Ontario Civil Registration

Registration of vital statistics of births, marriages and deaths began officially in Ontario on 1 July 1869 as a provincial responsibility. A substantially complete registration was achieved by 1930.

Each year, additional records are made available from the Archives of Ontario in Toronto. As of May 2007, the available records include:


 * Births, 1869-1909
 * Marriages, 1801-1924 (there may be gaps before 1869)
 * Deaths, 1869-1934

These records are on microfilm but not online. Go to Ontario Vital Statistics for more information and an update on the years that are available.

Records, including indexes, that are on film in the Family History Library can be found in the Family History Library Catalog by using the Place Search under ONTARIO - VITAL RECORDS. Conversion lists of the microfilm references between the Archives of Ontario and the Family History Library are available on the Archives of Ontario Web site.

Records after the cutoff dates mentioned above must be obtained from the Office of the Registrar General. An application form and fees can be found on this site.

Births and deaths were not recorded by civil authorities before 1869. You may find some information on pre-1869 births and deaths in genealogies, histories, church records, newspapers, and collections of personal papers.

Marriage Records
From 1858 to 1869, the province required the counties to keep marriage registers. Clergymen of all faiths were supposed to record information from their parish registers in county marriage books. The available county marriage books are on microfilm at the Family History Library, cataloged under ONTARIO - VITAL RECORDS. A series of indexes is now being prepared for these records:

Britnell, W. E. and Elizabeth Hancocks, eds. County Marriage Registers of Ontario, Canada 1858-1869. Volumes 1-. Agincourt, Ontario: Generation Press, 1979-. (FHL book 971.3 V22m; not on microfilm.)

For a limited period of time prior to 1858, clergymen of faiths other than Anglican and Roman Catholic were asked to record marriage information in district marriage registers. Not all clergymen complied. Microfilms of the available records are at the Family History Library. Consult the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under ONTARIO - VITAL RECORDS.

Marriage bonds were sometimes prepared when the couple were married by license, rather than having banns pronounced in church. Ontario marriage bonds 1803-1845 have been microfilmed and are at the Family History Library, cataloged under ONTARIO - VITAL RECORDS. An alphabetical index to these records is on three rolls, FHL film 1,276,180-82. Most have been extracted and published in:

Wilson, Thomas B. Marriage Bonds of Ontario 1803-1834. Lambertville, New Jersey, USA: Hunterdon House, 1985. (FHL book 971.3 V29w; not on microfilm.)

Some Ontarians were married in the United States because requirements were less strict there than in Canada. Names of many who married in the Buffalo, New York, area from 1840 to 1890 are listed in:

Jewitt, Allen E. Early Canadian Marriages in Erie County, New York. 12 Volumes. Hamburg, New York, USA: Jewitt, 1982. (FHL book 974.796 V2j; fiche 6010977-88.)

Divorce Records
Until 1930 an Act of the Parliament of Canada was required to obtain a divorce in Ontario. The act(s) for a divorce often give detailed genealogical information. Copies are available from the Clerk of the Senate. Provide the names of the spouses and the estimated year of divorce and write to:

The Clerk of the Senate   Parliament Buildings    Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6    CANADA

In 1930, divorce became a matter for the Supreme Court of Ontario. See the “Ontario Court Records” article. Some Ontarians received divorces in United States jurisdictions, even though such divorces had no legal standing in Canada.