Annapolis County, Nova Scotia Genealogy

Canada Nova Scotia  Annapolis County

This is a guide to historical and genealogical records available for Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, primarily those after 1759 when the County was established. For a general overview of Nova Scotia history and research resources, go to Nova Scotia and www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/



History
Annapolis County was established in 1759, when Nova Scotia was divided into five counties. In 1836 and 1837, parts of Annapolis County were divided to create Yarmouth and Digby Counties. Nova Scotia Archives &amp; Records Management has a virtual exhibit on the early settlement of Port Royal (now Annapolis) and a searchable databaseof "the largest and most complete online presentation of primary-source documents relating to the Deportation of the Acadians from Nova Scotia. Place-Names and Places of Nova Scotia is another database searchable by county or community that contains brief descriptions and historical facts about more than 2,400 communities. Calnek, William Arthur, and Alfred William Savary. History of the County of Annapolis Including Old Port Royal and Acadia: With Memoirs of Its Representation in the Provincial Parliament, and Biographical and Genealogical Sketches of Its Early English Settlers and Their Families. Toronto: William Briggs, 1897. Online Copy at Google Books

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
1830-1909 Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics Births 1864-1877, 1908-1909; Delayed Birth Registrations 1830-1909 1661-1959 FamilySearch Canada Births and Baptisms 1702-1896 Family Search Nova Scotia Births and Baptisms 1837-1904 FamilySearch Nova Scotia Delayed Births 1864-1877 FamilySearch Nova Scotia Births 1836-1910 Ancestry $ Nova Scotia, Canada, Births 1836-1907 FamilySearch Contains registered births 1864-1877 and delayed births 1836-1907

Marriage Records
1759-1960 Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics Court records of Divorce and Matrimonial Causes, 1759-1960; Marriage Bonds 1763-1864; Marriage Registrations 1864-1934 1711-1909 FamilySearch Nova Scotia Marriages 1763-1935 Ancestry $ Nova Scotia, Canada, Marriages 1864-1918 FamilySearch Nova Scotia Marriages 1907-1932 FamilySearch Nova Scotia Marriages 1763-1932 FamilySearch marriages A Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia $ a database of Annapolis and Digby marriage records is available to members of the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia.

Death Records
1864-1959 Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics Deaths 1864-1877, 1908-1959 1864-1957 FamilySearch Contains deaths 1864-1877, 1908-1957 1890-1955 FamilySearch Nova Scotia Deaths 1956-1957 FamilySearch Nova Scotia Deaths 1864-1960 Ancestry $ Nova Scotia, Canada, Deaths, 1864-1877, 1890-1960

Census
In Canada, census returns are closed for 92 years after the time of enumeration. Census returns prior to 1851 are rarely complete for any area, and the census returns for Annapolis County in 1851 did not survive.

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 FamilySearch Nova Scotia Church Records 1757-1946 Ancestry $ Acadia, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection) 1823-1905FamilySearch Nova Scotia, Antigonish Catholic Diocese 1856-1970 Ancestry $ U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records Nova Scotia Archives Church Records Nova Scotia Archives Regional Church Archives contact information

See also, Nova Scotia Church Records

Court Records
1786-1853 FamilySearch Annapolis town meetings, 1790-1853 -- Annapolis [County] grand jury, 1786-1800 1885-1900 Nova Scotia Archives Court of Appeal Casebooks

Wills and Probate
1760-1993 FamilySearch Nova Scotia Probate Records and Estate Files 1763-1938 FamilySearch Abstracts from the Court of Probate records for Annapolis County 1879-1970 FamilySearch Wills

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

Land Records
1965-1970 FamilySearch Card file index to deeds, grantor and grantee 1854-1953 FamilySearch Land grants 1763-1970 FamilySearch Land records 1732-1864 FamilySearch Nova Scotia land grants

Online Records
Rootsweb Land Grants. The map numbers correspond to a series of 140 online maps hosted by the Crown Land Information Management Centre. 1760-1993 FamilySearch Nova Scotia Probate Records 1765-1800 Nova Scotia.ca Nova Scotia Land Papers 1787-1843 Nova Scotia.ca Cape Breton Island Petitions

Land Registration Office - Annapolis County 396 Main Street Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia (902) 584-7185 Nova Scotia.ca Historical Map Information

Additional Reference Gilroy, Marion. Loyalists and Land Settlement in Nova Scotia. Halifax: Public Archives of Nova Scotia, 1937.

Smith, Clifford Neal. Whereabouts of Some American Refugees, 1784–1800: the Nova Scotian Land Grants. 7 vols. McNeal, Arizona: Vestland Publications, 1992.

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

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

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 FamilySearch Index to commissions in the Public Archives of Nova Scotia

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 of 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.)

Canadian Military History Gateway, web resource by the Government of Canada

Newspapers and Obituaries
List of Nova Scotia newspapers available on microfilm at Library and Archives Canada: Library and Archives Canada

The Annapolis Valley Newspaper Extracts Project has published online transcriptions of vital statistics from selected newspapers covering 1866-1931.

Nova Scotia vital statistics from newspapers FamilySearch 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.

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.

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

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.

Annapolis Heritage Society Geneaology Centre O'Dell House Museum 136 St. George Street Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia (902) 532-7754 www.annapolisheritagesociety.com/genealogyThe Centre has significant collections of genealogies, local histories, cemetery and probate records, old scrapbooks, microfilms of vital statistics for Annapolis and Digby counties, church records and deeds and other pertinent information for researchers. Its primary emphasis is on Annapolis Royal and the old townships which were adjacent to Annapolis Royal: Granville, Annapolis, Wilmot and Clements. It also covers the early Acadian settlements prior to 1755.

Annapolis Valley Historical Society MacDonald Museum 21 School Street, Middleton, Nova Scotia Phone: (902) 825-6116 www.macdonaldmuseum.ca/Holdings: family files; obituaries- various; photographic collection – local people and scenes; scrapbooks of local interest stories; church registers- various; cemetery inscriptions; Robert L. Hall Funeral home records, Bridgetown, NS (1907-1975); Township Books, Annapolis &amp; Kings County; vital statistics, Annapolis, Kings, Digby &amp; Lunenburg Counties; census records 1838-1901 Annapolis County; library of local history; land grants- various; Annapolis County probate records – abstracts 1763-1938; Annapolis County school records; local newspapers: Middleton Outlook/Mirror-Examiner 1901-present (indexed from 1901-1925), Bridgetown Monitor 1876-1902

Websites
Nova Scotia Genealogy Records Online

Annapolis County GenWeb Project

Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia

Canadian 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.