Antigonish County, Nova Scotia Genealogy

Guide to Antigonish county ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records. Nova Scotia Online Genealogy Records Ask the Community

History
The County of Sydney was created in 1784. In 1836 Sydney County was diminished in size when Guysborough County was organized. In 1863 the name was changed to Antigonish County.

Maps and Gazetteers
1700-1900 Nova Scotia.ca Historical Maps of Nova Scotia

1895 Collections Canada Electoral Atlas of the Dominion of Canada (1895)

Neighboring Counties
Inverness County * Guysborough County * Pictou County

Civil Registrations
According to Nova Scotia Archives Records Management: "Civil registration of vital statistics began in Nova Scotia in 1763 with the introduction of procedures for obtaining a marriage licence; the procedure was optional and the surviving records are incomplete. Formalized registration of births, deaths and marriages began in 1864 and continued to 1877, at which time record-keeping lapsed for births and deaths, but continued for marriages. Compliance was not universal during this period and there are gaps in the surviving records. Since 1 October 1908, birth, death and marriage registrations have been collected and maintained continuously."

Birth Records

 * 1661-1959, index. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1702-1896, index. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1830-1909 Births 1864-1877, 1908-1909; Delayed Birth Registrations 1830-1909, index and images.
 * 1836-1907, index. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1836-1910 Nova Scotia, Canada, Births, index and images. ($)
 * 1837-1904, images.- How to Use this Collection
 * 1864-1877 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Marriage Records

 * 1711-1909, index. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1759-1960 Court records of Divorce and Matrimonial Causes, 1759-1960; Marriage Bonds 1763-1864; Marriage Registrations 1864-1934, index and images.
 * 1763-1932, index. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1763-1942 Nova Scotia, Canada, Marriages at Ancestry - index & images ($); ''Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1864-1918 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1864-1918, images. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1907-1932, images. - How to Use this Collection

Death Records

 * 1864-1957, index. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1864-1877 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1864-1959 Deaths 1864-1877, 1908-1959, images and index.
 * 1864-1960 Nova Scotia, Canada, Deaths, 1864-1877, 1890-1960 index. ($)
 * 1890-1955 index. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1956-1957 index. - How to Use this Collection

Census
In Canada, census returns are closed for 92 years after the time of enumeration.


 * 1861 - For each county, the agricultural returns follow immediately after the personal returns for the whole county.
 * 1871 - The personal returns for each enumeration sub-district appear in schedule one. The agricultural returns are schedules three to five and are keyed to schedule one by page and line number rather than by name.

Searchable Databases, Books and Images
All surviving census returns from 1851 to 1916 have been digitized and are currently available on various websites, some of which require a subscription to access.

Church Records

 * 1720-2001, images. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1757-1946 Acadia, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), images ($)
 * 1823-1905, images. - How to Use this Collection
 * Nova Scotia, Canada, Antigonish Catholic Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1823-1905, index and images ($).
 * 1856-1970 U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, images ($)
 * Nova Scotia Archives, Church Records, index and images.
 * Nova Scotia Archives, Regional Church Archives contact information

See also, Nova Scotia Church Records

City, Provincial, and Business Directories

 * 1758-1952 Ancestry $ Publications of the governments of Nova Scotia
 * 1868-1869 Collections Canada PDF file of McAlpine's Nova Scotia Directory
 * 1880-1881 FamilySearch McAlpine's maritime provinces business directory
 * 1890-1897 Collections Canada PDF file of McAlpine's Nova Scotia Directory
 * 1907-1908 Nova Scotia Archives McAlpine's Nova Scotia Directory

Court Records

 * 1885-1900 Nova Scotia Archives Court of Appeal Casebooks

Wills and Probate

 * 1760-1993, images. - How to Use this Collection

Land Records

 * 1732-1864 Nova Scotia land grants, microfilm.
 * 1763-1970 Land records, microfilm.
 * 1854-1953 Land grants, microfilm.
 * 1965-1970 Card file index to deeds, grantor and grantee, microfilm, Index.

Online Records

 * Land Grants, Images.
 * Crown Land Information Management Centre maps, images
 * 1760-1993, images. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1765-1800 Nova Scotia Land Papers images.
 * 1787-1843 Cape Breton Island Petitions, images

Additional Reference

 * Gilroy, Marion. Loyalists and Land Settlement in Nova Scotia. Halifax: Public Archives of Nova Scotia, 1937. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($).
 * Smith, Clifford Neal. Whereabouts of Some American Refugees, 1784–1800: the Nova Scotian Land Grants. 7 vols. McNeal, Arizona: Vestland Publications, 1992.
 * Land Registration Office - Annapolis County 396 Main Street Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia (902) 584-7185

Military Records

 * The American Civil War : the service records of Atlantic Canadians with the State of Maine volunteers
 * FamilySearch
 * WorldCat
 * The civil sword : James Delancey's Westchester Refugees
 * FamilySearch
 * 1749-1867 Index to commissions in the Public, index.

Online Sources

 * Veteran Affairs Canada has a Virtual War Memorial with listings of graves and memorials, some with photographs and personal memorabilia. It also has excerpts from wartime letters and diaries.


 * Library and Archives Canada Records and databases of information over an extensive period of time.


 * 1910-1967 The Royal Canadian Navy Virtual archive of non-governmental materials (postcards, letters, photographs, etc.)

Newspapers and Obituaries

 * List of Nova Scotia newspapers available on microfilm at Library and Archives Canada: Library and Archives Canada
 * Nova Scotia vital statistics from newspapers FamilySearch
 * 1752-1988 - Hicks, Brenda, Lynn Murphy, and Anjali Vohra. Nova Scotia Newspapers: A Directory and Union List, 1752-1988. Halifax, Nova Scotia: School of Library and Information Studies, Dalhousie University, 1990.
 * PDF file online
 * 1757-1957 - Tratt, Gertrude E. N. A Survey and Listing of Nova Scotia Newspapers, 1752-1957, with Particular Reference to the Period Before 1867. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Dalhousie University, 1979.

Taxation Records

 * 1791-1793 Nova Scotia Archives & Records Management Poll tax rolls

Voter Records

 * 1791–1793 Nova Scotia, Canada, Census, Assessment and Poll Tax Records, 1770-1795, 1827, 1838 at Ancestry - index ($)

Repositories
Nova Scotia Archives &amp; Records Management, formerly the Public Archives of Nova Scotia (PANS): 6016 University Avenue Halifax, Nova Scotia (902) 424-6060 www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/The library holdings are only available for use on-site, but there are numerous databases and materials available through the Virtual Archives, including the searchable database of Historical Vital Statistics. If you're planning a visit to the library, you can search a portion of the catalogue online in advance (as of July 2010, 20,000 entries); the remaining 50,000 titles are listed in the Archives Reading Room Card Catalogue, available onsite. Search for 'Annapolis' in Acadia University's Planter Database for a more convenient way to view NSARM's record holdings.

Websites

 * Nova Scotia Genealogy Records Online
 * Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia
 * Nova Scotia Genealogy
 * Canada Library and Archives Genealogy and History Links
 * Acadia University's Planter Studies Centre, focused on the New England residents who settled in Nova Scotia in the late 1700s.