General Information

There are factors that make it both easier and more difficult to conduct family history research in Jersey. The size of the island provides a small area to be searched which will prove useful to the researcher , yet the small numbers of both forenames and surnames in use in the Island, such as Josue, Philippe, Jean, Marie, de Gruchy, Ahier and Le Sueur, can create problems when trying to establish direct relationships. And then it was only in 1948 that English became the official written language, so it is likely that the records will be written in French.

At Jersey Archive the main sources for family history can be found in the official records deposited by the States of Jersey and the Church records deposited by individual churches.

Access

Jersey Archive indexes all its catalogued records by name, place and subject. Therefore any name mentioned in the catalogue description of a record will be indexed and searchable on the Open Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) available in the reference area of the Jersey Archive and on the Internet Simply enter the name of the person you are looking for under the names button on the OPAC.

Each collection held by the Archive has a unique reference code, which has been included in the following information after the collection title.

If you wish to find out about a certain collection simply go to one of the OPACs in the reference rooms or search via the Internet. Click on reference search and enter the collection reference.

Sources for Family History

Official Records

Census Records, S/01 - S/07
Jersey Archive has facilities available for the consultation of census records for the Channel Islands on microfilm for the following years: 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and microfilm and fiche for 1901. Census information includes names, place of birth, relationship to the head of the household, age, occupation and address.

Wills and Testaments, D/Y/A & D/Y/B
Jersey Archive holds all wills and testaments of movable property held by the Judicial Greffe from 1660 - 1948. They can be consulted individually. Strict laws of inheritance are applicable to personal property. Wills and testaments can contain information on the heirs of the family and division of property. All wills and testaments have been catalogued and are indexed under name on the Jersey Archive database. We also hold indexes to the Wills and Testaments from 1948 - 1960 - D/Y/B1

Immigration and Nationality - Registration Cards, D/S/A
The entire civil population of Jersey was required to register under the Registration and Identification of Persons (Jersey) Order, 1940. The official set of records contains approximately 33,000 registration cards. Each registration card contains personal details, such as name, address and date of birth and a photograph. Any children under the age of 14 are recorded on the back of their father's card. The registration cards have all been indexed and placed on the catalogue database; simply enter the surname of the individual under name on the OPAC.

Royal Court Records, D/Y
Jersey Archive holds the records from the Royal Court. The Royal Court records are concerned with the civil and criminal matters that were presented to the courts. The courts are divided into different sections dealing with separate actions.

Land Registry D/Y/K & S/06
Sir Walter Raleigh instituted registration of contracts at the Public Registry in 1602. Contracts generally concern the transfer of property from one individual to another. The land registry consists of volumes called Tables, which act as personal name indexes to the Livres.

The Livres contain copies of the contracts. The Judicial Greffe has now deposited the records from the Public Registry including microfilms of the Tables and Livres from 1602 to 1963 at the Archive. The microfilms (S/06) are available to view in the Audio Visual area of the reading rooms.

Education Department Records, D/J
Jersey Archive holds a great number of log books and some admission registers for the States of Jersey Education Department's primary schools, orphanages and industrial school. These can provide some information relating to the ages of individuals and their addresses. The service also holds records relating to the Jersey Home for Boys and the Female Orphans Home. However, it is important to note that there are some closure periods on more recent admission registers.

Militia Nominal Rolls and Pay Lists - D/AP/R1 & D/AP/R2
Official nominal rolls and pay list of the Companies and Battalions of the Jersey Militia. Information contained includes names and addresses of soldiers and details of pay. 1902 – 1938.

Royal Jersey Militia Attestation Papers - L/F/97/M22
Attestation papers of the 11th Battalion Hampshire Regiment / Royal Militia Island of Jersey - 1929 – 1940.

Rate Lists - D/AP/AC
Printed lists of Island ratepayers, listed in alphabetical order in vingtaine which include lists of parish officials, parish accounts, dog licence holders and gun licence holders. Information contained in rate lists includes name of property and person paying rates and amount of either owner or occupant rate - 1880 -1970 (for all parishes) & - 1970 - 1988 (for some individual parishes).

Almanacs - L/D/21
Early Almanacs contain lists of notable inhabitants, Jersey officials, categorised lists of professions, mercantile and trading classes of St Helier with name and addresses. Officers of the Royal Jersey Militia are named. Also included are officers of the Islands commercial associations, banks, societies, clubs, public schools, churches and religious organisations, shipping companies and lists of vessels. Today's almanacs include lists of facts and figures about Island life, including street indexes with lists of names and addresses of ratepayers. 1863 – 1997.

Telephone Directories - D/AR/A1
Information contained in the directories includes names and addresses. Also includes details of businesses in the Island - 1931 – 2002.

Church Records

Church of England parish churches, G/C

Jersey Archive holds baptism, marriage and burial registers for the following parishes:

St Helier - 1596 - 1988
St Clement - 1623 - 1998
St Martin - 1712 - 1986
St Saviour - 1540 - 1975
St Mary - 1646 - 2001
Grouville - 1584 - 1993
St Brelade - 1560 - 1996
St Lawrence - 1654 - 1992
St John - 1715 - 1984
St Peter - 1626 - 1955
Trinity 1625 - 2002

There are Channels Islands Family History Society Indexes for all of the Parish Churches until 1842 and there are indexes to the Superintendent Registrar's records, detailing all births and deaths in the island after 1842. We also have details of covering dates and locations for all of the parish records still held by the churches.

The Archive also holds the transcriptions of all of the parish church registers until 1842 - D/E/A

Methodist Records, J/C

Jersey Archive holds baptism, marriage and burial registers for the majority of the Island’s Methodist Chapels. The Methodist Collection also contains lists of Sunday school attendees, membership lists and class books which can prove useful for the family historian. The Methodist collection is arranged by individual chapels and the registers date from 1836 - 1989.

Independent Church Records

Halkett Place Evangelical Church, J/F - Registers from 1809 - 1947
New Church Society Records, J/E - Registers from 1844 - 1987
United Reformed church, J/G - Registers from 1827 - 1965

Private Records

Jersey Archive holds a large amount of material deposited by private individuals and bodies. Although these are very wide ranging, there might be sources of interest for the family historian. For more information on the collections contained within the class mark, please enter the reference number under reference search on the OPAC and you will be shown a list of all the collections within the class mark. The private records have been arranged as follows:

Businesses - L/A
Legal Firms - L/B
Personal and Estate Records - L/C
Societies and associations - L/D
Charities - L/E
Miscellaneous Collections - L/F

Channel Islands Family History Society

The CIFHS and their collections are based at the Jersey Archive. Their wide ranging collections include indexes to the Censuses with transcriptions for 1851, 1871 and 1891 Censuses, Church of England parish registers, Nonconformist and Roman Catholic registers, Cemeteries and Monumental Inscriptions. There are also lists of the militia and the garrison, French refugees, Jersey seamen and pilots. There are also a number of family trees, rate books, electoral lists and newspaper almanacs, which are available to study. The CIFHS has volunteers who are pleased to help with any family history enquiry and are present at the Jersey Archive on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. They can be contacted at PO Box 507, St Helier, Jersey, JE4 5TN and on e-mail - cifhs@localdial.com

Catalogue