Father mystery solved?

I have written about my grandmother before in a post you can read here. I didn't know her well & she died when I was young. All the records I've collected for her (which are birth, marriage & death) list no father. No one living seems to remember her talking about her father or even know of his full name. It's weird because she died not too long ago, I've always found it mysterious that no one knows more about who her father is. 

Here are the clues I had to go off. 

*On the1930 census my grandmother goes by Andrea Lajara Pabellon & so does her older sister. 

*On her marriage record she goes by Andrea Jimenez. She also goes by Andrea Jimenez on a few of her children's birth records. So I've always assumed that whomever her father is, he would be a man by the surname of Jimenez. 


So that's what I've had this whole time to go off. A man with the last name of Jimenez. Not much, & really hard since that surname is still so very popular. Then I found one new clue that changed everything for me. It was this exact image on my computer screen that lead to a whole new set of questions...

As you can see above, on my grandmother's social security application it shows her father's name as Francisco Lajara. I knew she used Lajara once on the 1930's census but that was the only & first time I had ever seen it connected to her or to her sister.   I thought maybe it was just a mistake, like the many others I've found on other census records. Now this made me wonder why she & her sister sometimes used the surname Jimenez rather than Lajara.

So now what? 

I figurered the next step from here would be to request a copy of her original social security application. Learn more about how to order one for your ancestors using this link. It arrived a few weeks later & below is what I received.

 On the physical copy it lists her father only as Francisco Jimenez. I am still not sure why he is listed as Lajara online but not on the physical document. I called to ask but have yet to receive a reply. 

So I searched for any Francisco's with the name combinations of Lajara & Jimenez for that time period. Only one comes up. Seems like he lived in Juncos, (the town my grandmother was born in) for a short time during the early 1900's. However, he is listed on the 1910 census as married & with one son. Could this be why no one really knew of him? My grandmother & her sister were Francisco's illegitimate daughters? So far, it all seems to point that way. 

While I've searched for Francisco Jimenez Lajara, I've learned that the surname LaJara is very uncommon. Not only is it uncommon in Puerto Rico but the few of them that immigrated from Spain to the Caribbean islands are not many. I started to search for others with the last name of Lajara on Ancestry.com & came across 2 Lajara descendants that are cousins. Both have been helpful & willing & happy to fill me in on the history behind the Lajara's living in Puerto Rico. 

This is what one had to say about my possible great grandfather. 

"Francisco Jimenez Lajara, whom often went by just Francisco Lajara resided in Juncos. All the Lajaras on the island are related. There aren't that many Lajaras in Spain either. The Lajaras come from the province of Murcia, Spain. Most of the Lajara's came to the Spanish colonies (Cuba, PR & Dominican Republic) to develop successful plantations (which they did). In Puerto Rico they resided on the western part of the island & then later settled in Juncos.  They had vast amounts of land. Francisco is believed to have fathered several illegitimate children with several different mothers. One of his descendants remembers hearing Francisco fathered a set of two sisters with one mother, a daughter named Manuela Cruz from another (whom is the grandmother of the lady helping me) and one more daughter named Juanita from another lady."

After reading this I believe the two sisters mentioned above, to be my grandmother & grandaunt.  

I found photos of a few of the Lajaras that received passports in order to travel to these other Spanish islands in the Caribbean (mostly the Dominican Republic) for work. However, no passport for Francisco. 

The two cousins that helped me also compared their DNA results with my Dad's & both matched. We are sure we share a common ancestor. However, one cousin made a closer match. The one with the closer match is a great grandchild of Francisco. Her grandmother like mine was also one of his illegitimate children from Juncos. This just deepens my suspicions about Francisco being my great grandfather. I asked if he ever made an effort or attempt to be a part of this illegitimate daughters life. Her reply was that once when her grandmother was little Francisco came to visit but was not allowed inside. This was the only effort they know of him making.  

It makes me wonder how involved Francisco was in my grandmother's life. Since she does choose to carry his last name on & off at certain times throughout her life, I think she must of known him. Probably met him. Possibly even had somewhat of a relationship with him. How good of a relationship they shared, I don't know. Judging from the circumstances, I'd guess probably not the closest relationship. Oh, how I wish I still had the opportunity to  ask her about this. 

By 1920 Francisco moves from Juncos (the town where at least 3 of his illegitimate children were born) to Rio Piedras, PR. In 1930 he moves again to San Juan, this time living without his wife & child & living alone. He dies in 1936 at the age of 78 years old. As far as records show, he only had one legitimate child. A son named Francisco Jimenez Diaz. I wish I knew more about this mysterious great grandfather of mine. I've waited so long to know his name & I am grateful to at least have that. I know there has to be more about him that just hasn't been uncovered yet. As I continue to search, I hope many more of my questions about him become answered. 

