Cuba GENEALOGY

JOURNEY WITH US.

A research guide to ancestry, family history, and genealogy resources for Cuba.

Uncover with Ancestors of Paradise the untold stories of your Cuban ancestors!

”From Anegada to Virgin Gorda, tour the Caribbean in this gorgeous site packed with resources, historical photos and videos…”

101 Best Genealogy Websites of 2024
Family Tree Magazine

records.

Uncover the rich lives of your Cuban ancestors through census records, court records, deeds, naturalization records, military records, ship passenger lists as well as birth, marriage, and death records.

The following resources may include some affiliate links in an effort to support the continued growth of Ancestors of Paradise as a leading research resource in Caribbean genealogy. Thank you for your support!

  • ARCHIVO NACIONAL DE LA REPÚBLICA DE CUBA

    Fundado el 28 de Enero de 1840, con el nombre de Archivo General de la Real Hacienda, el actual Archivo Nacional de la República de Cuba, fue la quinta de estas instituciones creadas en América Latina.Desde entonces, hemos recopilado en 221 fondos la documentación de las sucesivas administraciones coloniales, neocoloniales y algunas del período revolucionario; la perteneciente a relevantes personalidades de la cultura y la política y la que generaran escribanos notariales, órganos consultivos, sociedades, compañías, institutos, museos, universidades, en fin, toda la variedad de formas en que se organiza la sociedad civil.

  • Cuba Gen Web

    CubaGenWeb is an on-line bi-lingual depository of resources and data dedicated to Cuban Genealogy. It is intended to facilitate the search for your Cuban roots by providing as much information as possible to get you started in your research and help fill in some of the missing blanks. CubaGenWeb is a non-profit personal hobby started in 1996 with the encouragement and support of many friends.

  • CUBA RESEARCH PROJECT

    At the Cuba Research Project, our mission is to gather, preserve, and provide accessible genealogical and demographical data on the vibrant population of Cuba. Our website serves as a valuable resource, empowering individuals with the tools and information needed to delve into the world of Cuban genealogy and demographics. By meticulously collecting and archiving records, we enable individuals to research and uncover their ancestral roots, explore familial connections, and gain a deeper understanding of their Cuban heritage.

  • Digital Cuba

    Working together to digitize birth, marriage and death records to help Cuban genealogists everywhere. Digital Cuba, Inc is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

  • ENDANGERED ARCHIVES PROGRAMME | Cuba

    The Endangered Archives Programme (EAP) facilitates the digitisation of archives around the world that are in danger of destruction, neglect or physical deterioration. Thanks to generous funding from Arcadia, a charitable foundation that works to preserve cultural heritage and promote open access to knowledge, we have provided grants to almost 500 projects in over ninety countries worldwide, in more than a hundred languages and scripts.

  • FAMILYSEARCH RESEARCH WIKI | Cuba

    The FamilySearch Research Wiki is a free, online genealogical guide created and maintained by FamilySearch, a non-profit organization. It contains links to genealogy databases, websites, other resources, research strategies, and genealogical guidance to assist in the search for your ancestors. Articles included are locality pages for countries around the world and topic pages that include pertinent genealogy record types explaining how to use the record, what it contains, and how to find it.

  • Hojas de Servicios Militares de América : Cuba, 1765-1809 | FamilySearch

    Microfilme de manuscritos en la Sección de Guerra Moderna del Archivo General de Simancas.

    Un índice alfabético por apellidos se ha publicado como Catálogo XXII del Archivo de Simancas, Secretaría de Guerra (Siglo XVIII), Hojas de Servicios de América (en la FHL es un libro con número de clasificación EUROPE 946 M23e).

    Spaniards in Cuba; military service records, 1765-1809. For a surname index to these records, refer to Catálogo XXII del Archivo de Simancas, Secretaría de Guerra (Siglo XVIII), Hojas de Servicios de América (Family History Library book call no. EUROPE 946 M23e).

  • The Mariel Boatlift | Research Guides

    This guide provides resources available at the Cuban Heritage Collection and materials held at other institutions for investigating Mariel from a variety of angles and through multiple approaches and disciplines. We have provided links to digital content where applicable, including open access collections. Some online material such as newspaper databases and streaming media may only be available to UM students, faculty, and employees.

