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There are a number of sources for locating birth, marriage or death information.  This article provides an overview of these.  See the links to the main article for each source for more in depth information.
There are a number of sources for locating birth, marriage or death information.  This article provides an overview of these.  See the links to the main article for each source for more in depth information.


== Ecclesiastical records (‘N’ Series in the India Office Records) ==
Also consider the following:
 
* a person may have been baptised with a certain Christian name, but been known by a completely different name, either for their whole life, or for various periods.
* a second marriage may be bigamous
* the birth mother may not be correctly stated in a baptismal record.
* a person who had been widowed may be described as a Bachelor/Spinster on a 2nd marriage record
 
==FIBIS resources==
* [http://fibis.ourarchives.online/bin/aps_browse_sources.php?mode=list_sources&source_class=277 Births Outside India]
* [http://fibis.ourarchives.online/bin/aps_browse_sources.php?mode=browse_class&id=241&s_id=0 Ministers and missionaries]
* [http://fibis.ourarchives.online/bin/aps_browse_sources.php?mode=browse_components&id=964&s_id=0 Mixed Original Records] provided by Malcolm Speirs
* [https://fibis.ourarchives.online/custom/death_cat_search.php Deaths and burials]
** Bengal burial records
** Bombay burial records
** Burials Outside India
** Chandernagore Civil Death Registration Index
** Madras burial records  
* [https://fibis.ourarchives.online/custom/marriage_cat_search.php Marriages]
** Bengal Marriages
** Bombay Marriages
** Chandernagore Civil Marriage Index
** Madras Marriages
** Marriages outside India  
** Registry Office Marriage Indexes
** St Helena Banns of Marriage
* [https://fibis.ourarchives.online/custom/birth_cat_search.php Births and Baptisms]
** Baptisms Outside India
** Bengal Baptisms
** Bombay Baptisms
** Chandernagore Civil Birth Registration Index
** Madras Baptisms
 
Births Marriages and deaths announced in Newspapers and periodicals are also included in above generalised database categories. For more details and direct links to individual periodicals covered see  see [[Domestic Occurrences]]
 
== Ecclesiastical records ==
'''Main article: [[Church records]]'''
'''Main article: [[Church records]]'''
===(‘N’ Series in the India Office Records)===


The [[East India Company]] established and paid for Anglican dioceses and parishes in all areas as they came under its control. Each parish priest was required to establish registers in which to record BMDs. In addition, he had to send duplicates to the presidency ecclesiastical authorities. The latter have been collated and sent to London and are now in the care of the [[India Office Records]] at the [[British Library]] in their Asia, Pacific & Africa Collections Reading Room ([[APAC]]).
The [[East India Company]] established and paid for Anglican dioceses and parishes in all areas as they came under its control. Each chaplain/parish minister was required to establish registers in which to record BMDs. In addition, he had to send duplicates to the presidency ecclesiastical authorities, and for later periods to the relevant Registrar-General of Births, Death and Marriages.<ref> A 1929 Marriage Register return  from the RC Chaplain in Quetta, Baluchistan was sent to the Registrar-General of Births, Death and Marriages in Baluchistan and was then forwarded to the Secretary of State for India. See marriage record for [https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=BL%2FBIND%2F005137750%2F00335&parentid=BL%2FBIND%2FM%2F139525%2F1 Arthur James Moore] Must be signed in to Findmypast to view.</ref>  The latter have been collated and sent to London and are now in the care of the [[India Office Records]] at the [[British Library]] in their Asian & African Studies Reading Room. Ministers, priests and missionaries who were not employed by the East India Company were not obliged to send these returns, however some did so on a voluntary basis but these records are available to a lesser extent.


Microfilmed copies of all the records are available for public inspection and indexes are available on the open shelves of the APAC, broken down by Presidency, alphabetically and by year.
Microfilmed copies of all the records are available for public inspection and indexes are available on the open shelves of the APAC, broken down by Presidency, alphabetically and by year.
Line 12: Line 47:
The N series contains Anglican and some Catholic and Non-Conformist records.
The N series contains Anglican and some Catholic and Non-Conformist records.


