GuidedResearch:Why Can't I Find the Record - Jamaica Births

This page will give you additional guidance and resources to find birth information for your ancestor. Use this page after first completing the birth section of the Jamaica Guided Research page.

Additional Databases and Online Resources

 * 1664-1879:  Jamaica, Church of England Parish Register Transcripts  at Ancestry ($); Also at MyHeritage ($)
 * 1752-1920:  Jamaica, Select Births and Baptisms  at Ancestry ($); Also at MyHeritage ($)
 * 1878-1995: Jamaica, Civil Registration Birth, Marriage, and Death Records  at Ancestry ($); Also at MyHeritage ($)

Online Images (Browsable Only)
Some collections have not been indexed, but are available to browse image by image.

Additional Records with Birth Information
Substitute records may contain information about more than one event and are used when records for an event are not available. Records that are used to substitute for birth events may not have been created at the time of the birth. The accuracy of the record is contingent upon when the information was recorded. Search for information in multiple substitute records to confirm the accuracy of these records.

Finding Town of Origin
Knowing an ancestor’s hometown can be important to locate more records. If a person immigrated to the United States, try Finding Town of Origin to find the ancestor’s hometown.

Virtual Genealogy Consultations
Schedule a free online consultation with a research specialist:

Ask the Community
Select a community research group where you can ask questions and receive free genealogy help.

Tips for finding births
Successfully finding birth records in online databases depends on a few key points. Try the following search suggestions:
 * Spelling variations. Your ancestor's name may be misspelled. Search with spelling variations for the first and last name of your ancestor.
 * Search parents. Search for the parents, if known, as the child's first name may not be on the birth record.
 * Search given name. Search by given name (leave out the last name) with the approximate date of birth.
 * Add information. For common names, add more information to narrow the search such as approximate birth date or parent's names if known.
 * Date range. Expand the date range of the search by 5 years.

Known Record Gaps
Records Start Civil Registration started in 1878 though in isolated districts, it started as much as five years later. Church records (particularly of the Church of England) are available as early as the 1600s in some locations. Records Published by FamilySearch Collection coverage tables show the places and time periods of original records published by FamilySearch. For any FamilySearch collections you did not find your ancestor in, check the coverage table for gaps in the online collection. If the time period or location your ancestor lived in is missing from the collection, it may require searches in records found at original repository or finding substitute records for the event.

Records Destroyed Some church records may have been lost, destroyed, or damaged. More specific information is not known. Civil registration records are considered generally complete.
 * Jamaica Births and Baptisms, Coverage Table (FamilySearch)