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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 briths 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.
→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 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.
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. 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>[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>
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.
Births and deaths of British subjects were registered with the British Residents of various Native or Princely States in India. 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]].