'''The majority of these records have been  digitised and are available online through the commercial site [http://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=2114&id=201071 findmypast]'''. If record is not found one should continue the search amongst the India Office records at the British Library.  Also, be aware that the digital images are restricted for privacy purposes and a limited transcription only is available, currently (March 2021) as follows: '''There are no digital images for baptisms after 1921, nor for marriages after 1936'''.


== Registrar Marriages ==
== Registrar Marriages ==
'''Main article: [[Registrar marriages]]'''
'''Main article: [[Registrar marriages]]'''


Marriages conducted by the Registrar, which commenced in 1852, are included in the India Office ‘N’ series (N/11). A complete transcription of the indexes to these records is included in the [http://www.search.fibis.org/frontis/bin/aps_browse_sources.php?mode=list_sources&source_class=102 FIBIS Search] section of this website.
Marriages conducted by the Registrar, which commenced in 1852, are included in the India Office ‘N’ series (N/11). A complete transcription of the indexes to these records is included in the [http://fibis.ourarchives.online/bin/aps_browse_sources.php?mode=list_sources&source_class=102 FIBIS Search] section of this website.


Unfortunately, the LDS have not filmed these records so they may only be viewed at the [[British Library]].
The Registrar Marriages records are  included in the digitised records available on the commercial site [[Findmypast]].  


Note FamilySearch has '''not''' filmed these records, so they are not included in the FamilySearch database of Indexed records, nor available as digitised microfilms.


==Records on the LDS Family Seach website==
==Records on the LDS Family Search website==
'''Main article: [[IGI]]'''
'''Main article: [[IGI]]'''


The [[LDS]] maintained International Genealogical Index is a huge database of genealogical information.  The IGI contains several hundred thousand birth and marriage entries for the British India period, data input from the ecclesiastical record microfilms.  Those from the ecclesiastical records provide reference numbers so that the microfilms may be viewed at LDS [[Family History Centres]].
The [[LDS]] maintained International Genealogical Index is a huge database of genealogical information.  The IGI contains several hundred thousand birth and marriage entries for the British India period, data input from the ecclesiastical record microfilms.  Those from the ecclesiastical records provide reference numbers so that the microfilms may be viewed at LDS [[Family History Centres]].


Details of other microfilms from the LDS Library Catalogue in respect of Church registers in India are also included.


== ‘Domestic Occurrences’ in registers, almanacs and newspapers ==
== ‘Domestic Occurrences’ in registers, almanacs and newspapers ==
'''Main article: [[Domestic Occurrences]]'''
'''Main article: [[Domestic Occurrences]]'''


'Domestic Occurrences' was a section found in many periodical publications detailing birth, marriage and death announcements.  It is easy to search these records in the digitized versions of journals and directories that are available online.  FIBIS has a wealth of transcribed resources.
'Domestic Occurrences' was a section found in many periodical publications detailing birth, marriage and death announcements.  It is easy to search these records in the digitised versions of newspapers, journals and directories that are available online.  FIBIS has a wealth of transcribed resources.


The same  publications may also contain notification of changes of name by deed poll but these will generally be in different section of the publication, not specifically under the heading 'Domestic Occurrences'.


==Records at The National Archives==
==Records at The National Archives==
'''Main article: [[General Register Office]]'''
'''Main article: [[General Register Office]]'''


[[The National Archives]] hold some records that may be useful in tracing a BMD outside of the United Kingdom.  For more help see TNA’s brief guide [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/gettingstarted/looking-for-person/bmdatseaorabroad.htm "Looking for records of a birth, marriage or death of a British national at sea or abroad"] or the books ''Tracing Your Ancestors in The National Archives'' by Amanda Bevan (7th edn, National Archives Kew, 2006), including chapter 8, "Births, marriages and deaths of Britons overseas or in the armed services" and ''The British Overseas, A Guide to Records of Their Births, Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths and Burials Available in the United Kingdom'' by Geoffrey Yeo (London, 3rd edition 1995). Both are available at the [[British Library]].
[[The National Archives]] hold some records that may be useful in tracing a BMD outside of the United Kingdom.  For more help see TNA’s brief guide [https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/birth-marriage-death-sea-or-abroad/ "Looking for records of a birth, marriage or deaths at sea or abroad"] or the books ''Tracing Your Ancestors in The National Archives'' by Amanda Bevan (7th edn, National Archives Kew, 2006), including chapter 8, "Births, marriages and deaths of Britons overseas or in the armed services" and ''The British Overseas, A Guide to Records of Their Births, Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths and Burials Available in the United Kingdom'' by Geoffrey Yeo (London, 3rd edition 1995).
 
