REGISTER. A book containing a record of facts as they occur, kept by public au thority ; a register of births, marriages, and burials.
In England, where there is a state church; which has authority to legislate with respect to parish records, parish records are by law invested with the characteristics of public records ; 1 Salk. 281; Stark. Ev., 4th ed. 299. But in the United States where there is no religion established by law, church registers, in the absence of statutory provisions, are not regarded as public records ; Kennedy v. Doyle, 10 Allen (Mass.) 161; Childress v. Cutter, 16 Mo. 24.
Entries in the baptismal register of a church, made by a clergyman in the regular discharge of his duties, are admissible in ev idence after his death, though there is no law requiring such records to be kept. Or tlinarily such entries are admissible only for the purpose of proving the fact and date of baptism, and not of other matters therein stated, such as the date of the birth of the child ; Weaver v. Leiman, 52 Md. 708 ; Ken nedy v. Doyle, 10 Allen (Mass.) 161; Black burn v. Crawfords, 3 Wall. (U. S.) 175, 18 L. Ed. 186.
These registers, when admissible, are not, in general, evidence of any fact not required to be recorded in them ; Morrissey v. Ferry Co., 47 Mo. 521; Kabok v. Ins. Co., 51 Hun, 639, 4 N. Y. Supp. 718 ; Durfee v. Abbott, 61 Mich. 471, 28 N. W. 521; Blackburn v. Craw fords, 3 Wall. (U. S.) 175, 18 L. Ed. 186. They have sometimes been admitted in evi dence as being made by a third person in the discharge of an official duty ; Whitcher v. McLaughlin, 115 Mass. 167 ; Weaver v. Lei man, 52 Md. 708. See DECLARATIONS.
Statutes have been enacted in several states which give to such records, in a meas ure, their common-law importance. See Lew is v. Marshall, 5 Pet. (U. S.) 475, 8 L. Ed.
195; Lavin v. Mutual Aid Soc., 74 Wis. 349, 43 N. W. 143 ; Shutesbury v. Hadley, 133 Mass. 242.
In Pennsylvania, the registry of births, etc., made by any religious society in the state is evidence, by act of assembly, but it must be proved as at common law ; Stoever v. Lessee of Whitman, 6 Binn. 416. A copy of the register of births and deaths of the Society of Friends in England, proved before the lord mayor of London by an ex parte af fidavit, was allowed to be given in evidence to prove the death of a person; Hyam v.
Edwards, 1 Da11. 2, 1 L. Ed. 11; and a copy of a parish register in Barbadoes, certified to be a true copy by the rector,• proved by the oath of a witness, taken before the depu ty secretary of the island and notary public, under his hand and seal, was held admissi ble to prove pedigree, the handwriting and office of the secretary being proved ; King ston v. Lesley, 10 S. & R. 383. In North Carolina, a parish register of births, mar riages, and deaths, kept pursuant to the stat ute of that state, is evidence of pedigree ; Jacocks v. Gilliam, 7 N. C. 47. In Connecti cut, a parish register has been received in evidence; Huntly v. Compstoek, 2 Root 99. See Jackson v. Boneham, 15 Johns. (N. Y.) 226 ; 1 Ph ill. Ey. 305 ; 1 Curt. 755; 6 Eccl. 452.
See VITAL STATISTICS; REGISTRATION.
The certificate of registry granted to the person or persons entitled thereto, by the collector of the district, comprehending the port to which any ship or vessel shall be long ; more properly, the registry itself. For the form, requisites, etc., of certificate of registry, see Acts of Cong. Dec. 31, 1792, May 6, 1864, R. S. § 4182; 3 Kent 141.