Canada, Newfoundland Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes baptisms, marriages and deaths from some Catholic and Church of England parishes in Canada and covers the years 1793-1945. The dates may vary for each parish. Church records are great sources for accurate names, dates, and places of births, marriages, and deaths. Many people who lived in Canada were recorded in church records. The church records are vital records made by church officials. They are often called parish registers or church books. Roman Catholic Church records are sometimes called sacramental records.

The Roman Catholic Church in Newfoundland was not instituted by church law until May 1784. It was at this time that the church in Newfoundland began to establish parishes that maintained baptismal and marriage registers. The oldest records were maintained at the Basilica Parish, St. John's and all records for the church were recorded there. Gradually, new parishes were opened in other areas of the province. In each new parish, baptismal and marriage records were maintained.

For a table that shows the coverage of the church records in Newfoundland available on Familysearch, please see the Newfoundland, Church Records Coverage Table.

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 * The name of your ancestor
 * The name of a relative or date of the event

View the Images
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How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

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I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

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 * They might have been listed under a middle name, nickname, or abbreviation of their given name
 * A woman may have returned to her maiden name after the death of her husband

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used. "Newfoundland Church Records, 1793-1945." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Holy Redeemer Anglican Parish Spaniard's Bay and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's.
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