 
There is reference in the main article to some other sources of overseas records such as the London Metropolitan Archives.


==BMDs at sea==
==BMDs at sea==
'''Main article: [[Births, marriages and deaths at sea]]'''
'''Main article: [[Births, marriages and deaths at sea]]'''


==British Army==
==British Army==
[[British Army#Ecclesiastical returns|British Army Ecclesiastical returns]] and [[Chaplains Returns]] detail sources other than the N series for India BMDs pertaining to British Army soldiers and their families.
[[British Army#Ecclesiastical returns|British Army Ecclesiastical returns]] and [[Chaplains Returns]] detail sources other than the N series for India BMDs pertaining to British Army soldiers and their families.


==Birth and Death Registration==
==Birth and death registration==
Some registration of births occured, particularly during the twentieth century, although there is evidence of earlier practice.  These records do not frequently appear in the India Office Records.  As the the British Library's page on [http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelpregion/asia/india/indiaofficerecordsfamilyhistory/ecclesiastical/eccrecords.html Ecclesiastical Records] explains, “registration of births was not compulsory and very few are entered in the records. Registrations do not generally appear until the 1920s. Entries show date and place of birth, child's name, parents' names and their nationality and religion, father's occupation, date of registration.” An example of European children entered in the Birth Register, appearing in the Ecclesiastical Records at the British Library, is given in this India List [http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/INDIA/2009-12/1260877078 post].
'''Main article: [[Birth and death registration]]'''
 
Based on her own experience, Sylvia Murphy advised: "Within the general set of copies of presidency ecclesiastical records, is also to be found evidence that some British Subjects actually registered their children’s births.  These are identified by the use of forms headed 'Office of the Marriage Registrar, Calcutta' (for example), and although a baptism date is given, there is no Church name included to show where the child may have been baptised.  It may be the case that such entries reflect births and baptisms of children whose parents belonged to a non-conformist denomination which did not make its own returns to the India Office. Other indications of Birth Registration occur in the 1940s and after independence.  Lists of names and dates of birth of infants registered are to be found at least in the N/3 (Bombay) ecclesiastical returns for this period, but no detailed copies of actual registration information are available.  Presumably these have been retained in the office(s) of the Registrar(s) in India".
 
'''Historical background'''<br>
The history of civil registration in India dates back to the middle of the nineteenth century. It started with the registration of deaths with a view to introducing sanitary reforms for control of pestilence and disease and not so much for studying population trends.<ref name=name> [http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:ZWzg9rOf7y4J:gvmc.gov.in/ph/handbook/civil.doc+bengal+Births+and+Deaths+Registration+Act+1873&cd=112&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au Handbook on Civil Registration.  Office of the Registrar General India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi by P. PADMANABHA  Registrar General, India March 7, 1981: Chapter 2, Historical background]  [http://gvmc.gov.in/ph/handbook/civil.doc. Original link] </ref>
 
Thacker's 1865 ''Bengal Directory'', on page 147, states "Registration of Births and Deaths under Section 94 of Act VI of 1864...Registration of Births and Deaths took effect from 1st April 1864." [[Calcutta]] was divided into 6 districts. Read the [[Registration of births and deaths in Calcutta|full transcript of page 147]].  Although Thacker says Act VI of 1864, it seems probable that it was in fact Act VI of 1863. <ref> The Corporation of Calcutta was constituted by Bengal Act No. VI of 1863 and was then constituted, as would appear from Section III of the Act, of 'Justices of the Peace for the Town of Calcutta', which meant all Justices of Peace for Bengal, Behar and Orissa, resident in the Town and all Justices of the Peace for the Town itself. The object of the Act was to vest the property of the Town of Calcutta and the management of its Municipal affairs in a Corporation and to make better provision for, inter alia, the conservancy and improvement of the Town.  [http://indiankanoon.org/doc/782493 Kanoon] </ref>
 