Puerto Rican slave record

Growing up, I always wondered why my father's mother was so dark. Especially since most of all her children were lighter in color. I remember asking my father when I was younger & his response was "Well, some Puerto Ricans are light & others are black, that's just how it is". That response has always lingered in my mind. I just wanted to know why? But why were some light & others black?

I found the answer to this question early on in my search. My father's mother is Andrea Pabellon.  Now the surname of Pabellon is very uncommon. As I searched, I learned that there were only a few of them on the island. The majority of them lived in Juncos or Gurabo, Puerto Rico. I also noticed they all declared themselves as "negro" or black.

The oldest Pabellon I could find online is a former slave by the name of Juan Maria Pabellon. Born around 1833 in either Juncos, or Gurabo, Puerto Rico. Below is the slave census record taken in 1872 called Puerto Rico, Registro Central de Esclavos, that tells me most of all I know about Juan Maria.

The record states he was naturally from Puerto Rico meaning he was born on the island. He was about 39 years old when this was recorded & it declares him as single although it does list several children on this same record that declare him as being their father. This record also says Juan Maria was owned by "los Hijos de Saldana" which means the sons or children of a family with the last name of Saldana. I did some digging & it turns out that there was a family by that last name that owned a big farm property in Gurabo. I'm not certain what kind of farm it was but I assume possibly sugar cane or tobacco that was big at this time. It gives the name of one of his parents, which is most likely his mother: M. Gonzalez. I also know that the Saldana family were connected with Gonzalez's by marriage, so maybe that's how they came to own Juan Maria & his children.

So how did I connect this slave record to me you wonder? Well on this same record Juan Maria has 8 children also recorded living with the same slave owner. 6 sons & 2 daughters. One of the sons is named Matias Pabellon. I know for certain Matias is my 2nd great grandfather. Also know that he is the only Matias Pabellon living on the island at this time period. Other records tell me that Juan Maria was married to a black woman named Isabel Ramirez. Which is why my 2nd great grandfather went by Matias Pabellon Ramirez on census records. 

Here is the tricky part in this. On Matias' death record it says his mother is named Maria Pabellon. This really didn't make sense to what I already knew about him, so with a closer look I noticed the person recording the information on Matias' death record was a neighbor. They must of not known each other super well because she leaves out the names of his grandparents because she didn't know who they were. She also gives Matias the second surname of De los Santos, which is the same surname of Matias' ex-wife. Nevertheless, it's the same person. I'm sure of it! Everything in me is telling me that it is. I just need to find a birth or christening record to have a more solid "yes" this is the same person. 

The next question is why did Juan Maria have the surname of Pabellon if his parent or parents went by Gonzalez? I was told that it could of been because of his profession. Pabellon in English means pavilion. He may have been a carpenter of some kind that built pavilions. Or maybe his father built them & so Juan Maria carried on the name. Not positive but what I do know is that even till today the surname of Pabellon is not common on the island or in the US.  I'm so glad those 8 children that Juan Maria & Isabel had, carried his name on & left me a trail to finding out who they are. Every Puerto Rican Pabellon I've discovered is related to me somehow through him. I hope to one day find some one that knows more & can help me on my journey to discovering my Puerto Rican African roots. 

Matias Pabellon 1830-1925

In honor of Father's day coming up this weekend, I wanted to write about my 2nd great grandfather. He is the patriarch of my Pabellon family line. His full name according to his death record is Matias Pabellon. 

Matias is so interesting to me for many reasons. I will start with the most recent info. I found for him. According to his death record Matias was born in Gurabo in 1830. He was born to a black mother named Isabel Ramirez who was also from the town of Gurabo. This is all I know of his mother. 

His father is Juan Maria Pabellon, a former black slave. Juan & Isabel have 8 children together that I know of. All of these 8 children were also bond in slavery, which leads me to believe that their mother Isabel was too. 

When slavery was abolished in the US, slavery sadly continued on the island of Puerto Rico for an additional 8 years. it wasn't untill March 1873, that Puerto Rican slaves were declared free. This would of made Matias 43 years old at the time slavery ended. Seeing how he was black I tried to locate records for him on the only slave census taken for Puerto Rico in 1872. With the help of another genealogist I was able to locate what I'm sure is Matias. 

