Jamaica, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
At present, this collection includes only birth records; in the future, marriage and death records will be added. 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.

The current collection of civil records of births includes the years 1900-1930. In the future, civil records of marriages for the years 1880-1950 and civil records of deaths for the years 1871-1995 will be added.

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.

Civil records were filmed and cataloged in by the Family History Library in 1995 by parishes. From the Family History Library catalog, choose Civil Registration Indexes to get started in civil record research. The menu shows dates up to 1830. However, the actual filmed records in some parishes may exceed 1950. Checking the index and then the actual record should provide the information sought. The actual record can be found in the catalog under Jamaica/Civil Registration, listed by parish.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It may include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

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.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
The key genealogical facts found on most birth records include the following:


 * 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

The key genealogical facts found on most marriage records include the following:


 * 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

The key genealogical facts found on most death records include the following: 


 * 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
 * Date and place of registration

How to Use the Records
In order to find an ancestor, it is necessary to know the district name within a parish where the ancestor was born or lived. The registers are organized by parishes, such as Trelawny, and then by district, such as Albert Town. Each birth record is given a unique number consisting of letters and numbersto identify each child’s birth registration record. The first letter corresponds to the name of the parish, the second to the district. The numbers are the sequence of the registration of the births. It is recommended to use the indexes first, where the registration number will be included.

Search the 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.

Related Websites
Jamaica Civil Registration

Related Wiki Articles
Jamaica Civil Registration

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. 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.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
“Jamaica, Civil Birth Registration” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 14 June 2012), James P Essoa born 21 Aug 1892; citing Jamaica, Civil Birth Registration, FHL film number 1523389, Registrar General's Department, Jamaica.