Jamaica, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Jamaica

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Jamaica, Civil Registration, 1880-1999 CID1538386 {{{CID2}}} {{{CID3}}} {{{CID4}}} {{{CID5}}} {{{CID6}}} {{{CID7}}} {{{CID8}}} {{{CID9}}}
This article describes a collection of records at FamilySearch.org.
Jamaica
Flag of Jamaica
Record Description
Record Type:	Civil Registration
Collection years:	1880-1999
Languages:
FamilySearch Resources
Jamaica Guided Research
Jamaica Civil Registration
Jamaica Church Records
Jamaica Jurisdictions
Related Websites
Registrar General's Department
Registration parishes and districts in Jamaica
Jamaican Genealogy
Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery
David Rumsey Map Collection 1901 Map of Jamaica
Archive
Ministry of National Security, Jamaica

What is in This Collection?

This collection contains records for the year 1880 to 1999. Early records are in register (book) format; later records are certificates. The records are handwritten in English on formatted forms. These records are organized by parish and then by district.

Compulsory registration of births, marriages, and deaths was introduced in Jamaica in 1878 and was legally implemented in 1880. The registration of births, marriages, and deaths is done at the Registrar General's Department (RGD), which was established in 1879, with the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Unit responsible for collating this vital information. These civil records are organized by parish.

Civil Registration for Jamaica was mandated in 1878, though actual registration began in isolated districts as much as five years later. Each parish was assigned a letter by the Registrar General; the letter J was omitted. Parishes are subdivided into registration districts, which are relevant only to vital-record registrations and have no other civil or fiscal authority. Districts continue to be added as the population grows, so the earliest registrations may have occurred much later than 1878.

This collection contains digital copies of original records housed at the Registrar General's Office in Spanish Town, Jamaica, and also the Ministry of National Security, Kingston, Jamaica.

Image Visibility

Whenever possible FamilySearch makes images and indexes available for all users. However, rights to view these data are limited by contract and subject to change. Because of this there may be limitations on where and how images and indexes are available or who can see them. Please be aware some collections consist only of partial information indexed from the records and do not contain any images. For additional information about image restrictions see Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections.

To Browse This Collection

You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for Jamaica, Civil Registration, 1880-1999.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Birth

• District and parish name
• Date and place of birth
• Name of the child
• Gender
• Complete name and dwelling place of the father
• Complete name and maiden name of the mother
• Rank or profession of the father
• Signature, qualification, and residence of the informant
• Date of registration
• Baptismal name if added after the registration of the birth
• Signatures of the informant and the registrar

Marriage

• Date of marriage
• Given names and surnames of the groom and bride
• Marital status of the betrothed
• Occupation of the groom
• Ages of the groom and bride
• Place of residence at the time of marriage
• Names of the parents of the groom and bride
• Place of marriage
• Witnesses’ names

Death

• Date and place of death
• Complete name of the deceased person
• Gender
• Marital status
• Age at time of death
• Occupation at the time of death
• Cause of death
• Informant
• Date and place of registration

Collection Content

Sample Images

• 

  1906 Birth Record

• 

  1890 Marriage Record

• 

  1910 Death Record

Coverage Table

The Coverage Table shows the places and time periods covered in the indexed records in this collection after the 18 August 2014 additions. Most of the records in the collection are from the time periods listed in the table; however, the collection may have a few records from before or after the time period.

Parish	Birth	Marriage	Death
Clarendon	1878-1930	1931-1950	1878-1995
Hanover	1878-1930	1880-1950	1920-1993
Kingston	1878-1930	1880-1950	1877-1995
Manchester	1878-1930	1931-1950	1920-1992
Portland	1878-1930	1880-1950	1878-1995
Saint Andrew	1878-1930	1880-1950	1878-1995
Saint Ann	1878-1930	1880-1950	1878-1995
Saint Catherine	1878-1930	1880-1950	1878-1994
Saint Elizabeth	1878-1930	1926-1950	1882-1992
Saint James	1878-1930	1880-1950	1921-1995
Saint Mary	1878-1930	1921-1950	1878-1995
Saint Thomas	1878-1930	1880-1950	1878-1995
Trelawny	1878-1930	1931-1950	1920-1995
Westmoreland	1881-1930	1931-1950	1920-1995

Digital Folder Number List

This collection was published as a DGS browse collection. The list does not contain any description of the DGS folder's content. A table listing each DGS number and its contents can be found at Jamaica, Civil Registration Digital Folder Number List.

How Do I Search This Collection?

Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:

• Name of the person
• Approximate date of the event

Search the Index

Search by name on the Collection Details Page.

1. Fill in the search boxes in the Search Collection section with the information you know
2. Click Search to show possible matches

View the Images

To view images in this collection:

1. Look at the Article Name Digital Folder Number List article to determine the folder/film number for the images you want to see
2. Go to the Browse Page
3. Select the Film number to view the images

How Do I Analyze the Results?

Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

• Add any new information to your records
• There may be more than one person in the records with the same name
• Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life
• The residence of the parents, and maiden surname of the mother are useful in searching records from that locality to find information on their marriage and the parents' births

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

• Switch to a different record collection. Depending on the time period, either Jamaica Civil Registration records or Jamaica Church records may be more useful
• While searching, it is helpful to know such information as the ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as an ancestor and that the ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times
• Keep in mind that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
• Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images. Pay special attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try variations on the pronunciation
• Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps

The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Jamaica.

• Jamaica Guided Research
• Jamaica Record Finder

Known Issues

Click here for a list of known issues with this collection.

Citing This Collection

Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Collection Citation: The citation for this collection can be found on the Collection Details Page in the section Citing this Collection.

Record Citation: When looking at a record, the citation can be viewed by clicking the drop-down arrow next to Document Information.

Image Citation: When looking at an image, the citation is found on the Information tab at the bottom left of the screen.