His surname is spelled differently as "Pavillon", also his age does not match what was recorded on his death record but I still feel convinced this is him. I only wish there was a way for me to validate it more. 

Sometime in the late 1800's, Matias fathers 10 children with a woman named Maria de los Santos. You can learn more about Maria here. I'm not positive that Matias & Maria ever legally married. If they were both slaves as I predict they were, it is possible that their marriage was never documented. What I do know is, that Matias officially recognizes all of these 10 children to be his. If they were not married, this speaks big of him. This was a time when many illegitimate children were born for reasons such as adultery or father's not wanting the financial responsibility.  So really giving all these children his last name & claiming them as his own is a big deal. 

On the 1910 census Matias is found living in Gurabo all by himself. However, he is living next door to one of his sisters & her family. He declares himself single, black, working in a sugar cane field & as many at his time, illiterate. 

By 1920 Matias is still in Gurabo, but now living with his son named Ricardo Pabellon Santos. Ricardo is married at this time & has 7 children of his own. I image the living conditions in their home must of been very tight with 10 people in what I assume was a small house. I'm not sure how close Matias was with all his children but seeing that he lived with his son again towards the end of his life shows me that they must of had some what of a good relationship. I'm sure Ricardo wanted to help his elderly father, who in 1920 is still shown as working.

What is also interesting about these 2 census records is that both times Matias includes a second surname which is Ramirez. "Matias Pabellon Ramirez" would traditionally suggest that his father is a Pabellon & his mother a Ramirez. Although no where else (that I've located yet) is his name documented with both of these surnames, this just validates to me that this is the same Matias as the one found on the slave census record. 


Matias dies at the age of 95 in Gurabo in October 1925. The death record indicates that no one living had knowledge of who his grandparents were, so his family line ends for me here.

Matias lived such a long life. I only wish he left more behind for me to learn more about him. In all my searching, I found one other possible clue into his life. I found what I thought was a random birth record, it caught my eye because the father is named Matias Pabellon. However, the mother is not Maria. It's another woman. I know from my searches that there is no other Matias Pabellon in the town at the same time.  Could this be why him & Maria split? Did he have another family on the side? This would explain why Matias is found living alone in the 1910 census? I will have to do more digging to confirm it.

I'm so glad I even know about Matias. Sadly his life stories & name had passed away with him some time after his death because my father has no recollection of him. I discovered Matias all on my own via census records. What a life he must of lived. What a story he must of had. I hope to one day be able to piece more of it together. 

Felipa Pabellon de los Santos 1884-1969

Felipa Pabellon de los Santos

 is my great grand Aunt. 
******

Felipa is the older sister of my great grandmother Petra.

The first time I even knew of Felipa was when I saw her listed on the 1910 census. She is listed as single among the 7 other living children from Maria de los Santos & Matias Pabellon. 

Sometime after 1910 she marries a man who is a bit older then her by the name of Jose Perez. I received this clue by finding a Catholic church birth record for one of their children together. In 1913 they have a daughter together named Juana Perez Pabellon. 

I also found a death record for 2 children Felipa & Jose Perez have together.  One in 1916, another daughter of theirs named Fundadora Perez Pabellon dies at 2 years old from colitis. Then a son the year after in 1917 named Francisco Perez Pabellon dies at one month old also from colitis. 

After this I'm not sure what becomes of her husband Jose Perez. I haven't located any death records for him yet but by 1920 Felipa appears as married on the 1920 census with a man named named Jesus Monserrate. What's very unusual is that I found a birth record for Felipa's daughter named Salvadora who is born in 1923 & her father is named to be Jose Perez but in 1920 Felipa is not shown living with him & possibly married to someone else. Did they get back together sometime after this census was taken? It is not likely but  possible.

In the 1930 census there appears to be another twist. This census shows Felipa in a new relationship with a man named, Balbino Colon Reyes. From this point on they are stated as living in a "contracto consensual". In 1930 Felipa is also living with 4 of her children from her previous marriage which are:
Justo Perez Pabellon (birth 1909)
Conception Perez Pabellon
Emilia Perez Pabellon
Salvadora Perez Pabellon (birth 1923)

Felipa & her new partner are both working. He works in a Sugar cane plantation while she works in a tobacco one.  


By 1935 & 1940 it doesn't look like much has changed for them. They all still live together in Juncos, except by 1940 Felipa has a new daughter-in-law whom I assume is Justo's wife named Rosa. 