“Registration was first introduced into Calcutta in 1864, and neglect was rendered penal. Birth registration is now fairly correct and the mortuary returns received from each police inspector of the twenty one sections into which the city is divided are checked by other returns from the sextons of the cemeteries and the clerks of the burning ghauts...In the Madras Presidency the registration of births commenced in 1870..The mortuary registration was commenced in 1866... In the Bombay Presidency the registration of deaths was commenced in 1865. Birth registration has only just been commenced [c 1872]..” <ref> ''House of Commons Papers: Accounts and Papers: East India (progress and condition). Statement exhibiting the moral and material progress and condition of India, during the year 1872-73''. Actual pages 125,126, computer pages 154,155</ref>


The Central Province of Berar introduced a system of birth registration in 1866. Punjab and United Provinces followed a little later. In 1873, the Bengal Births and Deaths Registration Act was passed and was later adopted by the neighbouring states of Bihar and Orissa.
Some birth and death registration did occur in British India. It commenced in the 1860s but was only compulsory in some  areas, with other places adopting voluntary registration. The records are obtained from  local Municipal Corporations, therefore researchers must know where a birth  occurred.  Some people born in India pre 1947 have  copies of their birth registration. Recent copies are known to have been obtained from the Shimla Municipal Corporation following a visit there,  but it is not known whether these documents are generally available, or how far back existing records go.
It was, however, only in 1886 that a Central Act- the Births Deaths and Marriages Registration Act- was placed on the Statute Book to provide for voluntary registration throughout British India. This Act was not to affect any law on the subject already in force or which might be passed subsequently for any particular local area and therefore had only limited force. Advantage was taken of the Act by the foreigners, particularly Europeans and British residing in the country. A few states like Madras and Bengal had their own specific Act (Madras registration of Births and Deaths Act 1899 and Bengal Births and Deaths Registration Act 1873) which had been adopted by a few other states.
==Change of name by deed poll==
 
Notice of a change of name by deed poll may possibly appear in the various official ''Gazettes'' published in India, and in newspapers generally. As an example, a resident of Calicut and his wife changed their surname from Grosholz to Godfrey. [https://archive.org/details/gazette.stgeorge.TG1918.TG1918JUN11/page/n101/mode/1up ''Fort St. George Gazette'' 11 June 1918, page 948 (digital page 101)] Archive.org.
In 1930, in the whole of India, Bengal was the only province in which registration was compulsory both in rural and urban areas. In Madras, registration was compulsory in all municipal towns and was later extended to all villages towns and was later extended to all villages with a population of 2000 and more. In Bihar and Orissa, registration was compulsory only in some municipalities whereas in Punjab and the Central Provinces, it was compulsory in all municipal towns. In Bombay it was compulsory in nearly all municipalities while in Assam it covered all municipal towns, small towns, tea gardens and a few towns of hill districts.
   
Generally, the officials of the revenue, police or health departments were also made responsible for registration. In municipal towns and cities the municipal authority was responsible for registration of vital events and this function was usually a part of the duties of the health department. Health officials like sanitary inspector, vaccinator and health assistant were made responsible for this work.
   
The hospitals were required to report to the local Registrar in respect of events occurring therein. <ref name=name/>.
 
