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W.P.GERHARD, C.E. 1881

APPENDIX.

THE LAWS OF RHODE ISLAND

IN RELATION TO

Vital Statistics, the State Board of Health, and Marriage.

PUBLIC STATUTES CHAPTER 85.

OF THE REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS AND MARRIAGES. SECTION 1. The town clerks of the several towns, or any person whom the board of aldermen of any city, or the town council of any town may appoint for that purpose, shall obtain chronologically record and index, as required by the forms prescribed by section three of this chapter, all information concerning births, marriages and deaths occurring among the inhabitants of their respective towns; and on or before the first Monday in March, annually, shall make duly certified returns thereof to the secretary of the state board of health for the year, ending on the thirty-first day of December next preceding, accompanying the same with a list of the persons required by law to make returns to them, who have neglected to do so, and with such remarks relating to the object of this chapter as they may deem important to communicate.

SEC. 2. The Secretary of the state board of health shall receive the returns made in pursuance of the preceding section, and annually, make a general abstract and report thereof, in form as prescribed by section three of this chapter, and publish not exceeding one thousand copies thereof. Said returns, after such report is prepared, shall be deposited in the office of the secretary of state, who shall cause the same to be arranged, full alphabetical indices of all the names to be made, and the whole to be bound in volumes of convenient size, and carefully preserved in his office.

SEC. 3. The blank forms required to carry out the provisions of this chapter, shall, on application, be furnished by the secretary of the state board of health to clergymen, physicians, undertakers, town clerks, clerks of meetings of the Society of Friends and other persons requiring them, substantially as follows: The record of a birth shall state the date and place of birth, name and sex of the child, whether born alive or still-born, the name and surname, color, occupation, residence and birthplace of the parents, and the time of recording, so far as the same can be ascertained. The record of a marriage shall state the date of the marriage, place, name, residence and official station of the person by whom

married, names and surnames of the parties, age, color, occupation and residence of each, condition, that is whether single or widowed, what marriage, that is whether first, second, third or other marriage, the occupation, birthplace and name of their parents, and the time of recording, so far as the same can be ascertained. The record of deaths shall state the date of death, name and surname of deceased, the sex, color and condition, whether single or married, age, occupation, place of death, place of birth, names and birthplace of parents, disease, or cause of death, and the time of recording, so far as can be ascertained.

SEC. 4. Every meeting of the Society of Friends, clergyman, and all others authorized to join persons in marriage, shall make a faithful record of every such rite performed by them, in manner and form aforesaid, and return the same for the last preceding month, on or before the second Monday of every month, to the town clerk of the town in which such rite shall have been performed; and no marriage shall be solemnized until the parties shall have signed and delivered to the person about to solemnize it, or to the clerk of a meeting of the Society of Friends, a certificate containing the information required for the record of a marriage, as prescribed by this chapter.

SEC. 5. The town clerk of every town shall annually, in the month of January, collect the information required by this chapter, in relation to all children born in the town during the year ending on the thirty-first day of December next preceding.

SEC. 6. Whenever any person shall die, or any still-born child shall be brought forth in this State, the physician attending at such bringing forth or last sickness, if any physician so attended, shall within forty-eight hours after such death or bringing forth, leave with the family, if any, or person having the care of the deceased, or the person bringing forth such still-born child, or give to the undertaker or person who conducts the funeral, a certificate stating in case of a death the name of the deceased, the date of the death, and the disease or cause of the death, and in case of the bringing forth of a still-born child, the date and the cause of such child being brought forth still-born.

SEC. 7. Every town council may appoint a sufficient number of persons to act as undertakers, removable at the pleasure of such council.

SEC. 8. No undertaker or other person shall conduct a funeral, or bury or deposit in a tomb, or remove from this State or otherwise dispose of the remains of any deceased person or still-born child, unless he shall first obtain the physician's certificate required by section six of this chapter, if a physician was in attendence upon such person who has deceased, or the person bringing forth such still-born child, and shall return the same, together with his own certificate of the information required by section three of this chapter, to the town clerk of the town where such death or bringing forth took place.

SEC. 9. Any town may make ordinances, more effectually to attain the objects herein contemplated.

SEC. 10. The town clerks, or persons appointed as aforesaid, shall receive for each record of a death made and returned as required by law, and for each record of a marriage made and returned as required by law, twenty cents, to be paid to them out of their respective town treasuries: Provided, that the yearly compensation to be paid out of the town treasury as aforesaid, to any one town clerk or person appointed as aforesaid, who shall perform the duties prescribed by this chapter, shall not be less than five dollars. Undertakers and others making returns of deaths as required by section eight of this chapter, shall receive for each full report of a death made to the town clerk, five cents, in the

cities of Providence and Newport, and ten cents in the other towns of the State. SEC. 11. Every clergyman, physician, undertaker, town clerk, clerk of any meeting of the Society of Friends, or other person, who shall wilfully neglect or refuse to perform any of the duties imposed on, or required of him, by this chapter, shall be fined not exceeding twenty dollars for each offence, one half thereof to the use of the town in which the offence shall occur, and one half thereof to the use of the person who shall complain of the same.

SEC. 12. Every clergyman, physician, coroner, undertaker or clerk of any meeting of the Society of Friends, shall cause his name and residence to be recorded in the town clerk's office of the town where he resides.

SEC. 13. No letters of administration or letters testamentary shall be granted by any court of probate, upon the estate of any person, until the death of such person, or the facts from which the same is presumed, shall be duly certified, as near as may be, to the town clerk, in order that the same may be duly registered according to the provisions of this chapter.

SEC. 14. The town clerks of the several towns, the city clerk of the city of Newport, and the city registrar of the city of Providence, shall have the custody of all records of births, deaths and marriages of their respective towns, whether made under the statutes now in force or any former statute, and a certificate signed by them, certifying that any written or printed statement of any marriage, birth or death is a true copy of the record in their custody, shall be admitted as evidence of such marriage, birth or death.

SEC 15. Births, marriages and deaths of non-residents shall be distinguished from those of residents in the returns, by being arranged separately.

SEC. 16. The secretary of the state board of health may, from time to time, vary the forms of returns, and require such additional information as he may consider necessary to accomplish the object of this chapter.

SEC. 17. The town clerks or other officers appointed under this chapter to collect, record and return the births in the several towns, shall receive fees therefor as follows: For making record and return of these facts as required by law, twenty cents each for the first fifty entries in each calendar year, and ten cents each for each subsequent entry and return; to be paid by the town in which the birth is recorded.

SEC. 18. The town clerks of the several towns, or other persons appointed under this chapter to collect the births in the several towns, shall annually in the month of January, collect the facts concerning the births within their respective towns, required by this chapter; and shall so far as practicable, at the same time collect the names of all persons liable to be enrolled in the militia, as required by title thirty-four; and the census of all persons between the ages of five and fifteen years inclusive, as provided by chapter fifty; and shall receive therefor such compensation as the town council or the board of aldermen of their respective towns or cities shall determine: Provided, that the city of Providence shall be exempt from so much of the provisions of this section as relates to the collection of the statistics of births.

SEC. 19. Blanks for the foregoing purposes shall be furnished, on application therefor, on or before the first day of December in the year preceding, by the state board of health, for the collection of births, by the adjutant-general, for the taking of the enrolled militia, and by the commissioner of public schools, for the census aforesaid.

SEC. 20. The person or persons who shall discharge the duties required by section eighteen of this chapter, if other than the town clerk, shall make full