Nova Scotia, Canada Genealogy

Guide to Nova Scotia ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

Nova Scotia Information

 * Nova Scotia includes regions of the Mi'kmaq nation of Mi'kma'ki (mi'gama'gi).
 * The French arrived in 1604, and Catholic Mi'kmaq and Acadians formed the majority of the population for the next 150 years.
 * In 1754–63, the British deported the Acadians and recruited New England planters to resettle the colony.
 * The New England Planters were settlers from the New England colonies who responded to invitations by the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia, Charles Lawrence, to settle lands left vacant by the Bay of Fundy Campaign (1755) of the Acadian Expulsion.
 * Eight thousand Planters (roughly 2000 families), largely farmers and fishermen, arrived from 1759 to 1768 to take up the offer. The farmers settled mainly on the rich farmland of the Annapolis Valley and in the southern counties of what is now New Brunswick, but was then part of Nova Scotia. Most of the fishermen went to the South Shore of Nova Scotia.
 * In 1763, most of Acadia (Cape Breton Island, St. John's Island, and New Brunswick became part of Nova Scotia.
 * After the American Revolution (1775–1783), approximately 33,000 Loyalists settled in Nova Scotia (14,000 of them in what became New Brunswick) on lands granted by the Crown as some compensation for their losses.
 * The Loyalist exodus created new communities across Nova Scotia and infused Nova Scotia with additional capital and skills. However the migration also caused political tensions between Loyalist leaders and the leaders of the existing New England Planters settlement.
 * The Loyalist influx pushed Nova Scotia's 2000 Mi'kmaq People to the margins as Loyalist land grants encroached on native lands.
 * About 3,000 Black Loyalists arrived and founded the largest free Black settlement in North America at Birchtown.
 * The British administration divided Nova Scotia and separated off Cape Breton and New Brunswick in 1784.

Migration Routes

 * Canadian Pacific Railway
 * Halifax Road or Grand Communication Route
 * Pier 21

FamilySearch Resources
Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in researching your family.
 * Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
 * Learning Center - Online genealogy courses
 * Historical Records - databases and record images on FamilySearch
 * Family History Center locator map

Additional Resources

 * Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia Searching for your Nova Scotia ancestors.
 * How to Recognize your Canadian Ancestor
 * Name Variations in Canadian Indexes and Records
 * David Rumsey Map Collection