Nova Scotia Church Records

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Historical Background
In 1871, the largest religious denominations were Protestant with 103,500 (27%); Roman Catholic with 102,000 (26%); Baptist with 73,295 (19%); Anglican with 55,124 (14%); Methodist with 40,748 (10%), Lutheran with 4,958 (1.3%); and Congregationalist with 2,538 (0.65%).Wikipedia

Information Found in the Records
To effectively use church records, become familiar with their content. Click on these links to learn about a specific record type:

Look for online records.

 * Church Records at Nova Scotia Archives
 * Church Listings by County at Nova Scotia Genealogy Records Online
 * Nova Scotia Church Records Links at Mary's Genealogical Treasures

Indexes

 * 1702-1896 at FamilySearch, index — How to Use this Collection
 * 1711-1909 at FamilySearch, index — How to Use this Collection
 * 1720-2001 at FamilySearch; Index and images — How to Use this Collection
 * 1727-1884 at FamilySearch, index — How to Use this Collection

Catholic

 * 1695-1954 Early U.S. French Catholic Church Records, 1695-1954 ($) at Ancestry.
 * 1823-1905 Nova Scotia, Canada, Antigonish Catholic Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1823-1905at Ancestry, index & images ($).
 * 1823-1905 at FamilySearch; Index and images — How to Use this Collection
 * 1757-1946 Acadia, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1757-1946 at Ancestry, index & images ($)

Dutch Reformed

 * 1856-1970 U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, 1856-1970 at Ancestry, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1856-1970 U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Membership Records, 1856-1970 at Ancestry, index and images, incomplete.($)

Look for digital copies of church records listed in the FamilySearch Catalog.

 * The FamilySearch Library (FS Library) has microfilmed and/or digitized records for churches in the Canada.
 * Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under Prince Edward Island, the county, or a town.
 * Because the churches gave copies of their records to the government for civil registration, search under both thhe "Church records" and "Civil registration" topics.
 * If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?
 * Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations.
 * To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of Canada, Nova Scotia.
 * b. Click on the "Church records" and "Civil registration" topics. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * c. Or, click on Places within Canada, Nova Scotia at the top of the page, and a list of provinces will appear.
 * d. Click on your province.
 * e. Click on the "Church records" and "Civil registration" topics. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * f. Next, click on Places within Canada, Nova Scotia, [COUNTY] and a list of towns will appear.
 * g. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * h. Click on the "Church records" and "Civil registration" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * i. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

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Consult available finding aids.
These aids generally provide lists of records that are known to exist and information on their location.
 * Locality index to church records in the Public Archives of Nova Scotia collection, ca. 1750-1940's

Correspond with or visit the actual churches.
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
 * Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
 * To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
 * Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
 * A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
 * If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

Addresses

 * Canadian Church Directory
 * Each denomination page offers an online address directory of local churches for that denomination.

Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.
Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to digitized, online records offered by the archives. Some archives provide research services for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a researcher. '''Here you will find archive information unique to the province. Many more archives are kept by denomination. For denominational archives, go to  Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Provincial Archives
Nova Scotia Archives 6016 University Avenue Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 1W4 Tel: 902-424-6060 Fax: 902-424-0628 E-mail:archives@novascotia.ca
 * Genealogy Guide
 * Reference and Research
 * Church Records Search Engine
 * Hiring a Researcher

Anglican
Diocese of Nova Scotia Attention: Archivist 5732 College Street Halifax, NS B3H 1X3 CANADA Telephone: 902-420-0717 Fax: 902-425-0717

Baptist
Atlantic Baptist Archives Acadia University Esther Clark Wright Archives Vaughan Memorial Library Special Collections Acadia University P.O. Box 4 Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6 Canada E-mail: archives@acadiau.ca Reference Desk: (902) 585-1011
 * List of Holdings
 * The Atlantic Baptist Archives at Acadia University preserves the records of nearly 800 Baptist Churches in Atlantic Canada. These archival finding aids are inventories of some, but not all, church records in the Archives. New finding aids will continue to be added as they are created.

If you do not see your church listed, please email us: archives@acadiau.ca

Catholic
Contact the local parish to request information: Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth P.O. Box 1527 Halifax, NS B3J 2Y3 CANADA Telephone: 902-429-9800 Fax: 902-423-5201 Diocese of Antigonish
 * Parish Directory
 * Parishes

United Church of Canada
Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council 21 Wright St. Sackville New Brunswick E4L 4P8 Canada Phone: 1-800-268-3781 ext. 6159 Email: swallace@united-church.ca
 * Finding Aid
 * The Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council/Regional Council 15 Archives is mandated to collect, preserve, and provide access to the records of the Maritime, Gaspé, and Bermuda regions of the The United Church of Canada. We also have pre-1925 records of the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Congregational congregations in the Maritimes and Gaspé which joined The United Church of Canada in 1925.

Go to the Wiki article for your ancestors' denomination to find more archives.
There are frequently additional, nationwide or regional archives for each denomination. Find the article for your ancestors' denomination and follow the instructions there to access these sources. This is especially important if local archives are not given above.

Correspond with genealogical or historical societies.
Some church records have been given to historical societies. Also, historical societies may be able to tell you where the records are being held. To find a society near you, consult these lists:

Carefully compare any record you find to known facts about the ancestor
You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by organizing in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible:
 * name, including middle name and maiden name
 * names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
 * exact or closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
 * names and approximate birthdates of children
 * all known places of residence
 * occupations
 * military service details

Carefully evaluate the church records you find to make sure you have really found records for your ancestor and not just a "near match". If one or more of the details do not line up, be careful about accepting the entry as your ancestor. There are guiding principles for deciding how to resolve discrepancies between records that are seemingly close. For more instruction in evaluating evidence, read the Wiki article, Evaluate the Evidence.