Looking for any information regarding the shipwrecked "Kattan" - 1649 - Puerto Rico

[SwedishFelix]

Hello,

I am looking for any information on the Swedish colonial ship "Kattan" from 1649, some sources call it: "El Gato or el Gallo", "Cattum or Cattus" or "The Cat".

It was shipwrecked, looted (incl. the cannons) and then burned outside of Isla Palominos by the Spaniard Fernando de la Riva Agüero.

Location:
I can't know for sure, but my research has me thinking it was shipwrecked either between Cayo Lobos and La Blanquilla, or between La Blanquilla and Cayo Diabla. But I can of course be wrong.

Details:
Captain was Cornelius Lucifer (Locque).
The ship was probably 200 tons.
I would also love details on the Swedish passengers who stayed in Puerto Rico.

I'd be very grateful for any information!

 

[Mackaydon]

• : The survivors made it to the nearby island but were without fresh water. They were later captured by Spanish pirates and taken to Puerto Rico (likely San Juan), where they were forced to work or beg. Most of the survivors perished during their imprisonment, with only a handful eventually returning to Sweden.

One prominent settler on the voyage was the physician Timen Stiddem, who was traveling with his family; his wife and three young children died in the Caribbean, though he eventually made it back to Sweden and later returned to the colony. The story of the Kattan's sinking and its survivors has been the subject of a historical novel in Sweden.
Source AI
Don in SoCal
PS: Welcome to Treasurenet

 

[Mackaydon]

There is a historical novel in Sweden about the wreck of the Kattan called Kattan · en äventyrlig berättelse (Kattan: An Adventurous Story) by an unknown author, published on April 22, 2020, by SAGA Egmont. It is available as an e-book and appears to be an adventure story, though details beyond the title are scarce in the provided search result.

Amazon.com

Don in SoCal

 

[SwedishFelix]

Hello, and thanks for your reply.

I’ve actually already gone pretty deep into the primary sources on this, including Rudberus’ diary, the Oxenstierna correspondence, and the 1654 Puerto Rico material. That’s why I’m trying to get past the short summaries that show up on most websites. I’m hoping someone here might know something more obscure, like Spanish notarial records, parish entries from San Juan around 1649–1654, or anything tied to the Palominos/Cayo Lobos area. If you’ve come across anything beyond the usual summaries, I’d be really grateful.

 

[Mackaydon]

If I were at your level of current research, to go deeper I'd consider hiring an archivist well versed in 'old' Spanish. It's unfortunate that John de Bry passed away earler this year. I used his services effectively to research in the archives of Spain for a galleon that was lost in 1654.
Don in SoCal

 

[Crow]

Hello, and thanks for your reply.

I’ve actually already gone pretty deep into the primary sources on this, including Rudberus’ diary, the Oxenstierna correspondence, and the 1654 Puerto Rico material. That’s why I’m trying to get past the short summaries that show up on most websites. I’m hoping someone here might know something more obscure, like Spanish notarial records, parish entries from San Juan around 1649–1654, or anything tied to the Palominos/Cayo Lobos area. If you’ve come across anything beyond the usual summaries, I’d be really grateful

Notarial records from Puerto Rico are not housed in the Spanish Archivo General de Indias (General Archive of the Indies) in Seville, but rather at the General Archive of Puerto Rico (AGPR), which holds historical records from the Spanish colonial period through the present. The AGPR's notarial records are organized by municipality (like San Juan, Bayamón, and Mayagüez) and then by notary's surname and year of service.

It think you are out of luck with Spanish notarial records, parish entries from San Juan around 1649–1654. { At least from Puerto Rico }

There are two archives containing the majority of the notarial records of Puerto Rico. One is the Archivo General de Protocolos in San Juan. The records there begin about 1790 and continue to the present. The archives contains the military notaries, and the
notaries for San Juan, Cangrejos, Leiza, Rio Piedras, and Trujillo. The Archivo de Protocolos de Bayamon contains the following collections: Bayamon, 1796-1853; Corozal, 1811-1853; Guaynabo, 1784-1853; Lajara, 1859-1900; Morales, 1863-1882; Naranjito, 1826, 1847-1853; Toa
Alta, 1795-1853; Toa Baja, 1830-1855; Vega Alta, 1836- 1857; Vega Baja, 1778-1857; As you can see none has survived of earlier notarial records 1649-1654.

Puerto Rico, Catholic Church Records, 1645-2021 As for parish records they only have birth death marriage, confirmation. and burial. With few records of your earlier date range. They are in terrible state. As you can see below.

So I afraid you are just out of luck with your wish.

Crow

 

[SwedishFelix]

Thank you so much for your time, @Crow.

This does confirm my findings, I'm very unlucky. I'm looking for a marriage between a "Laurenco" and a Swedish "Ana" in the years 1649-1654. The documents which I read have been destroyed.

 

[Mackaydon]

Have you tried Ancestry.com?
Don in SoCal

 

[SwedishFelix]

Have you tried Ancestry.com?
Don in SoCal

Yes, I just got a paid account today. I'm digging around there as well now.

 

[Crow]

Yes, I just got a paid account today. I'm digging around there as well now.

Sadly you will find no luck there either.

Thank you so much for your time, @Crow.

This does confirm my findings, I'm very unlucky. I'm looking for a marriage between a "Laurenco" and a Swedish "Ana" in the years 1649-1654. The documents which I read have been destroyed.

Here is document Catholic Church of San Juan Nuestra Señora de los Remedios Matrimonios 1653-1701.

It has 278 to search through. As you can see the scanned document are in very poor condition.

You can try to search through these 278 pages for the marriage of "Laurenco" and a Swedish "Ana" in the years 1649-1654. the only years you have to work with 1653 and 1654. There is no index on names.

It can be found at family search data base.

Church records


Crow