Jamaica, Trelawny Civil Registration of Birth - FamilySearch Historical Records

This wiki article describes a collection of records that is available for free online at FamilySearch Record Search – Pilot Site. To access the collection, see [Jamaica, Trelawny Parish Civil Registration Birth, 1878-1930]

Collection Time Period
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.

Population Coverage
Because the registration of birth was compulsory since 1878, the collection covers 90-100% of the population.

Collection History
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.

Why was this collection created?
Births and deaths were recorded for vital statistics and to better serve public health needs.

Collection Reliability
The information in birth records is generally reliable.

Collection 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.

Collection Content
These are some of the important genealogical data found in the birth records: 1. Date and place of birth 2. Name of child 3. Gender 4. Name of parents, including mother’s maiden name 5. Parent’s dwelling place 6. Rank or profession of father 7. Signature, qualification and residence of informant 8. Date of registration 9. Baptismal name, if added after registration

How to Use the Collection
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 parent’s births.

Related Article
Jamaica: Civil Registration