Jamaica, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Jamaica

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains records for the year 1880 to 1999. Early records are in register (book) format; later records are certificates. 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.

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.

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.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Birth
 * 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

Marriage
 * 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

Death
 * 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
 * Informant
 * Date and place of registration

Coverage Table
The Coverage Table shows the places and time periods covered in the indexed records in this collection after the 18 August 2014 additions. Most of the records in the collection are from the time periods listed in the table; however, the collection may have a few records from before or after the time period.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life
 * 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

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Switch to a different record collection. Depending on the time period, either Jamaica Civil Registration records or Jamaica Church records may be more useful
 * While searching, it is helpful to know such information as the ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as an ancestor and that the ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times
 * Keep in mind that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images. Pay special attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try variations on the pronunciation
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.