Civil Records
In the Newspapers
About Civil Records in the Newspaper
Newspapers often published civil registry information outside of the Social Pages. This is the case with El Diario de la Marina, the longest-running newspaper of Cuba.
**Please note that information extracted is EXACTLY as it was published in the newspaper with NO attempt to correct spelling, abbreviations, accent marks, etc.**
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Diario de la Marina was a newspaper published in Cuba, founded by Don Nicolas Rivero in 1832. Diario de la Marina was Cuba’s longest-running newspaper and the one with the highest circulation. Its roots went back to 1813 with El Lucero de la Habana and the Noticioso Mercantil whose 1832 merger established El Noticioso y Lucero de la Habana, which was renamed Diario de la Marina in 1844. After 128 years, the newspaper ceased operations on May 12, 1960, by order of the new Castro government.
The paper published 2 daily editions: Edición de la Mañana (Morning Edition) and Edición de la Tarde (Evening Edition.) It published births, marriages, and deaths under 2 categories: Registro Civil (Civil Registry) for births, marriages or deaths and Necrología (Necrology) for obits/funeral announcements.
The Edición de la Mañana did not publish the Civil Registry but did include a few Necrology entries and funeral announcements. These announcements, which were published by the deceased individual’s family or friends, often times yield a great deal of information. This information includes the name of the deceased and can include the spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, nephews, nieces, etc. A few were also published to announce the anniversary of a loved one’s death and upcoming religious service. The Edición de la Tarde published the Civil Registry for the previous day(s) as well as Necrology entries and some funeral announcements.
The births have not been transcribed as they do not include names of individuals, but rather races and numbers within that race for each neighborhood. (Example: Catedral – 1 varón y 1 hembra, blancos, legítimos; etc.)
Necrologies
Make sure to also check our Obituary Collections Page!
Deaths Listed in the Newspaper's Civil Registry
Gallery of 1899 Deaths - PREMIUM CONTENT
Marriages in the Newspaper's Civil Registry
Gallery of 1875 Marriages - PREMIUM CONTENT
1899
Gallery of 1899 Marriages - PREMIUM CONTENT
La Gaceta de La Habana was the newspaper for the Spanish colonial government in the second half of the 19th century in Cuba. The Gaceta was the successor of Diario de La Habana, which was published until 1848, when it changed its name to La Gaceta de La Habana: Periódico Oficial del Gobierno. It was succeeded by La Gaceta Oficial de la República de Cuba in 1902.
The following transcriptions are from microfilms of Diario de La Habana: Periodico Oficial del Gobierno, accessed at Florida International University.
- Gaceta Obits – January 1848
- Gaceta Obits – February 1848
- Gaceta Obits – March 1848
- Gaceta Obits – April 1848
- Gaceta Obits – May 1848
- Gaceta Obits – June 1848
- Gaceta Obits – July 1848
- Gaceta Obits – August 1848
- Gaceta Obits – September 1848
- Gaceta Obits – October 1848
- Gaceta Obits – November 1848
- Gaceta Obits – December 1848