NIRA OuttaMany Search Helps Jamaicans Trace Family Roots Through Generations

Anyone wishing to trace their family tree through the OuttaMany Search service — previously called Genealogical Research — must first fill out an application form, according to the National Insurance Registration Authority (NIRA).

On the form, applicants are asked to specify how many generations back they want the investigation to reach. They are also expected to supply as much detail as possible on parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, including their names along with the locations and dates of their births, deaths and marriages.

Once the form is submitted, NIRA officers begin the legwork. The agency conducts interviews, travels to former addresses linked to the family, and visits burial sites tied to the relatives named in the application.

Researchers also comb through NIRA's own records database, which holds indices of every vital event registered with the agency, and run additional index searches to fill gaps in the family history.