British Library Catalogue references for the Acts:
*Act VI of 1863 (or 1864) in Bengal Bills and Acts [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=059-lpj1-5&cid=1-5-1-2#1-5-1-2  IOR/L/PJ/5/99] 1862-1864
*Bengal Births and Deaths Registration Act 1873 (Bengal Act IV of 1873) in Bengal Bills and Acts [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=059-lpj1-5&cid=1-5-1-2#1-5-1-2  IOR/L/PJ/5/107]  1872-1875
*The Births Deaths and Marriages Registration Bill, 1886; with papers regarding registration of births [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=059-iorlpj_1-5&cid=1-1-2-34&kw=IOR/L/PJ/6/170#1-1-2-34 IOR/L/PJ/6/170, File 304 (also 323 & 260)]  9-24 Feb 1886
*The Madras Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1899 [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=059-iorlpj_1-14&cid=1-1-40-13&kw=IOR/L/PJ/6/511#1-1-40-13 IOR/L/PJ/6/511, File 1027]  11 May 1899
 
Copies of Birth Registration entries<br>
This India List [http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/INDIA/2009-12/1261288775 post] indicates that some records of European births may be obtained from the Birth Registers held by Indian authorities. This [http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/india/2007-07/1184123043 post] indicates that the local municipality is the body responsible for such registers of births and deaths. This India British Raj List [http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ/2009-10/1256787241 post] also indicates the local municipality issues copies from the Birth Registers. This India List [http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/INDIA/2005-11/1133193187 post] indicates that not many births may have been registered.
 
The copies of Birth Registation entries mentioned in the India List posts were probably obtained many years ago. It is not known whether these same documents could be obtained today, or what time period is covered by records in existence in India. The Birth Registration system, which was only compulsory in some areas, always has been based on the local municipality , so it is necessary to know where a person was born before attempting to obtain records.
 
In other ares of India, which were not controlled by the British, births and deaths of British subjects were registered with the British Residents of various Native or Princely States.  These records form the N/5 series of the Ecclesiastical Records. For details, refer [[Princely States#British Library APAC records|Princely States - British Library N/5 records]].
 
''If you are able to provide more information on how widespread birth registration was, and to what extent records are available in India, please update this article.''
 
===Notes===
<references />


For online ''Gazettes'' published in India, see [[Newspapers and journals online#Gazettes of India Collection on the Internet Archive (Archive.org)|Newspapers and journals online - Gazettes of India Collection on the Internet Archive (Archive.org)]]. Other online newspapers are linked from the same Fibiwiki page.
<br> ''The London Gazette'' is another possible source, for online editions see [[British Army#Records|British Army - Records]] and scroll to the entry "The [London] Gazette". (An example of a man with a connection to India.<ref> Change of name from Heilgers to  Hillyers. [https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31271/page/4481 ''The London Gazette'' Publication date: 4 April 1919 Issue: 31271 Page: 4481]. Pre-war, this man had been head of a well-known Calcutta merchant house.</ref>).
==Non-British Ancestors==
*See [[:Category:Non-British Ancestors]] including
**[[French]]
**[[Indian]]
**[[Portuguese]]
==See also==
==See also==
*[[Cemeteries]], including
**[[British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia]]. The BACSA website now has a search facility for the indexes to its cemetery books (work in progress) These indexes are free to search and browse, a charge applies for the record.
*[[Adoption]]
*[[Divorce]]
*[[Divorce]]
*[[Cemeteries]]
*[[Newspapers]]
*[[Society of Genealogists]]
*[[National Army Museum]]
*[[Ahmadabad]] for a series of images from FamilySearch "India, Gujarat Diocese Protestant Church Records, 1854-2012"
*[[Kirkee]], for digitised pages from the registers from All Saint's Church, Kirkee
*[[St. Helena]], for digital images from  registers for Banns of Marriage [1849-1924].
*[[Passport applications in India]].  A listing available from the Assam State Archives contains dates of birth (limited periods).
 
