When the father or mother of a child died in Suriname, civil registry officials were obliged to report this to the orphan department of the Orphan, Guardianship, and Unmanaged Estates Chamber. In this database, you will find the general orphan register (Algemeen weesregister) for the period between 1837 and 1877 as recorded by the Weesmeester. The orphan register contains information on the names, gender, birth, parents, caretakers, place of residence, and property of the registered orphans.

In 1874, an important change took place in the organisation of orphan care in Suriname. The responsibility for the care of orphaned children who fell under public guardianship of the government and who received alimony from the state was transferred to the state charity institution Landsgrond Boniface. Three years later, in 1877, the Orphan, Guardianship, and Unmanaged Estates Chamber was dissolved.

The orphan register can be combined with other registers from the orphan department, such as the alimony lists. Since 1857, the supervision of the care of poor orphans and the management of their alimony had been delegated to the diQerent churches in Suriname to which the orphans belonged. Every half a year, the churches requested alimony for the poor orphans within their congregations by means of the alimony lists. The orphan alimony lists contain information on the names, gender, birth, church, and alimony of the registered orphans.