Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1852-11-18
AN ACT
To provide for a Registration Of
Marriages, Births and Deaths.


been found difficult to prove the marriage
birth, or death of persons, whereby the
rights of many have been sacrificed, and
great wrongs have been done e
And arhereaS, Important truths, deeply
affecting the physical welfare of mankind
are to be drawn from the number Of mar
riages, births, or deaths that during a
term of years may be contracted or may
occur within the limits Of an extensive
Commonwealth; therefore,
SECTION l. BE II enacted 6y tie Senate
and House Of Representatives. of1hc Co1a-
monacealth Of PennSylgania IN General
assembly met, anil 1t IS heyeby enacted Jy
tie authority oftte same, That from and
after the first day of July next, each regis
ter of wills in the several counties of the
State shall be supplied with separate
books, in which he shall register, in the
manner hereinafter directed, the marria-
ges which may have been contracted, and
the births and deaths which may have oc-
Cured within his county.
SECTION ,. That it shall be the duty
of every clergyman, alderman, justice of
the peace, clerk, or keeper Of the religious
society of Friends, and of every other
person or society by or before whom any
marriage may hereafter be solemnized or
or contracted, to make at once record
of the same in book to be kept for the
purpose, and within the space of thirty
DAYS after such marriage, to return the
same, in the form of a certificate, duly
signed by the person so certifying, to the
register Of the county in which such mar
riace shall have been solemnized or contrac-
ted, which said record and certificate shall
setforth, as far as the same can be ascertain
ed, the full name of the husband, his oc-
cupation, and the name of his place of
birth and residence the full name of the
wife previously to the said marriage; the
names of the parents ofsaid husband, and
the parents of said wife also, the color
of the parties, and the time and place,
and ceremony; where, and by whom such
marriage was contracted; and if pronoun-
ced by any clergyman, or other person as
aforesaid, the place of residence of such
person.
SECTION 3. That it shall be the duty
of every physician, under whose care a
birth shall hereafter take place, to make
at once record of such birth in book
to be kept for that purpose, and to return
the same, duly signed by him or her, in
the form of certificate, to the register of
the county in which such birth shall have
taken place, in the manner and within
the period directed by the second section
of this act; which said record and certificate
shall set forth, as far as the same can be
ascertained, the full name, of such child,
if any name should have been conferred,
its sex, color, the full name, as well as oc-
cupation, of its parent or parents, names
Of any other child or children living, and
for better Identification, the full name,
previously to marriage, Of the mother Of
such child the day, hour, and place, on
and at which such birth occurred, and
any circumstances connected with such
birth that may be deemed Of interest, in
case such birth shall have occurred with
out the superintendence of any person
and should no physician or other person be
in attendance upon the parentimmedlately
thereafter, it shall then become the duty
of the parent or parents Of snch child to
return the same to the register in the man
ner, form, and within the period above
required.
SECTION 4. That every physician OF
surgeon who shall hereafter be in atten-
dance at the period of the death of any
individual, dying within this State, shall
make at once record of such death in g
book to be kept by him for that purpose
and shall return the same, duly signed
in the form of certificate, to the regis
ter of the county in which such indiyidu-
al may have resided at the time of death
in the manner and within the period di-
rccted in the second section of this act ;
which record and certificate shall set forth
as far as the same can be ascertained, the
full name, sex, and color Of the person
deceased, and his or her age; also, the
name of his or her parents; the occupa
ton, place of birth the period, place
and disease, or cause of death, and L
within his knowledge, the name of the
burial ground in which inferred; and il
married at the time of death, the name
of the husband or wife, as the case may
be; and no person having the charge as
sexton of any vault or burial ground with
in the city or county of Philadelphia, shal
inter. or hermit. or cause to be inferred
the dead body of any person in such vault
or burial ground, without first procuring
a copy of such record, duly certified as a !,
foresaid by the person who made it; whlet
certificate as aforesaid, when obtained
he shall sign, and before the expiration
of thirty days from the time at whlet
he may have received it, shall return thu
same to the register aforesaid and every
physician, coroner, or other person wht