Padrones.
Visit our Land Records Page for our collection of Matriculas.

Military Records

There were 3 major conflicts towards Cuban independence: Ten Years War (1868 – 1878), Little War (1879 – 1880) and the War for Cuba’s Independence (1895 – 1898.)
Visit our Military Records Page for more information.

Newspapers

“Diario de la Marina” was a newspaper published in Cuba, founded in 1832. “Diario de la Marina” was Cuba’s longest-running newspaper and the one with the highest circulation. Its roots go back to 1813.
Visit our Collections Page for more information on periodicals in Cuba.

Spanish Vital Records

Familiarize yourself with the area (city, municipality, province) your ancestor lived in. Investigate where records (civil, local church, diocesan archive, etc.) are kept for that place and time period. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR CUBA.
The vital records of birth, baptismal, marriage, death, or burial are commonly referred to as a “partida” in Spanish.
USUALLY Spanish Vital Records will contain the paternal and maternal grandparents in a birth/baptismal entry as well as other tidbits like parents’ occupations, current residence, where they are from, etc.
Vital records and event information are more reliable when they are recorded near the time of the happening. The longer the time that the record is made from when the event occurred, the less accurate it may be based on the memory of the person(s) involved.
“Partida Literal” – This is an exact transcription of the birth, baptism, marriage, death, or burial containing all data relating to the identity of the individual(s) and facts exactly as it appears in the entry contained in the civil or church registry. Always request a “partida literal”. Sometimes entries include the occupation of father, current address, etc. An abstract would not contain this information.
“Extracto” (Extract) – A summary of the information relating to the baptism, marriage or burial contained in the church registry.

Spanish Naming Conventions

In Spain or former Spanish territories, people bear a single or composite given name (nombre) and two surnames (apellidos).
Traditionally (but not always) a person’s first surname is the father’s first surname (apellido paterno), and the second one is the mother’s first surname (apellido materno.)
Each surname can also be composite, the parts usually linked by the conjunction “y” or “e” (and), by the preposition “de” (of) or by a hyphen.
Be aware of names which can be abbreviated in records: “Agustin” = Agn. / “Maria” = Ma., etc.
Don’t get too hung up on the exact spelling of surnames. Ibáñez can be written as: Ibañez, Ibañes, Ivañez, Ybañez, Ybañes. They are still all the same name.

Genealogy Forms

Spanish Words/Phrases

General Forms

Letter Writing Guides

FamilyTree Free Downloads

Spanish Words/Phrases

General Forms

Letter Writing Guides

FamilyTree Free Downloads

Getting Started

IMPORTANT: Please contact, and credit, the CGC prior to using any part of this page by sending an email to secretary@cubangenclub.org

First Things First!

PLEASE NOTE! WE CANNOT ACCESS RECORDS IN CUBA FOR YOU!

Start with yourself and work your way back to your ancestors, NOT the other way around.

Genealogy is like real estate… it’s all about location, location, location.

Become familiar with the countries, cities, and/or towns your ancestors lived in. Search for maps of the areas (both modern era and historic) by using a gazetteer and searching online.

Make a list of all living older relatives. Interview every one of them. Be prepared with a list of questions. Use a recording device for the answers. Respect the person’s privacy.

When interviewing relatives be sure to ask if they have papers or documents that could help you in your search. Bring a digital camera or portable scanner to copy these items if you are conducting the interview in person.

Do not handle original documents unnecessarily to avoid loss or accidental damage from mishaps such as spilling coffee on them.

Things I wish I knew before I started!

Remember to CITE YOUR SOURCE! Document everything you find WHEN you find it!

When writing to a relative for information, make specific requests. Don’t ramble! Offer to share your information.

Ancestry.com does NOT have any Cuban records online. They may have US records generated by your ancestor, but no records from Cuba.

FamilySearch.org does NOT have any indexed records or digitized images for Cuba.

FamilySearch.org Catalog – There are some extracted parish records and/or indexes for the cities of Camaguey, Havana, Remedios, Sancti Spiritus, Santa Clara, Guamutas, Matanzas, and Santiago de Cuba listed in their catalog.