  • PORTAL DE ARCHIVOS ESPAÑOLES (PARES)

    The Spanish Archives Portal (PARES) is the main platform used to disseminate Spain's Historical Document Heritage, created and managed by the National Archives Department of the Ministry of Culture.

    It contains information sheets and digitised images of the historical documents held in the National Archives. However, given the enormous volume of documents, not all of the documentation held in our archives is currently available on PARES. There is an increasing amount of content available on PARES as archivists continue their work to identify, describe and digitise the documents.

  • SHIPINDEX.ORG: A VESSEL RESEARCH DATABASE

    ShipIndex.org simplifies vessel research. Whether you’re a genealogist, a maritime historian, a researcher, or just curious, we can help you learn more about the ships that interest you. We tell you which maritime resources, such as books, journals, magazines, newspapers, CD-ROMs, websites, and online databases mention the ships that interest you. We enhance these references by noting which ones include illustrations or crew and passenger lists, and where you can find or purchase the resource.

  • SLAVE SOCIETIES DIGITAL ARCHIVE | Cuba Collection

    The SSDA Cuba collection consists of ecclesiastical and secular documents dating from the sixteenth-through nineteen centuries from the provinces of Cienfuegos, Havana, Holguín, Matanzas, and Santiago de Cuba, as well as a small selection of transcriptions and volume descriptions. The collection is organized in a geographical hierarchy, beginning with a modern province and descending to a modern city and finally the institution where the document was originally produced.

    The Cuba collection also includes digitized images of La Aurora de Matanzas, the nineteenth century newspaper published in Matanzas that has been described as the jewel of Cuban journalism.

  • SlaveVoyages

    The SlaveVoyages website is a collaborative digital initiative that compiles and makes publicly accessible records of the largest slave trades in history. Search these records to learn about the broad origins and forced relocations of more than 12 million African people who were sent across the Atlantic in slave ships, and hundreds of thousands more who were trafficked within the Americas. Explore where they were taken, the numerous rebellions that occurred, the horrific loss of life during the voyages, the identities and nationalities of the perpetrators, and much more.

collections.

Uncover the rich lives of your Cuban ancestors through our collection of diverse genealogical resources.

The following resources may include some affiliate links in an effort to support the continued growth of Ancestors of Paradise as a leading research resource in Caribbean genealogy. Thank you for your support!

  • ANCESTRY MESSAGE BOARDS | CARIBBEAN

    Ancestry message boards contain over 25 million posts on more than 198,000 boards.

  • ANCESTRY MESSAGE BOARDS | Cuba

    Ancestry message boards contain over 25 million posts on more than 198,000 boards.

  • La Aurora de Matanzas | SLAVE SOCIETIES DIGITAL ARCHIVE

    The SSDA Cuba collection consists of ecclesiastical and secular documents dating from the sixteenth-through nineteen centuries from the provinces of Cienfuegos, Havana, Holguín, Matanzas, and Santiago de Cuba, as well as a small selection of transcriptions and volume descriptions. The collection is organized in a geographical hierarchy, beginning with a modern province and descending to a modern city and finally the institution where the document was originally produced.

    The Cuba collection also includes digitized images of La Aurora de Matanzas, the nineteenth century newspaper published in Matanzas that has been described as the jewel of Cuban journalism.

  • DIGITAL LIBRARY OF THE CARIBBEAN

    The Digital Library of the Caribbean is a cooperative digital library for resources from and about the Caribbean & circum-Caribbean.

  • THE EARLY CARIBBEAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE

    The Early Caribbean Digital Archive is an open access collection of pre-twentieth-century Caribbean texts, maps, and images. Texts include travel narratives, novels, poetry, natural histories, and diaries that have not been brought together before as a single collection focused on the Caribbean. The materials in the archive are primarily authored and published by Europeans, but the ECDA aims to use digital tools to "remix" the archive and foreground the centrality and creativity of enslaved and free African, Afro-creole, and Indigenous peoples in the Caribbean world.

  • HISTORY HUB | Cuba

    History Hub is a research support community for everyone, including genealogists, historians, and citizen archivists.