I found a death record for Felipa. According to her death record she was born in Juncos in 1884. Her husband is stated as being Balbino which makes me wonder if they ever legally got married. Felipa dies in December 1969 in Juncos at the age of 85. 

I'm so curious about this aunt of mine. I am very interested in her companions & wonder if Jose really did father all of her children. I also wonder what happened to Jose & then to Jesus.

I wonder how both her deceased children came to die of the same digestive disease. Was it poor living conditions or food poisoning? I wish I knew more about her & her children. I recently made a connection with someone on Ancestry.com that maybe one of her descendants. I really hope our information matches so that I learn more about her life.

Maria de los Santos 1847-1937

My paternal great-great grandmother is named Maria de los Santos. According to her death certificate she was born in March 1847 in Gurabo, Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, Family Search.org does not have birth records that go that far back for the town of Gurabo. This means I'll have to go into a family history library soon to locate her Catholic church record to confirm her birth date & see if I can obtain any more clues about her life or parents. 

Her death record also says she is the natural child of Ramona de los Santos from Juncos, Puerto Rico. "Natural" means her parents were not legally married which is why no father is documented for her. This is the second time I've come across a record with no father. It makes me so sad that there isn't much I can do about it & will primarily just have to focus on the line of her mother since that is all I have to go off. 

If the birth year on Maria's death certificate is correct that would mean that at the time the 1910 census was taken, Maria would be 63 years old. In 1910 Maria is recorded as working, having 10 children, 8 of which are still living & are all living with her in Juncos, Puerto Rico. 
Maria's children are named as:  

Ynes Pabellon de los Santos
Casimira Pabellon de los Santos born 1883-1970
Felipa Pabellon de los Santos born 1884-1969
Ricardo Pabellon de los Santos born 1886-1976
Petra Pabellon de los Santos birth unknown, death 1938
Agustina Pabellon de los Santos
Lorenzo Pabellon de los Santos
Eustaquia Pabellon de los Santos

She also has 3 grandchildren living with her. There names are: Juan Perez Pabellon, Rosario Perez Pabellon, & Justo Perez Pabellon. I know 2 of these children belong to Felipa & I assume the third is hers as well. 

Maria declares the status of single on every census despite the fact that on every birth or death record I found for her children or grandchildren she is stated as married to a Matias Pabellon who is the father of all her children. This is an example of one of the many I've found.

In 1925 Matias dies & in 1935 Maria changes her status to widow. I'm not positive that they were legally married yet. I would assume that at one time they were because of how often I found their names together stated as married. 

In 1920 Maria is only living with one of her daughters, this is Petra, who is my great grandmother. You can read more about Petra here. Along with Petra, Maria is living with 2 of Petra's daughters Jovina & Andrea. At this time Maria would be 73 years old & is no longer working. Petra seems to be the main provider in the home working in a tobacco factory. 

In 1930 Maria lives alone with her granddaughter named Andrea Pabellon. Neither of them work but live right next door to Petra & her new husband. Petra along with her husband are both working, I assume that Petra is still helping her mother financially.

The 1935 census is the last census taken for Maria. At this time she is still living with her granddaughter Andrea & neither of them are working. Two years later in 1937 Maria dies at the age of 90.

Oh what I would give to be able to speak to Maria. I have so many unanswered questions about her & her family. According to her death record her mother Ramona is from Juncos. In 1910 Maria is living there, I wonder if it was to be close to her mother since then Maria is a single-mother. By 1920 Maria moves to Gurabo, I assume to be closer to all of her children that are taking care of her.

I'd also love to know what happened to the 2 of her 10 children she says in the 1910 census were not living. How did they die? How old where they? 

I've also noticed the slave census taken for Puerto Rico in 1872 names various slaves with the last name of De los Santos. I wonder how Maria is related to these slaves since she herself was black. I also wonder if her mother Ramona was a slave. At the time slavery was abolished in Puerto Rico in 1873, Maria would of been 25 years old. I haven't found a Ramona de los Santos on the Puerto Rico, Registro Central de Esclavos, 1872 but have found many Maria de los Santos'. I can't prove that any of these "De los Santos" are linked to my family but seeing as how their are so many & seeing as how my family is black I can only suspect that they are. Maybe with time I will be able to make the connection.

Petra Pabellon de los Santos

My great grandmother's name is Petra Pabellon de los Santos. I have yet to find her birth record. According to her death record she was born on August 5, 1900. I have a strong feeling that this birth date is wrong for two reasons. First, her name was recorded out of order as Petra de los Santos Pabellon. Second, they have her gender incorrect. 