==External links==
*[http://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=2114&id=201071 findmypast]
*[http://www.deedpoll.com/tracing-a-change-of-name.htm Tracing a Change of Name by Deed Poll in the UK] deedpoll.com . Some records are available at  [[The National Archives]].  It is often the case that a proof of name change either never existed or no longer does.
*[https://www.gov.uk/search-local-archives Locate a local Archives] England and Wales only. gov.uk.  If a person has returned  or immigrated to the UK, a local Archive may be a source of local newspapers for funeral or other information, local electoral registers etc. (Some electoral registers are available online on Ancestry, [[findmypast]] etc).
*[http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/marrlic.htm Marriage Licence Records (Allegations and Bonds) at Guildhall Library] This is a brief introduction to searching for records relating to the issue of marriage licences, with particular reference to those concerning the City of London and former county of Middlesex. Licences were issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury and other Bishops, and the records are called Marriage Allegations or Bishops’ Marriage Allegations. These records have been transferred to the London Metropolitan Archives and are now available online on the pay website Ancestry.
:'''Update''' July 2017.  findmypast has added a database of transcribed indexes  called "London Marriage Licences 1521-1869" which is taken from the book of the same name, published 1887  available on [https://archive.org/details/londonmarriageli00fost Archive.org]
*[http://www.archives.com/blog/genealogy-help/second-cousins-and-removed-cousins-difference.html Second Cousins and Removed Cousins: What's the Difference] by Amy Johnson Crow October 16, 2013 www.archives.com
*[http://www.dglenn.org/defs/daysymbols.html Symbols For Days Of The Week]. dglenn.org. These symbols are sometimes seen in baptismal, marriage and burial entries, generally in older church records  to c 1700.
==References==
<references/>






[[Category: Records]]
[[Category: Records]]

Latest revision as of 00:33, 7 March 2024

These ‘Vital Records’ include not only Births, Marriages and Deaths but more particularly in India, Baptisms/Christenings, Marriages and Burials. There was some registration of Births and Deaths in British India commencing in 1864 in Calcutta but generally it was voluntary.

There are a number of sources for locating birth, marriage or death information. This article provides an overview of these. See the links to the main article for each source for more in depth information.

Also consider the following:

  • a person may have been baptised with a certain Christian name, but been known by a completely different name, either for their whole life, or for various periods.
  • a second marriage may be bigamous
  • the birth mother may not be correctly stated in a baptismal record.
  • a person who had been widowed may be described as a Bachelor/Spinster on a 2nd marriage record

FIBIS resources

Births Marriages and deaths announced in Newspapers and periodicals are also included in above generalised database categories. For more details and direct links to individual periodicals covered see see Domestic Occurrences

Ecclesiastical records

Main article: Church records

(‘N’ Series in the India Office Records)

The East India Company established and paid for Anglican dioceses and parishes in all areas as they came under its control. Each chaplain/parish minister was required to establish registers in which to record BMDs. In addition, he had to send duplicates to the presidency ecclesiastical authorities, and for later periods to the relevant Registrar-General of Births, Death and Marriages.[1] The latter have been collated and sent to London and are now in the care of the India Office Records at the British Library in their Asian & African Studies Reading Room. Ministers, priests and missionaries who were not employed by the East India Company were not obliged to send these returns, however some did so on a voluntary basis but these records are available to a lesser extent.

Microfilmed copies of all the records are available for public inspection and indexes are available on the open shelves of the APAC, broken down by Presidency, alphabetically and by year.

The N series contains Anglican and some Catholic and Non-Conformist records.

The majority of these records have been digitised and are available online through the commercial site findmypast. If record is not found one should continue the search amongst the India Office records at the British Library. Also, be aware that the digital images are restricted for privacy purposes and a limited transcription only is available, currently (March 2021) as follows: There are no digital images for baptisms after 1921, nor for marriages after 1936.

Registrar Marriages

Main article: Registrar marriages

Marriages conducted by the Registrar, which commenced in 1852, are included in the India Office ‘N’ series (N/11). A complete transcription of the indexes to these records is included in the FIBIS Search section of this website.

The Registrar Marriages records are included in the digitised records available on the commercial site Findmypast.

Note FamilySearch has not filmed these records, so they are not included in the FamilySearch database of Indexed records, nor available as digitised microfilms.

Records on the LDS Family Search website

Main article: IGI

The LDS maintained International Genealogical Index is a huge database of genealogical information. The IGI contains several hundred thousand birth and marriage entries for the British India period, data input from the ecclesiastical record microfilms. Those from the ecclesiastical records provide reference numbers so that the microfilms may be viewed at LDS Family History Centres.

