(as published at y la Familia website)
Florencio Rivera Maldonado was born on August 9, 1872. He was the son 
of Manuel Alejo Rivera and Maria Dominga Maldonado. His paternal grandparents were Don 
Jose de los Santos (Rivera) and Dona Cipriana Maldonado and maternal grandparents were 
Felipe (Maldonado) and Maria Polonia Rivera.

There had been some question and confusion about Florencio’s parents because he was  said to have been raised by an uncle after he was orphaned, and the only mention of  siblings was a younger brother, Juan, who died as a child. As we now know, he had six  brothers and sisters, but at least three of them died young, and perhaps Florencio was  not close to Dionicia del Carmen, the only sibling that we know for a fact lived into  her thirties. Nothing is known of the uncle and aunt that raised Flor after his  parents died. It is believed, though, that they also took over the farm that Flor’s  father left behind.

Flor is said to have learned to read and write on his own, and to have had nice  handwriting. He was tall and thin, had a light complexion with blond hair and blue  eyes. He always wore a mustache. He had six children with his first wife and eight  with his second wife. Several of his children are still living to this day.