Everything else as far as the name of her husband & parents & race is right.  I'm not sure how all these mistakes came to be but according to the death record the person giving the information for her was named Julio Ortiz. It does not specify if Julio is related or not. I'm guessing he's not but who knows.

Petra was born in Juncos, Puerto Rico I'm guessing sometime around the 1890's. I have searched Juncos birth records for her birth record around this time, before & after & always come up empty. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong but I can't find anything for her or any of her siblings in Juncos or Gurabo, which are the two towns where she primarily lived all her life. 

According to the 1910 census Petra was 20 years old. She is 1 of 10 children born to Maria de los Santos & Matias Pabellon. She is living in Juncos at that time, unmarried with no children of her own.  She lives with her mother & 8 siblings. Along with her other 5 sisters she is a domestic worker that either works from home or works from others homes. 

For some reason her father Matias Pabellon is shown living in the town right besides them in Gurabo, alone. I'm not sure how involved in her life her father was. I'm sure at some point they all lived together. I can't help but wonder why Matias is living alone. Although he does not live far from his children, I know something must of happened to have them apart. 

In July 1912 Petra gives birth to her first child, a daughter she names Jovina Pabellon. After Jovina, Petra has a second daughter in 1913 named Andrea Pabellon, this is my grandmother. You can read more about Andrea here. In 1916 Petra has a third daughter named Jesusa Pabellon. Sadly Jesusa only lives to be 2 years old & then dies on March 1919 from the flu epidemic. 

All 3 of these daughters are born out of wedlock. No father is ever recorded for their church or civil records. I wonder if they are all from the same father. Since they were all so close in age I would assume that they are but can't be sure.

By 1920 Petra has moved to Gurabo with her mother & 2 remaining daughters Jovina & Andrea.

In June 1920 Petra marries a man named Vicente Ortiz from Toa Baja.  I assume after their wedding she moves out of her mother's house & they move into their own home because by the 1930 census Petra is shown living with Vicente her first daughter Jovina & 2 new children that she's had with her new husband. The names of her new children from this marriage are first a daughter Filiberta Ortiz Pabellón (born 1922), another daughter Maria Ester Ortiz Pabellón (born 1924 & death 1925) then her only son Luis Ortiz Pabellón (born 1926). 

My grandmother Andrea remains living with her grandmother Maria. I assume Andrea & Maria must have been close. I wonder if Andrea stayed to help take care of Maria since Maria would of been in her late 80's by then, or if maybe she didn't get along with her new step-father. 

By 1935 Petra is still declaring the status of "married" but is living alone with her 2 children from Vicente Ortiz. She is working in a tobacco factory. On September 5, 1938 Petra passes away from what I can read lung complications. 

I've thought about Petra lots. I imagine that she must of had a challenging life. She lived in a time where having a child out of wedlock was really looked down upon. She was black & lived in a time where the color of your skin represented more about you then anything else. I assume loosing her third little girl at the age of 2 must of also been very difficult. Then again loosing another little girl at the age of 1 must of been crushing. I wonder how this affected her. She must of been strong. I only wish that there was a photo preserved of her. I would love to put a face to the name I've discovered so much about. 

Andrea Pabellon

This is my paternal grandmother. 

Her name is Andrea Pabellon 

& my search has started with her. 

I've written about her a little in a previous post but I wanted to write more about what I've learned about her life. I only had the privilege of meeting her a few times when I was very little. She lived in Puerto Rico all of her life, so I didn't get to see her very often.

Andrea was born in Juncos, Puerto Rico in March 2, 1913. Her mother is Petra Pabellon de los Santos. Andrea's birth, marriage nor death records ever indicate a father. In the place of a father is states "No Costa" which means there was no father present. Back then this was called a "natural" birth. Which pretty much just means her parents were never legally married. Which is why she carries her mother's first surname of Pabellon.

Later on in life, Andrea sometimes uses the last name of Jimenez. I wonder if maybe that was her real father's last name. No one living remembers & I have no evidence to prove this theory. 

Andrea's family moves & she grew up most of her life in the town right besides Juncos which is Gurabo. Census records show that she grew up with her mother Petra & her mother's mother which is Maria de los Santos. In 1920 Andrea's mother marries a man named Vincente Ortiz. Census records show that Petra moves out to be with her new husband & her 2 new children from this marriage (her only son named Luis Miguel Ortiz Pabellon & another daughter named Filiberta Ortiz Pabellón. However by 1930 Andrea is still living alone with her grandmother Maria de los Santos. I imagine that they must of been really close. In March 1937 Maria dies. 3 months later in June 1937 Andrea marries my grandfather Antonio Rodriguez Torres (read more about Antonio here). About a year later they have their first baby, a son named Efrain Rodriguez. He would be the first born of 14 children, 9 boys & 5 girls.