  • Index to Historia de Familias Cubanas Vols 1-9 | Cuba Gen Web

    This 9-volume work represents the most extensive collection ever compiled of Cuban genealogies. It has 841 surname entries.

  • The Mariel Boatlift | University of Miami Libraries

    This guide provides resources available at the Cuban Heritage Collection and materials held at other institutions for investigating Mariel from a variety of angles and through multiple approaches and disciplines. We have provided links to digital content where applicable, including open access collections. Some online material such as newspaper databases and streaming media may only be available to UM students, faculty, and employees.

  • MYHERITAGE | Cuba ($)

    The Cuba family history research page lists data collections relevant to Cuba.

    Start your search here to find ancestors originating from Cuba and to research historical records pertaining to Cuba.

  • OLD MAPS ONLINE | Cuba

    Our mission is to give old maps a new life in the online world via the Old Maps Online search catalog that allows visitors to explore and discover the beauty of historical maps depicting a past geographical place of their interest.

  • Operation Pedro Pan Collections Guide | University of Miami Libraries

    Operation Pedro Pan’s history involves the unprecedented migration of 14,000 unaccompanied minors as they left their beloved Cuba for the United States from 1960-1962.

  • PERRY-CASTAÑEDA LIBRARY MAP COLLECTION | Historical Maps

    The Perry-Castañeda Library (PCL) Map Collection website is archived as of 2021 and no longer being updated. Links to external sites may no longer work as expected. Please visit the Texas GeoData portal and Collections portal for map files and the UTL Map Collections LibGuide for additional information.

Ancestry US

Ancestry US

CEMETERIES + MEMORIALS.

Uncover the rich lives of your Cuban ancestors through cemetery records, grave records, tombstone inscriptions, and funeral booklets.

The following resources may include some affiliate links in an effort to support the continued growth of Ancestors of Paradise as a leading research resource in Caribbean genealogy. Thank you for your support!

  • FIND A GRAVE | Cuba

    Find the graves of ancestors, create virtual memorials or add photos, virtual flowers and a note to a loved one's memorial. Search or browse cemeteries and grave records for every-day and famous people from around the world.

  • INTERNATIONAL JEWISH CEMETERY PROJECT | Cuba

    We have successfully collected information about thousands of Jewish cemetery sites all over the world along with information on the location of the cemetery, and how to obtain more information. Each Jewish cemetery or burial site listed in the project by town or city, country, and geographic region is based on current locality designation. Some listings include links to other websites with additional information such as burial lists or a name to contact by email or snail-mail.

HISTORIC IMAGES + FILM.

Uncover the rich lives of your Cuban ancestors through early photographs, studio portraits, historic landscape images and film.

The following resources may include some affiliate links in an effort to support the continued growth of Ancestors of Paradise as a leading research resource in Caribbean genealogy. Thank you for your support!

  • Carpenter Collection | Library of Congress

    The Frank and Frances Carpenter Collection consists of photographs produced and gathered by Frank G. Carpenter (1855-1924) and his daughter Frances (1890-1972) to illustrate his writings on travel and world geography. Carpenter's works helped popularize cultural anthropology and geography in the early years of the twentieth century.

  • Cuba Early 1900s

    Early Photos of Cuba circa early 1900s. From negatives.

  • DEADFRED GENEALOGY PHOTO ARCHIVE

    Trace your roots for FREE with our searchable database containing thousands of identified and mystery photos for genealogy enthusiasts looking for long-lost family. Anyone who finds a photo of a direct ancestor that is owned by the archive will receive the photo for free.

  • HaChayim HaYehudim Jewish Photo Library

    HaChayim HaYehudim Jewish Photo Library is an archive of images from the Jewish world. Jewish communities in the Caribbean featured include Aruba, Barbados, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Nevis, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. Eustatius, St. Thomas, and Trinidad.

  • HARRY ALVERSON FRANCK PHOTOGRAPHS | Cuba

    Harry A. Franck (1881-1962) was a University of Michigan graduate (1903), avid traveler, and veteran of both world wars. He wrote thirty-three travel books describing Europe, South and Central America, China, Japan, and many other places. His most popular books include A Vagabond Journey Around the World (1910) and Zone Policeman 88 (1913). His books routinely featured photographs he took during his journeys: landscapes, street scenes, working people with the tools of their trade, portraits, and snapshots.

