The collection consists of records deposited by the Anglican Church, the Presbyterian Church (now part of the United Church of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands), the United Congregation of Israelites, the Moravian Church, the Methodist/Wesleyan Church, and the Society of Friends (Quakers). There are gaps in all the record series noted so the dates given are the covering periods of the records. There are no records for the Baptist and Roman Catholic Churches although there are some printed materials on these denominations.

Church of England (Anglican)
This collection represents the surviving historical records of the Church of England in Jamaica, which up to 1870 was the established or state church, as well as the records of its successor, the Church in Jamaica in the Province of the West Indies. The earliest records are those of baptisms, marriages and burials (Civil Status Records) which for some parishes date back to the 17th century.  Other records are Bishop Books [1823–1916], Diocesan Council Minutes [1872–1944], Diocesan Education Board Minutes [1921–1938], Financial Board Minutes [1870–1944], Letter Books [1872–1878], the Reports of the Jamaica Home and Foreign Missionary Society, [1876–1935], Journals of Synod [1870–1984], consecration of churches and the ordination of clergy   There are also records of individual churches in the Diocese.

Records of the Presbyterian Church
The records in this collection relate to specific churches. These include the St. Andrew’s Scots Kirk in Kingston which consist of Baptismal Registers [1819–1985], Marriage Registers [1901–1961], Minutes of the Board of Managers [1952–1962], Communicants’ Roll [1895–1943], among others; the Brown’s Hall Church in St. Catherine consisting of among other records the Accounts and Preaching Record [1924–1949], the Subscription Roll [1940–1949] and the Session Book [1934–1938]; the Doddington Church, St. Catherine which has records of Female and Male Class [1936–1942], a Weekly Record [1947–1950] and a Monthly Record with Brown’s Hall [1939–1948].
 
Records of the United Congregation of Israel
The United Congregation of Israelites’ collection is almost as large as the Anglican collection with just over 500 items.  The main items in the collection are registers of births, marriages and deaths dating back to 1788. There are also a number of printed items such as the United Congregation of Israelites Bulletin and Annual Report, the journal ‘News for the Freemason’, programmes relating to Hillel Academy and various articles, programmes etc concerning the Jews in Jamaica.
   
Records of the  Moravian Church
The Moravian Church, whose history in Jamaica began in 1754 with the arrival of three missionaries of German origin, established its own church archives in 1957 at the Bethlehem Teachers’ College, but in 1974 the records were placed in temporary deposit at the Jamaica Archives.  The five categories of records in the collection are Records of the Provincial Elders Conference, Congregation Registers and Diaries, Records of the Bethlehem Teachers’ College, Family Deposits, and Photographs and Printed Material.  The collection also includes baptismal, marriage and burial records, the earliest dated 1824. 

Records of the Methodist Church
The Methodist Church in Jamaica dates from 1789.  By 1817 there were four circuits, Kingston, Spanish Town, Morant Bay and Grateful Hill, with an aggregate membership of 4,151.  The records within the Methodist collection at the Archives include Minutes of District Meetings [1817–1934], the Western Annual Conference Journal [1885–1903], baptism and burial registers from as early as 1818, Accounts and Cash Books, documents pertaining to the Christian Auxiliary Movement. There are also printed items such as the Methodist Record Journal and the Jamaica Methodist Link. 

The Archives Department is fully aware of the critical role these religious bodies have played in our nation’s development and as such encourages other institutions to deposit their records for preservation and research.

Records of the  Presbyterian Church
The records in this collection relate to specific churches. These include the St. Andrew’s Scots Kirk in Kingston which consist of Baptismal Registers [1819–1985], Marriage Registers [1901–1961], Minutes of the Board of Managers [1952–1962], Communicants’ Roll [1895–1943], among others; the Brown’s Hall Church in St. Catherine consisting of among other records the Accounts and Preaching Record [1924–1949], the Subscription Roll [1940–1949] and the Session Book [1934–1938]; the Doddington Church, St. Catherine which has records of Female and Male Class [1936–1942], a Weekly Record [1947–1950] and a Monthly Record with Brown’s Hall [1939–1948].
 
Records of the United Congregation of Israel
The United Congregation of Israelites’ collection is almost as large as the Anglican collection with just over 500 items.  The main items in the collection are registers of births, marriages and deaths dating back to 1788. There are also a number of printed items such as the United Congregation of Israelites Bulletin and Annual Report, the journal ‘News for the Freemason’, programmes relating to Hillel Academy and various articles, programmes etc concerning the Jews in Jamaica.
   
Records of the  Moravian Church
The Moravian Church, whose history in Jamaica began in 1754 with the arrival of three missionaries of German origin, established its own church archives in 1957 at the Bethlehem Teachers’ College, but in 1974 the records were placed in temporary deposit at the Jamaica Archives.  The five categories of records in the collection are, Records of the Provincial Elders Conference, Congregation Registers and Diaries, Records of the Bethlehem Teachers’ College, Family Deposits, and Photographs and Printed Material.  The collection also includes baptismal, marriage and burial records, the earliest dated 1824. 
Records of the  Methodist Church
The Methodist Church in Jamaica dates from 1789.  By 1817 there were four circuits, Kingston, Spanish Town, Morant Bay and Grateful Hill, with an aggregate membership of 4,151.  The records within the Methodist collection at the Archives include Minutes of District Meetings [1817–1934], the Western Annual Conference Journal [1885–1903], baptism and burial registers from as early as 1818, Accounts and Cash Books, documents pertaining to the Christian Auxiliary Movement. There are also printed items such as the Methodist Record Journal and the Jamaica Methodist Link. 

The Archives is fully aware of the critical role these religious bodies have played in our nation’s development and as such encourages other institutions to deposit their records for preservation and research.