FamilySearch’s Wiki has a page on Cuba.

DNA testing is a helpful tool but it does NOT replace a documented family tree. It’s difficult to make connections with others if you BOTH don’t have working and documented family trees.

Cuban Vital Records

Although Cuba is a small island, you need more than just the island’s name to find your ancestor’s record. Specificity is very important!

There were 6 original provinces in Cuba until 1978.

Currently, there are 15 provinces with a special municipality (Isla de la Juventud is previously known as Isla de Pinos) that does not belong to any province.

BE AWARE that sometimes the capital city of a province/municipality and that province/municipality carry the same name.

Find a map of the area you are researching in (with the current province as well as the province in the time period you are researching.)

The Cuban Civil Registry was not in effect until the 1880s but the different provinces established this practice at different rates.

Use CubaGenWeb’s Cuban Addresses and Telephone Numbers for guidance. You will need to click on the current province of interest (on the left menu) and then review the civil registries for each municipality within that province.

For records prior to the 1880s, you need to use Ecclesiastical records.

You can acquire Parish records from Cuba by writing directly to the ancestral parish. Please be aware that not all parishes have a full-time priest or the resources needed to provide services.

Visit our Civil Records Page.

Visit our Ecclesiatical Records Page.

Visit Cubagenweb.org’s “Where to Find Information” page.

Other Cuban Records

Census Records

Colonial censuses were conducted by the Spanish government in 1774, 1791, 1817, 1827, 1841, 1877 and 1887. It is difficult to ascertain where these are now.

Censuses were taken under American administration in 1899 and 1907 but they are statistical in nature – no names.

The 1899 census contained an appendix with a list of the enumerators (who were hired locally) and is available at the University of South Carolina’s digital collection.

Visit our Census and Padrones Page for more information o what census information is available.

Other records that generated some census-like information were “Padrones” and “Matriculas.”

A Padron was a register or list of taxpayers of a given location. The Catholic church often took “padrones” of its members.

A Matricula is a register of anything (and not just people.)

Visit our Census and Padrones Page for our collection of Padrones.

Visit our Land Records Page for our collection of Matriculas.

Military Records

There were 3 major conflicts towards Cuban independence: Ten Years War (1868 – 1878), Little War (1879 – 1880) and the War for Cuba’s Independence (1895 – 1898.)

Visit our Military Records Page for more information.

Newspapers

“Diario de la Marina” was a newspaper published in Cuba, founded in 1832. “Diario de la Marina” was Cuba’s longest-running newspaper and the one with the highest circulation. Its roots go back to 1813.

Visit our Collections Page for more information on periodicals in Cuba.

Spanish Vital Records

Familiarize yourself with the area (city, municipality, province) your ancestor lived in. Investigate where records (civil, local church, diocesan archive, etc.) are kept for that place and time period. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR CUBA.

The vital records of birth, baptismal, marriage, death, or burial are commonly referred to as a “partida” in Spanish.

USUALLY Spanish Vital Records will contain the paternal and maternal grandparents in a birth/baptismal entry as well as other tidbits like parents’ occupations, current residence, where they are from, etc.

Vital records and event information are more reliable when they are recorded near the time of the happening. The longer the time that the record is made from when the event occurred, the less accurate it may be based on the memory of the person(s) involved.

“Extracto” (Extract) – A summary of the information relating to the baptism, marriage or burial contained in the church registry.

Spanish Naming Conventions

In Spain or former Spanish territories, people bear a single or composite given name (nombre) and two surnames (apellidos).

Traditionally (but not always) a person’s first surname is the father’s first surname (apellido paterno), and the second one is the mother’s first surname (apellido materno.)

Each surname can also be composite, the parts usually linked by the conjunction “y” or “e” (and), by the preposition “de” (of) or by a hyphen.

Be aware of names which can be abbreviated in records: “Agustin” = Agn. / “Maria” = Ma., etc.

Don’t get too hung up on the exact spelling of surnames. Ibáñez can be written as: Ibañez, Ibañes, Ivañez, Ybañez, Ybañes. They are still all the same name.

Genealogy Forms