  • Heinrich Heidersberger | Cuba in 1954

    Legendary German photographer Heinrich Heidersberger worked on a cruise ship, the MS Atlantic, in 1954. He took thousands of pictures of Americans sailing from New York to Havana.

  • HUNTLEY FILM ARCHIVES | Cuba

    We are a team of dedicated film archivists who aim to help you produce the best archive content for your project.

    Our collections are vast and varied - the sum of over fifty years of service to production and to film archiving. Our footage starts around 1895 and we cover the places and people of the 20th century comprehensively and globally. Our holdings are mostly documentary with the addition of behind the scenes Hollywood, Bollywood and a special collection of pioneer film makers. It is with great pride that our source material is still on celluloid for quality and that filmic texture. Our films are housed in purpose built film vaults and our staff expert in their field.

  • The Montgomery Collection of Caribbean Photographs | Cuba

    The Montgomery Collection of Caribbean Photographs is a singular collection of more than 3,500 historical images from 34 countries including Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad. This visual record contains studio portraits, landscapes and tourist views and brings to life the changing economies, environments and communities that emerged post-emancipation. The Collection includes nearly every photographic format available during the years 1840 to 1940, including prints, postcards, daguerreotypes, lantern slides, albums, and stereographs.

  • M/S MUSEET FOR SØFART (M/S MARITIME MUSEUM OF DENMARK) | IMAGE ARCHIVE

    M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark tells the story of Denmark as one of the world's leading maritime nations in an evocative and dramatic way.

    You can visit the digital image archive here where more than 60.000 photos are digitalized (in Danish).

  • NATIONAAL ARCHIEF PHOTO COLLECTION | Cuba

    The National Archives manages 15 million photos. You can view more than one million photos online. The photo collection provides an overview of events from the period between 1865 and 1990.

  • New York Public Library STEREOGRAPH COLLECTION | Cuba

    This digital compilation was developed in support of the NYPL website, "The African American Migration Experience," a sweeping 500-year historical narrative from the transatlantic slave trade to the Western migration, the colonization movement, the Great Migration, and the contemporary immigration of Caribbeans, Haitians, and sub-Saharan Africans.

  • SOUTHEAST ASIAN & CARIBBEAN IMAGES (KITLV) | UNIVERSITAIRE BIBLIOTHEKEN LEIDEN

    The KITLV image collection holds photographs, prints and drawings that were acquired by The Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV). Housed at Leiden University Libraries since 2014, as part of the KITLV library collection.

    The biggest part of the image collection consists of photographs. Around 1890 the KITLV started collecting photographs for the purpose of documenting the image of the Dutch East and West Indies in all their facets, such as landscapes, town views, architecture, and life under indigenous and Dutch rule and so forth.

  • VIVID-PIX

    Easy-to-use software that helps you fix your pics and documents fast! Free to try - no credit card required.

HISTORIC MAPS.

Uncover the rich lives of your Cuban ancestors through historic maps.

The following resources may include some affiliate links in an effort to support the continued growth of Ancestors of Paradise as a leading research resource in Caribbean genealogy. Thank you for your support!

  • David Rumsey Map Collection | Cuba

    The David Rumsey Map Collection was started over 35 years ago and contains more than 200,000 maps. The collection focuses on rare 16th through 21st century maps of North and South America, as well as maps of the World, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. The collection includes atlases, globes, wall maps, school geographies, pocket maps, books of exploration, maritime charts, and a variety of cartographic materials including pocket, wall, children's, and manuscript maps. Items range in date from around 1550 to the present.

  • OLD MAPS ONLINE | Cuba

    Our mission is to give old maps a new life in the online world via the Old Maps Online search catalog that allows visitors to explore and discover the beauty of historical maps depicting a past geographical place of their interest.

CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS.

Uncover the rich lives of your Cuban ancestors through libraries, museums, historical societies, and community cultural centers dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Caribbean culture.

