Recently, the Sociedad Puertorriquena de Genealogia published a new volume in its series on Anasco. This hefty tome features a historical essay by Dr. Andres Mendez Munoz and transcriptions of Libros 6 & 7 de Bautismos for the Parroquia San Antonio Abad de Anasco from the eighteenth century.
There’s over 200 pages of transcriptions of early families for this region of NW PR, which borders Aguada, Rincon and Moca on the north, San Sebastian and Las Marias on the east, and Mayaguez on the south. If your families lived near any of these boundaries, Anasco is worth a look for more information. Mendez Munoz’ 58 page essay helps with its early lists of military officers and soldiers, accounts of its founding and lists for those who participated. There are still copies available on SPG’s Quiosco on their website: https://genealogiapr.com
The other volume is Fundacion de Anasco by historian Dennis de Jesus Rodriguez and also covers the founding of Anasco through documents and family groups who appear in the volumes of parish records.
De Jesus’ volume contains documents relating to the foundation, along with the following transcriptions of Libro 3 Matrimonios (1778-1791), L4 (no existe), Libro 5 (1799-1807), Libro 6 (1807-1810), Libro 7 (1810-1814), L8 (1810-1816), L9 (1816-1827 – no existe), L10 (1827-1834), L11 (1835-1846), L12 (1846-1861) Matrimonios. For deaths, there are transcriptions of Libro 6 Defunciones (1808-1811), L7 (1811-1818), L8 (1815-1818), L9 (1818-1823), L10 (1823-1824), L11 (1825-1829). There are also Appendices, with some transcriptions of early books, lists of militia and samples of signatures of various government figures. This and other volumes of transcriptions are available directly from Dennis de Jesus.
Anasco has the distinction of being among the earliest parishes established in the eighteenth century, and these two volumes offer different and overlapping sources of data. While neither volume focuses on the Indigenous population of Anasco, I keep thinking of this quote from Jorge Chinea: “Despite the heavy losses, when Spain officially granted Añasco a town charter in 1733, almost all of its vecinos were Indians.” This was based on Fray Inigo Abad y Lasierra’s observations in his 1776 book, Viage a la America, in which he lamented that the population blended so “que casi todos son mezclas de blancos con Yndios, y de estos con zambos, mulatos y negros.”
There are among the Registros Parroquiales (parish volumes) listed for Parroquia San Antonio Abad de Anasco, one for “Matrimonios, 1827-1873 Esc.” and another for “Bautismos 1815-1818 Esc” (Rodriguez Leon 230-231) Are these records transcribed?
If you’re looking for more, check the 1838 Censo de Anasco in the Documentos Municipales series on FamilySearch- there are others too, like the 1858 Censo de Almas. The 1838 census begins here: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSV2-L3BJ-H?cat=koha%3A607211&i=254&lang=en
If you’re working on Anasco, both books are definitely resources to have in your library!
References
Jorge Chinea, Race & Labor in the Hispanic Caribbean: The West Indian Immigrant Worker Experience in Puerto Rico, 1800-1850. University Press of Florida, 2005, 53.
Mario A. Rodriguez-Leon, OP “Parroquia San Antonio Abad de Anasco.” Los Registros Parroquiales y la microhistoria demográfica en Puerto Rico. San Juan: Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe, 1990, 230-231.
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