Birth (baptism) marriage and death (burial) records

These ‘Vital Records’ include not only Births, Marriages and Deaths but more particularly in India, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials. Note that there was no general registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths (BMDs) in British India.

Such records are available in three major sources:

Ecclesiastical Records (‘N’ Series in the India Office Records)

Also refer Church 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. These latter have been collated and sent to London and they are now in the care of the India Office Records at the British Library in their Asia, Pacific & Africa Collections Reading Room (APAC). Microfilmed copies of these 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.

These indexes and records are available on microfilm at LDS Family History Centres. Many of the indexes have been transcribed by FIBIS Volunteers and are available in the FIBIS Search section of this web-site-under the heading Browse Records, click on Ecclesiastical Records, and then either Deaths, Marriages or Baptisms to see which records have been transcribed, to ensure you don't needlessly seach elsewhere for the same records.

Note also that some films have been transcribed by LDS. To read how LDS batch numbers can help you search ,and to help you to cut down needlessly searching elsewhere, refer to India Office Ecclesiastical Returns Microfilm Numbers and the LDS equivalent

Anglican Records

Since the Company only officially accepted employees of Protestant faith, all early Ecclesiastical Records in the APAC are Anglican. The India Office categorization of these records and their earliest dates are:

Bengal	N/1	1713
Madras	N/2	1698
Bombay	N/3	1709

Roman Catholic Records

The Company initially legislated against the employment of Roman Catholics. However, such was the pressure to find recruits for its armies in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars in the late 18th Century, it was forced to repeal this legislation and to recruit Catholic soldiers from Ireland. The pastoral needs of these soldiers were generally met by the independent Catholic Missionaries, largely established by the Portuguese or the French. Following Catholic emancipation in England and Wales (1829) its Irish soldiers prevailed upon the presidency authorities to provide English-speaking Catholic chaplains and churches for their use. These were established beginning in the mid-1830s. Again, their BMD returns were made to the presidency ecclesiastical authorities. Initially, these returns were filed separately (N/x/RC series, where x=1 for Bengal, x=2 for Madras and x=3 for Bombay) but after a few years, they were amalgamated with the Anglican records.

Missionary and Non-Conformist Records, including the Church of Scotland

It may be noted that a number of independent missionary and non-conformist churches were requested to return their BMD records to the presidency authorities. The latter considered it necessary to record proof of relationships of its employees for official purposes such as rights to pension, etc. A number of priests refused to do this, largely on the grounds of time taken and of cost. Accordingly, many of their vital events are not recorded in the APAC today. Foremost among these are the records of the large numbers of Catholic soldiers who used the missionary churches during the thirty years or so before emancipation. To obtain details from these ‘missing’ records, it is necessary to visit the church where the ceremony was performed and to apply to see the original register.

With the passage of time, the BMD returns became increasingly included and therefore more likely to feature in the ‘N’ series of returns at the APAC. Note, however, that for some reason, a number of Marriages performed in the Church of Scotland feature in the ‘Registry Office Marriages’ described below.

‘Domestic Occurrences’ in Registers, Almanacs and Newspapers

In a fashion similar to BMD announcements in the newspapers of today, it was often the custom to make such announcements in the ‘Domestic Occurrences’ of the early nineteenth century. Accordingly, for British India, a significant number are to be found in publications such as The East India Register, Calcutta Annual Register, Madras Almanac and Bombay Almanac. It should be recognized that such announcements were often made some two years after the event.

A comprehensive transcription of these sources is available in the FIBIS Search section of this web-site.

The Directories online contains links to directories and almanacs available to read online.

Registry Office Marriages

Although not strictly ecclesiastical, Registry Office Marriages, 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 web-site.