Details of other microfilms from the LDS Library Catalogue in respect of Church registers in India are also included.

‘Domestic Occurrences’ in registers, almanacs and newspapers

Main article: Domestic Occurrences

'Domestic Occurrences' was a section found in many periodical publications detailing birth, marriage and death announcements. It is easy to search these records in the digitised versions of newspapers, journals and directories that are available online. FIBIS has a wealth of transcribed resources.

The same publications may also contain notification of changes of name by deed poll but these will generally be in different section of the publication, not specifically under the heading 'Domestic Occurrences'.

Records at The National Archives

Main article: General Register Office

The National Archives hold some records that may be useful in tracing a BMD outside of the United Kingdom. For more help see TNA’s brief guide "Looking for records of a birth, marriage or deaths at sea or abroad" or the books Tracing Your Ancestors in The National Archives by Amanda Bevan (7th edn, National Archives Kew, 2006), including chapter 8, "Births, marriages and deaths of Britons overseas or in the armed services" and The British Overseas, A Guide to Records of Their Births, Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths and Burials Available in the United Kingdom by Geoffrey Yeo (London, 3rd edition 1995).

There is reference in the main article to some other sources of overseas records such as the London Metropolitan Archives.

BMDs at sea

Main article: Births, marriages and deaths at sea

British Army

British Army Ecclesiastical returns and Chaplains Returns detail sources other than the N series for India BMDs pertaining to British Army soldiers and their families.

Birth and death registration

Main article: Birth and death registration

Some birth and death registration did occur in British India. It commenced in the 1860s but was only compulsory in some areas, with other places adopting voluntary registration. The records are obtained from local Municipal Corporations, therefore researchers must know where a birth occurred. Some people born in India pre 1947 have copies of their birth registration. Recent copies are known to have been obtained from the Shimla Municipal Corporation following a visit there, but it is not known whether these documents are generally available, or how far back existing records go.

Change of name by deed poll

Notice of a change of name by deed poll may possibly appear in the various official Gazettes published in India, and in newspapers generally. As an example, a resident of Calicut and his wife changed their surname from Grosholz to Godfrey. Fort St. George Gazette 11 June 1918, page 948 (digital page 101) Archive.org.

For online Gazettes published in India, see Newspapers and journals online - Gazettes of India Collection on the Internet Archive (Archive.org). Other online newspapers are linked from the same Fibiwiki page.
The London Gazette is another possible source, for online editions see British Army - Records and scroll to the entry "The [London] Gazette". (An example of a man with a connection to India.[2]).

Non-British Ancestors

See also

External links

  • findmypast
  • Tracing a Change of Name by Deed Poll in the UK deedpoll.com . Some records are available at The National Archives. It is often the case that a proof of name change either never existed or no longer does.
  • Locate a local Archives England and Wales only. gov.uk. If a person has returned or immigrated to the UK, a local Archive may be a source of local newspapers for funeral or other information, local electoral registers etc. (Some electoral registers are available online on Ancestry, findmypast etc).
  • Marriage Licence Records (Allegations and Bonds) at Guildhall Library This is a brief introduction to searching for records relating to the issue of marriage licences, with particular reference to those concerning the City of London and former county of Middlesex. Licences were issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury and other Bishops, and the records are called Marriage Allegations or Bishops’ Marriage Allegations. These records have been transferred to the London Metropolitan Archives and are now available online on the pay website Ancestry.
Update July 2017. findmypast has added a database of transcribed indexes called "London Marriage Licences 1521-1869" which is taken from the book of the same name, published 1887 available on Archive.org

References

  1. ↑ A 1929 Marriage Register return from the RC Chaplain in Quetta, Baluchistan was sent to the Registrar-General of Births, Death and Marriages in Baluchistan and was then forwarded to the Secretary of State for India. See marriage record for Arthur James Moore Must be signed in to Findmypast to view.
  2. ↑ Change of name from Heilgers to Hillyers. The London Gazette Publication date: 4 April 1919 Issue: 31271 Page: 4481. Pre-war, this man had been head of a well-known Calcutta merchant house.
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