The following resources may include some affiliate links in an effort to support the continued growth of Ancestors of Paradise as a leading research resource in Caribbean genealogy. Thank you for your support!

  • The American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora

    The American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora is a culturally-specific museum of memory, dedicated to showcasing and documenting the history, culture, and contributions of the Cuban exile community through exhibitions, and programming in the arts and humanities.

  • Raices Profundas

    Compañía Folclórica Cuba

GROUPs.

Uncover the rich lives of your Cuban ancestors through our collection of diverse genealogical resources.

The following resources may include some affiliate links in an effort to support the continued growth of Ancestors of Paradise as a leading research resource in Caribbean genealogy. Thank you for your support!

  • Cuban Genealogy Club of Miami, Florida

    The Cuban Genealogy Club of Miami Florida, Inc. seeks to foster an interest in the preservation of records and testimonies that document Cuban family history. Our club benefits from being at the center of a rich and vibrant Cuban community that, despite the distances imposed by time, language, and geography, has in many ways, become the guardian of our rich patrimony.

CUBAN DIASPORA.

Uncover the rich lives of your Cuban ancestors through our collection of diverse genealogical resources.

The following resources may include some affiliate links in an effort to support the continued growth of Ancestors of Paradise as a leading research resource in Caribbean genealogy. Thank you for your support!

  • AMERICAN MUSEUM OF THE CUBAN DIASPORA

    The American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora is a culturally-specific museum of memory, dedicated to showcasing and documenting the history, culture, and contributions of the Cuban exile community through exhibitions, and programming in the arts and humanities.

  • CUBAN GENEALOGY CLUB OF MIAMI, FLORIDA

    The Cuban Genealogy Club of Miami Florida, Inc. seeks to foster an interest in the preservation of records and testimonies that document Cuban family history. Our club benefits from being at the center of a rich and vibrant Cuban community that, despite the distances imposed by time, language, and geography, has in many ways, become the guardian of our rich patrimony.

  • THE MARIEL BOATLIFT | UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI LIBRARIES

    This guide provides resources available at the Cuban Heritage Collection and materials held at other institutions for investigating Mariel from a variety of angles and through multiple approaches and disciplines. We have provided links to digital content where applicable, including open access collections. Some online material such as newspaper databases and streaming media may only be available to UM students, faculty, and employees.

  • OPERATION PEDRO PAN COLLECTIONS GUIDE | UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI LIBRARIES

    Operation Pedro Pan’s history involves the unprecedented migration of 14,000 unaccompanied minors as they left their beloved Cuba for the United States from 1960-1962.

BOOKS.

Uncover the rich lives of your Cuban ancestors through our collection of books for beginners, research guides, records guides, case studies, memoirs, family histories, oral histories, and photography collections.

The following resources may include some affiliate links in an effort to support the continued growth of Ancestors of Paradise as a leading research resource in Caribbean genealogy. Thank you for your support!

BLOGs.

Uncover the rich lives of your Cuban ancestors through history, culture, and genealogy blogs.

The following resources may include some affiliate links in an effort to support the continued growth of Ancestors of Paradise as a leading research resource in Caribbean genealogy. Thank you for your support!

  • Los Árabes en Cuba

    Visualizando el libro y la investigación de Rigoberto Menéndez Paredes.

PODCASTs.

Uncover the rich lives of your Cuban ancestors through on-topic podcast episodes and series.

The following resources may include some affiliate links in an effort to support the continued growth of Ancestors of Paradise as a leading research resource in Caribbean genealogy. Thank you for your support!

  • Cuban Family Roots Podcast

    The Cuban Family Roots Podcast feature stories and interviews of everyday Cubans and their journey to finding ancestral roots. Since its discovery in 1492, Cuba became a migration hub for Europeans, Asians, and people all over the world. Do you know your family roots? This podcast will provide historical facts, interviews and genealogical tips to help you get started in your genealogical journey. We hope every episode will provides a roadmap in finding your Cuban family roots.

  • Cuban Genealogy Podcast

    Discussing our approach and experiences in digitizing and sharing our Cuban heritage. Keep up-to-date on the parish digitizing project!