Records at the National Archives

Amanda Bevan, Tracing Your Ancestors in The National Archives (7th edn, National Archives Kew, 2006)

• Chapter 8 Births, marriages and deaths of Britons overseas or in the armed services, Available at the [[British Library[[

Geoffrey Yeo The British Overseas, A Guide to Records of Their Births, Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths and Burials Available in the United Kingdom, London, 3rd edition 1995 Available at the British Library

Abroad and at sea

• The National Archives’ brief guide Looking for records of a birth, marriage or death of a British national at sea or abroad
• Also see Births, marriages and deaths at sea and General Register Office

British Army

See British Army Ecclesiastical returns and Chaplains Returns

Below is the list of references to the India Office Records ‘N’ series.

Regional Breakdown of Ecclesiastical Records

(Baptisms, Marriages and Burials)

Catalogue Section	Presidency or Region	Range of Volumes	Range of Years	LDS Film Range* (I = Index)
N/1	Bengal	1 – 641	1713 – 1948	498954 - 535699
.	.	RC/1-5	1842 – 1844	527437
N/2	Madras	1 – 176	1698 – 1948	463296 - 527486
.	.	RC/1-8	1835 – 1854	530008 - 530011
.	Cochin	177	1751 – 1804	.
N/3	Bombay	1 – 178	1709 – 1948	462965 - 523914
.	.	RC/1-5	1842 – 1844	528361
N/4	India and Pakistan	1 – 8	1949 – 1968	527415 - 527421
N/5	Indian States	1 – 2	1890 – 1946	498603 (I) & 527422-3
N/6	St. Helena	1 – 3	1767 – 1835	498603 (I) & 498605
N/7	Fort Marlborough	1	1759 – 1825	498603 (I) & 498606
N/8	Penang (Prince of Wales Island)	1	1799 – 1829	498603 (I) & 498606
N/9	Macao & Whampoa	1	1820 – 1834	498603 (I) & 498606
N/10	Burma	1 – 7	1937 – 1957	527436 (I) & 534495
N/11	Registry Office Marriages	1 – 11	1852 – 1911	Not Filmed
N/12	Kuwait Political Agency	1 – 16	1937 – 1961	Not Filmed
N/13	Aden	1 – 21	1840 – 1969	Believed unfilmed
N/14	Register Lists	.
.	(Registration Act 1886)	.
.	.	1 Bengal
.	.	2 Bombay
.	.	3 Madras, Assam, Burma, Central Provinces and Punjab

* or Film Numbers to insert into LDS Catalogue to yield full range. Note: The LDS tend to classify the locations of these ecclesiastical events according to the present day Indian States, which the researcher will have to relate to the provinces of the former British Presidencies.

Related articles

LDS Microfilms for Bengal Presidency Church Records A list of the microfilms available for the parish register transcripts of Protestant and Catholic churches in the Presidency of Bengal, 1713-1948.

LDS Microfilms for Bombay Presidency Church Records A list of the microfilms available for the parish register transcripts of Protestant and Catholic churches in the Presidency of Bombay, 1709-1948.

LDS Microfilms for Madras Presidency Church Records A list of the microfilms available for the parish register transcripts of Protestant and Catholic churches in the Presidency of Madras, 1698-1948.

LDS Microfilms for Church Records outside of the usual Presidencies A list of the microfilms available for the parish register transcripts of various European churches outside of the usual three Presidencies.

Bengal Ecclesiastical Returns Index Table showing British Library microfilm numbers and their LDS equivalent for the Bengal presidency.

Bombay Ecclesiastical Returns Index Table showing British Library microfilm numbers and their LDS equivalent for the Bombay presidency.

Madras Ecclesiastical Returns Index Table showing British Library microfilm numbers and their LDS equivalent for the Madras presidency.

Using LDS Microfilms Instructions on how to use the LDS (Mormon) records to research family history in India.

India Office Ecclesiastical Returns Microfilm Numbers and the LDS equivalent. Gives information about LDS batch numbers to help you search.

Goa Church Records List of microfilms for churches in the former Portuguese colony of Goa.

Non-British Church Records List of microfilms for churches throughout India, except the Portuguese colony of Goa.

Directories online. Access online Directories and Journals which contain birth, marriage and death sections.