by Karen Yvonne Hamilton, 2026

LAST UPDATED September 1, 2026

Manuel Andres Lariz was born in September 1841 in Habana, Ciego de Avila, Cuba, the son of Isabel de Bustamante and Manuel Andres Lariz. His life would eventually carry him across the Florida Straits to Key West, where he became part of the island’s growing Cuban community and built a family whose roots would become firmly established there.

Manuel Lariz, Sr.

MARRIAGE

In 1873, at about thirty-two years old, Manuel married Coleta V. JIMENEZ in Cuba. Her name appears elsewhere in the family record as Coletta. Their marriage began a family that would move between Cuba and Key West during the years that followed.

Coletta Jiminez

CHILDREN

  • Isabel was born in July 1873.
  • Philomena was born on July 5, 1874, in Key West, Florida.
  • Manuel Andres was born on November 30, 1875, in Key West, Florida.
  • Lenora was born in 1876 in Cuba.
  • Cayotano F. was born on February 23, 1878.
  • Mercedes was born in July 1879 in Key West, Florida.
  • Teresa L. was born in January 1880 in Key West, Florida.
  • Bernaldo Domingo was born on January 16, 1895, in Key West, Florida.
Manuel Andres and daughter, Clara Bell
Manual Andres and his sister Philomena
Cayetano Lariz and son

U.S. CITIZENSHIP

By 1870, Manuel had already begun establishing a life in the United States. On October 5 of that year, he filed a naturalization declaration in Key West and became an American citizen. His decision to establish himself in the United States came during a period when Key West was drawing increasing numbers of Cuban immigrants, many of whom found work in the island’s developing cigar industry. Manuel would become part of that world as a cigarmaker. 

RESIDENCES

The family’s movements between Cuba and Florida can be traced through the birthplaces of their children. Lenora, born in 1876, was born in Cuba, while several younger children were born in Key West. Cayotano F. was born on February 23, 1878; Mercedes in July 1879; and Teresa L. in January 1880. Years later, another son, Bernaldo Domingo, was born in Key West on January 16, 1895. The family record also indicates that Manuel had a son and a daughter from another relationship, although no further information about them is provided in this biography.

By 1880, Manuel and Coletta were firmly established in Key West. They lived with their children on Whitehead Street, one of the principal streets running through the heart of the island. Manuel was working as a cigarmaker, an occupation closely tied to Key West’s economic and cultural identity during the late nineteenth century.

Cigar manufacturing had become one of the city’s most important industries, drawing skilled workers from Cuba and creating neighborhoods where Spanish and Cuban traditions blended with island life. Manuel’s work placed him among thousands of men and women whose labor helped transform Key West into one of the nation’s important cigar-manufacturing centers.

In 1880, Manuel lived with his wife and children on Whitehead St in Key West, Florida. He worked as a cigarmaker.

The family remained on Whitehead Street in 1885. The census shows Manuel, Coletta, and several of their children together, giving a glimpse of a household that had grown steadily during their years in Key West.

In 1885, the family still lived on Whitehead St in Key West.

By the turn of the century, the Lariz family had moved to 510 Caroline Street. The 1900 census again recorded Manuel as a cigarmaker. By then he was approaching sixty years old and had spent decades supporting his family through a trade requiring both speed and considerable skill.

Coletta remained in Key West after his death. By 1914, she was living at 1125 Catherine Street with several of their adult children..

DEATH

Manuel Andres Lariz died in 1904 in Key West, at approximately sixty-three years of age, and was buried there. His death ended a life that had crossed national boundaries but had ultimately become deeply connected to the island city he had chosen as his home.

In this way, Manuel Andres Lariz’s legacy was larger than the few lines that appear in census schedules and city directories. His life tells a story of migration, citizenship, labor, and family. He crossed from Cuba into a changing Key West and became one of the many Cuban-born residents whose work and families helped shape the character of the island. Through his children and their descendants, the journey that began with Manuel Andres Lariz in nineteenth-century Cuba continued long after his death.

SOURCES

1880 United States Federal Census; 1885 United States Federal Census; 1900 United States Federal Census; Key West, Florida, City Directory, 1914; U.S. Naturalization Declaration 5 Oct 1870 Key West, Florida; U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007; U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current

FLORIDA KEYS HISTORY FACEBOOK GROUP: Consider joining our group for more on Florida Keys History.

FLORIDA EVERGLADES HISTORY FACEBOOK GROUP: Consider joining our group for more on Florida Everglades History.

READ MORE ABOUT THE LARIZ FAMILY in

Crossings: A History of the Knowles, Lariz, Garcia Family