Jamaica, Trelawny Civil Registration of Birth - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
Birth notices are collected into annual registers and arranged by district, number, and registration date. Some records are listed in books similar to a ledger and others on slips of papers with the same ledger format.

In 1878 the Registrar General began keeping the births records, these were organized by parishes. The original records are held in the Registrar General’s Office in Spanish Town, Jamaica. Because the registration of birth was compulsory since 1878, the collection covers 90-100% of the population.

Compulsory registration of births and deaths began April 1, 1878. Marriages began to be recorded later in 1880. This collection covers birth records for the years 1878-1930.

Record Content
Birth records generally contain the following information:


 * Date and place of birth
 * Name of child
 * Gender
 * Name of parents, including mother’s maiden name
 * Parent’s dwelling place
 * Rank or profession of father
 * Signature, qualification and residence of informant
 * Date of registration
 * Baptismal name, if added after registration

How to Use the Records
Information regarding 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.

Search the Collection
To search by index: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

To search by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the “Parish” category ⇒Select the “District” category which takes you to the images

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence, age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * You may need to search using an alternate or nickname.
 * Use the birth date to estimate years for other records, such as marriage.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.
 * For a list of other Jamaican records to search, see the section titled Related FamilySearch Historical Records in this article.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Jamaica, Civil Birth Registration
 * Jamaican Family Search
 * Jamaica Family Research Resource
 * Jamaica Archives and Records Department
 * Jamaica Maps

Related Wiki Articles

 * Jamaica Civil Registration
 * Jamaica Genealogy
 * Jamaica For Further Reading
 * Jamaica History
 * Jamaica

Related FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Jamaica, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Jamaica, Trelawny Civil Registration of Birth (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Jamaica Church of England Parish Register Transcripts (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information (often called citing your sources). This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

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