VPRS 8341 Birth Registers

Full description

This series comprised the hardcopy of the Birth Registers which were created from 1853 to 1989 when they were superseded by Lifedata, the computerised system of registration.

Each bound volume contains registration entries in numeric order by registration number. Each volume was annotated on the spine with the number of the volume (in sequential number order) and the range of registration numbers of the entries bound therein.

Decentralised system of Registration, 1853 - 1960

Compulsory civil registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths in the State of Victoria began on 1 July 1853 with the proclamation of An Act for Registering Births, Deaths and Marriages in the Colony of Victoria (16 Vic., No.26). Prior to this, baptism, marriages and burials were recorded by church authorities and are known as Early Church Records (refer VPRS 5479).

From 1853 to 1960, a system of registration existed whereby District Registrars operated throughout the State with a principal Registrar situated at head office in Melbourne.

Between the years 1853 and 1873, administration of the function of registration was with the Registrar-General's Department (VA 2889).

From 1873 to 1893 responsibility moved to the Office of the Registrar-General and the Office of Titles (VA 862) which were amalgamated when the administration of the Registrar-General's Department transferred to the Law Department (VA 2825).

In 1893 with the proclamation of the Births, Deaths and Marriages Act (56 Vic., No.1303) responsibility passed to the Office of Government Statist and Actuary (VA 989).

Metropolitan births were registered at the Registrar-General's Office and later at the Office of the Government Statist, 295 Queen Street, Melbourne. Births occurring in the country regions of the State were registered with the local Registrars who were appointed by the Registrar-General and later by the Assistant Government Statist, and forwarded to head office each quarter at the end of March, June, September and December.

Centralised system of Registration, 1961 - ct

From 1893 until 1986, legislative responsibility for the registration of births, marriages and deaths was with the Office of the Government Statist and Actuary (VA 989). However in 1983, when this Office was transferred to the Department of Management and Budget, operational responsibility remained with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

With proclamation of the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Amendment) Act 1985 (No.10244) on the 31 October 1986 legislative responsibility passed to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (VA 983).

A centralised system of registration for Births and Deaths was introduced in 1961 when the previous system of registration by District Registrars was abandoned in favour of central registration through head office, at 295 Queen Street, Melbourne.

Information Forms for Birth and Death registrations were an integral part of the registration system(VPRS 10261). In the case of births, informants, usually the parents of newly born children completed the form, available through hospitals, giving the necessary details for registration purposes and forwarded the form directly to the Office of the Government Statist, later the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, where registration of the birth would be effected. These forms were signed by one or both parents attesting the information therein to be true and correct.

The information forms were sorted daily in the following order:
- date of birth
- place of birth in alphabetical order, metropolitan births in one batch and all those from the country regions of the state in another. (metropolitan births were sorted according to the name of the hospital and those from the country in order of the name of the town where the birth occurred)

Following that sort, the forms were allocated a registration number and a registration entry was electronically made onto pre-printed forms for inclusion in the Register. These folios were bound in the Register according to registration number.

Information recorded in the Registers

The registration entries were recorded in the Register in numeric order by registration number and detail the following:
- full name of the child
-date of birth
- place of birth
- parents' names
- parents' places of birth and age at the time of the child's birth
- mother's family surname
- marriage details of the parents
- previous children born of the marriage
- name of the informant of the information recorded.