  • ISLAND ARCHIVES

    The Island Archives Podcast is an audio series created to honor the Caribbean heroes/sheroes of the past and present and highlight their immeasurable contributions in different areas/disciplines. We feature their achievements by retelling their stories in an interesting, engaging, and insightful way by blending humor, history and highlights.

SOCIAL MEDIA.

Uncover the rich lives of your Cuban ancestors through social media discussion forums, networks, groups, and pages.

The following resources may include some affiliate links in an effort to support the continued growth of Ancestors of Paradise as a leading research resource in Caribbean genealogy. Thank you for your support!

  • ARCHIVO NACIONAL DE LA REPÚBLICA DE CUBA | Facebook

    Archivo Nacional de la República de Cuba. Por la preservación de la memoria histórica.

  • The Barbados-Cuba Genealogy Connection | Facebook

    This group is open to people interested in tracing our ancestors and our history from Barbados to Cuba.

    During our family research, we have discovered that many of our families have made journeys for a better life to other nations in the Caribbean, Europe and other places. Cuba has been one such place that has not been totally explored.

  • CARIBBEAN GENEALOGY | FACEBOOK

    This group is for sharing resources and assisting with research relating to Caribbean ancestry and history.

  • CARIBBEAN GENEALOGY RESEARCH COMMUNITY | FACEBOOK

    Welcome to the Caribbean Research Community! This group was created to give people researching the region a place to ask questions, collaborate, and share research with one another.

  • Club Jamaicanos de Ultramar (CUBA) | Facebook

  • CUBA ANTES DE 1958 | Facebook

    Para que nuestros jovenes conozcan la Cuba republicana de antes del 1958. La Cuba de nuestros padres y abuelos.

  • Cuba Research Project | Genealogía & Demografía de Cuba | Cuban Genealogy | Facebook

    Project recopila y proporciona datos genealógicos y demográficos sobre Cuba. Toda la información es 100% gratuita.

    The Cuba Research Project collects and provides genealogical and demographic data about Cuba. All the information is 100% free.

  • Cuban Genealogy/ Genealogia Cubana | Facebook

    Cuban Genealogy / Genealogía Cubana FB group was created in the spirit of research, learning and cooperation in searching for our common roots in Cuba.

  • Genealogía Cubana | Facebook

  • GENEALOGICAL TRANSLATIONS | FACEBOOK

    Genealogical Translations was established to provide amateur family researchers a place to have their genealogical documents translated. We are a global volunteer group whose members help other members by offering free translation of their genealogical documents such as vital records, postcards, obituaries, and more, in languages including – Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and many others!

  • Proyecto Cuba Indígena

    Proyecto de fotografía y ciencia q explora la presencia de descendencia indígena en Cuba.

GENEALOGY VIDEOS + TUTORIALS.

Uncover the rich lives of your Cuban ancestors through tutorials, lectures, roundtable discussions, and genealogy webinars.

The following resources may include some affiliate links in an effort to support the continued growth of Ancestors of Paradise as a leading research resource in Caribbean genealogy. Thank you for your support!

  • INTRODUCTION TO AFRO-CARIBBEAN GENEALOGY RESOURCES WITH SHARON WILKINS

    Learn how to trace your Afro-Caribbean ancestors from the West Indies, including Barbados, Jamaica, and other places. Presented by Sharon Wilkins, President of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society - New York.

HIRE A PROFESSIONAL GENEALOGIST.

Uncover the rich lives of your Cuban ancestors through collaboration with a professional genealogist.

The following resources may include some affiliate links in an effort to support the continued growth of Ancestors of Paradise as a leading research resource in Caribbean genealogy. Thank you for your support!

  • DESCUBRE TU HISTORIA

    Helping descendants from the Caribbean, Central, South and North American former Spanish colonies start the journey of healing and empowerment through the knowledge of their Family History.

  • Legacy Tree Genealogists

    Are you looking for details about your Caribbean ancestry? Do you need help getting started or have you hit a brick wall?

    Caribbean genealogy can be challenging, and the professional genealogists at Legacy Tree Genealogists can help with your research needs.

    Ancestors of Paradise visitors save on select genealogy research projects.

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