Jamaica, Civil Registration, 1878-2000

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.

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

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

Collection Content

Sample Images

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  1906 Birth Record

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  1890 Marriage Record

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  1910 Death Record

Digital Folder Number List

This collection was published as a DGS browse collection. The list does not contain any description of the DGS folder's content. A table listing each DGS number and its contents can be found at Jamaica, Civil Registration Digital Folder Number List.