Brugman History

Several stories of where the Brugman family originated from have circulated over the years, as well as, what the original spelling of the surname was. The earliest legal documents that I have come across are the baptismal records for Mathias and his sister Clara Maria. These records list the surname spelled as BRUGMAN with a notation in parenthesis indicating that the surname may also be spelled BRUIGMAN. The record states that Mathias' father, Pedro/Pierre was a native of Curacao (D.W.I.) and that his mother Ysavel/Isabel was a native of Port-au-Prince on the island of Santo Domingo. (Port-au-Prince became the capital of newly-independent Haiti in 1804.) But the surname (mis)spelling does not end there. The typed translation of the baptismal record for Pedro Henrrique, Mathias' brother, spells the surname as BRUGMAR. It is possible that the "n" looked like an "r" to the transcriber.

There are many books that cover the Lares Revolution and include a brief background on Mathias. Some of these books are listed on the Recomended Reading page. The topic is also covered in several articles some of which may be found on the Articles page for Mathias. For those who just want a brief account of the Lares Revolution visit El Boricua. Please Keep the baptismal record information in mind as you read any of the published materials. Data varies from publication to publication.

Regardless of the spelling of the surname, Mathias was an American who believed that the independence of Puerto Rico was a just cause for revolting against the oppression of the Spaniards on September 23, 1868.

Submitted by Julia Sosa Caban.