Bahamas Births - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
This index covers events from 1850 through 1912.

Record Description
This index is an electronic database of information. The entries are primarily from the IGI along with some entries derived from compiled and original records such as:


 * Family Records
 * Church Records
 * Civil Registration

It may also include indexes generated by the internet indexing project sponsored by the LDS Church.

There may be entries that cite a specific source such as the following:


 * "Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636-1850: a Family Register for the People" by James Arnold
 * "Paul Dingwell Genealogical Collection" by Paul Dingwell
 * A county or state vital record registration

These entries are in this collection for one of the following reasons:


 * They were submitted by private individuals to the LDS Church and as such are part of the IGI resulting in their inclusion in this index.
 * They have been indexed through the internet indexing project sponsored by the LDS Church. If this is the case, the index they are a part of has been included as part of this database.

The Vital Record Index databases are not necessarily intended to index any specific set of records although some sub-indexes (an index to a set of records within the database) have been found. When we identify a sub-index, we remove it from the database and post it separately on FamilySearch under its appropriate title.

This index is not complete for any particular place or region.

Record Content
The key genealogical facts found in birth or christening index entries may include:


 * Name of the child
 * Gender
 * Names of the parents
 * Birth date
 * Birthplace
 * Christening date (if the source is a church record)
 * Family History Library Microfilm and item numbers for the source materials

Coverage Table
This collection is a partial index of records for the localities listed below as of April 2010. The table below shows the number of records by locality. Localities not listed may not have any records in this collection.

Most of these records date from the time period indicated in the columns below; however, there may be records before and after these dates. Record counts where the locality information was incomplete are included below under the country name. Because of this, you may wish to search only by country.

As this is an index of records compiled from various sources, it is strongly recommended that you verify the information in original records. Due to privacy laws not all records may be displayed.

These records are published in the Caribbean Deaths collection.

How to Use the Record
Use this index to help you learn more about your ancestors. The information could help you identify family relationships and lineages as well as direct you to original records of your ancestors, which may contain additional information.

In birth or christening records, if a surname is not listed for the child, the indexer often assigns the father’s surname to the child. This surname may not be correct. So if you are looking for a birth or christening, search by the given name of the child, adding parents' names and as much locality information as is permitted.

Finding the Original Source for an Entry in This Collection
Each entry in this index has a source listed which includes a batch number. You will need to trace the batch number for the individual entry to learn its source. Please see the following wiki articles for more information on batch numbers:


 * IGI
 * IGI Batch Number Descriptions

If an FHL film number is given in the entry for your ancestor, search for it in the Family History Library Catalog.

Record History
Volunteer indexers over thirty years extracted this information from microfilm copies of the parish registers. This is an index to births/christenings and marriages in parishes throughout the Bahamas. It is not necessarily complete for any particular place or region.

Why the Record Was Created
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sponsored the indexing of this collection to help individuals find information about their ancestors.

Record Reliability
Church records and civil registration were official records and are some of the most reliable sources of information available for those who were born, married, or died in the Bahamas.

Related Websites
The Bahama Islands GenWeb Project

Related Wiki Articles
Bahamas

Citation for This Collection
Bahamas. International Genealogical Index. Bahamas Births, 1850-1891. Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.

The suggested format for citing FamilySearch Historical Collections is found in the wiki article Help:How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from the 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 do 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.

Example of a Source Citation for a Record Found in This Collection
"Bahamas Births 1850-1891," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 17 March 2011), Ellen Octavia Pintard, born 11 November 1868; citing Birth Records, reference, 111, FHL microfilm 222,940; Index entries derived from digital copies of original and compiled records.