In January 1978 Andrea's husband of 41 years dies. From what my Dad tells me they were already separated for some time before his death. Andrea goes on to live the rest of her life in Gurabo, Puerto Rico. She dies in January 1990 at the age of 79. 

Since I didn't know her well I asked my father to describe what she was like to me. He says all his memories of her are good. She was kind & a good mother. He remembers that growing up she would do the laundry by the river not far from their house. It was also then that she would bath all the children in the river. He remembers she took them all to Mass on Sundays & she made sure they were all baptized when they were young. I can tell he misses her when he speaks of her. He says they were pretty close. 

Even though I didn't really know her well & only saw her a small handful of times growing up, for some reason, I've always felt a connection with her. This is why I chose her to start with. 

-I would love to learn who her real father was.
-I would also love to know if he's the same father of the 2 other sisters (one younger & then one older) that  Andrea had that also were born out of wedlock before her mother married Vicente Ortiz. I'm hoping that one day & with more digging I'll be able to answer these questions. 

Where it all begins

For now, I've mainly been focusing on my paternal side of the family. 

This is my father & me. 

He was born in Gurabo, Puerto Rico in 1945

I've always thought he was a handsome guy. 

His mother is named Andrea Pabellon born in Juncos, Puerto Rico in March 2, 1913. Andrea grew up most of her life in the town right besides Juncos which is Gurabo. Here she married my grandfather Antonio Rodriguez Torres in 1937. They both remained in Gurabo all of their lives having a total of 15 children together, 10 boys & 5 girls. Four of these children died before adulthood. One more passed away in his early 20's from a horseback riding accident, his name was Matias Rodriguez Pabellon (not positive on the date of Matias' birth or death). 

I had very little to go off when I started my search. All I had was the information on my father's birth certificate & the little that he could remember of his parents, which was not much. The first thing I did was search for them on census records. Now Puerto Rico only has census records available starting from 1910 to 1940. There was one more census taken before 1910 but I was told that it was destroyed in a fire. I created an account on Ancestry.com & found a census record for them from 1940 in Gurabo.

I knew this was them & it felt so good see both of their names on there & to finally have more of a clue. One thing we learned from this is that my father had an older brother that he never knew about. The census record shows a baby boy listed as  Eusébio Rodriguez that was 6 months old. I had my father dig for information on this brother with his siblings but had no luck. Apparently no one, not even his other older brother who is also listed on this census knew of Eusébio. I had a feeling it was because he had died very young, but wasn't sure how to prove it. 
Soon after finding this census I put a post on a message board on ancestry.com asking if anyone happened to have  more info. This kind lady from New York wrote me back & said that I could find everything I needed if I just searched on   familysearch.org I had heard about this website but never really put it to use before this.  I didn't realize how valuable this website could be. The few times I was on it on my own I didn't come up with anything. I saw there was a link to Puerto Rico but I didn't notice anything helpful. That's because I was searching all wrong. This lady gave me step by step instructions on how to properly find civil or Catholic church records for all of the towns in Puerto Rico. 

Here are the steps she sent to me in case you need them too: 

Log onto Family Search.org (It's FREE!)
Click Search at the top
Scroll down & click Caribbean, Central & South America
Click Puerto Rico under Place
Click Puerto Rico, Civil Registration, 1836-2001
Scroll down & click Browse through 4,587,038 images
Select the town you're interested in
Here you access all available Birth/Nacimientos, Death/Defunciones, Marriage/Matrimonios records.
Always scroll down & check the last entries for Indices of the books in the collection
If there is no index, It may be contained within each book.
Search index under last name for book/year/folio #, then go to that book to pull the record.

After following these steps I was able to find a death record for Eusébio. He was born on October 9, 1939 & his death is recorded as June 8, 1940. Sadly 2 months after the census above was taken this baby boy died only being 8 months old. I don't totally understand the cause of death because it's in a very cursive handwriting that's hard to crack, even for those that do know Spanish well. 

Being able to view all these records in the comfort of my own home was a miracle I never thought I'd have. I assumed all these types of documents were in Puerto Rico or that I would have to travel down town to the family history library. Boy was I wrong & boy was I happy that I was wrong. This has opened up so many doors for my research & will open up many for yours as well.