Nova Scotia Birth, Marriage, and Death Records

For research strategies and additional information, see Canada Vital Records

Background
In 1864 an attempt was made to register vital statistics in Nova Scotia. From 1867 to 1874 these records are fairly complete. In 1877 birth and death registration was discontinued and in 1908 it began again.

Nova Scotia was settled by the French in 1605. The French did not keep vital records. Instead, they recorded similar information in Catholic Church records. Very few church records of baptism, marriage, and burial for the French settlers exist before 1702. Church of England records for British settlers began in Halifax in 1749.

Births, marriages, and deaths began to be recorded in township books about 1760, when settlers from New England came to Nova Scotia. Townships were never established on Cape Breton Island, and the township books covered only part of the rest of the province. The township books began in 1760 and were discontinued beginning about 1860. Marriages recorded in the books may be as early as 1702 and as late as 1920.

Marriage bonds began in parts of Nova Scotia from 1763–1864, with a few for later years to 1871. Marriage licenses began in most Nova Scotia counties in 1849. Gradually other records were added. Just because a bond or license exists does not mean the marriage took place. You should look for proof of marriage in church records and other records if possible.

Birth and Death
Indexes Birth and death records from 1864 to 1877 are indexed by and within the family name by county.

Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management has put many vital records online. To see these go to:


 * https://www.novascotiagenealogy.com/

The Family History Library has the following birth and death records:


 * Nova Scotia. Board of Statistics of Marriages, Births, and Deaths. Births, 1864–1877. Salt Lake City: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1983. (On 37 Family History Library ) The records organized are by county, then town, then year.
 * Nova Scotia. Board of Statistics of Marriages, Births, and Deaths. Death Records 1864–1877. Salt Lake City: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1980. (On 38 Family History Library ) The records organized are by county and then by year.

Marriage
To find complete information about your ancestor, you should search for his name in all records that existed when he got married. For example, if he got married in 1870, there may be marriage records for him in all of the following groups. Each record may include different information:

If your ancestor lived in a part of the province that had a township book, you should also look at that to find marriage records. They were made for certain townships in the western part of Nova Scotia between 1760 and 1860 or later and some include records of marriages as early as 1702 and as late as 1920.

Nova Scotia township books are very similar to the town records in New England states such as Connecticut. They include a variety of records, not just vital records of births, marriages and deaths. Most existing township books are at the Public Archives of Nova Scotia.

To find where townships were located, see:


 * Index to the 1871 Dominion Directory of Canada, Volume 3: Nova Scotia, for a sketch map of townships and counties in Nova Scotia. It also has lists of townships included in each county. Lovell's Canadian Dominion Directory for 1871, vol. 8, pp. 1529-1792, for a list of Nova Scotia towns showing the townships and counties they were located in.

While there are many Nova Scotia marriage records, the two basic kinds of government marriage records are:


 * Marriage intentions: records that show a couple intended to marry.
 * Marriage returns: records that show a couple actually married.

The terms intentions and returns are not always the terms used in the records. These terms are ways to describe the records. Marriage intentions and marriage returns for your ancestor may be found in several groups of Nova Scotia government vital records. See Tip 2.

Marriage Intentions
Marriage intentions may include bonds and licenses to marry, which show the government allows the marriage to take place.

Marriage intentions may include some or all of the following information:

If the couple proclaimed banns, that is, they announced in church that they intended to marry, there may be no record of it in government vital records. However, there may be a church record.

Proofthat a marriage actually took place may be:


 * A note on the bond or license.
 * A separate marriage return certificate in the same file as the bond or license, or in another government file.
 * An entry in a township book.
 * A record in a church parish register.
 * A newspaper notice.
 * A note in a family Bible.

Only some of these kinds of proofs are government vital records. Church records, newspaper notices, and notes from family Bibles are not usually included in government vital records.

Marriage returns are notices in government vital records that the marriage actually took place. A government marriage return may be:


 * A note on the bond or license.
 * A separate document signed and dated by the minister and sent to the government.
 * After 1864, a marriage "slip" that includes detailed information about the couple and their parents.
 * After 1864, marriage register books or loose pages that list the names of several couples.

There are only a few marriage returns for years before 1849.

The Public Archives of Nova Scotia has marriage licenses from about 1849–1851 to the county cutoff dates. These are available at the Family History Library on the following microfilms:


 * Nova Scotia. Board of Statistics of Marriages, Births, and Deaths. Marriages Licenses, 1849–1918. Salt Lake City: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1981–1982. (On 535 Family History Library ). The records are organized by county and then by year.


 * The cutoff dates for the above records are:

Marriage bonds exist for 1763–1863 (specifically for the years 1763, 1765, 1770–1780, 1782, 1784–1799, 1801–1850, 1854–1856, and 1858–1863). They are arranged in chronological order, and no index is available. They are located in the Public Archives of Nova Scotia and are on the following microfilm at the Family History Library:


 * Transcripts of Marriage Bonds Issued at Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1763–1871. Salt Lake City: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1983. (On Family History Library and )

Marriage Records
Marriage records from 1864 to 1908 are indexed by county and (within the county) by the family name. The Family History Library has the following records:


 * Nova Scotia. Board of Statistics of Marriages, Births, and Deaths. Marriage records, 1864–1875. Salt Lake City; Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1982–1983. (On 17 ) The records organized are by county and then by year.

Tip. Arrangement of Nova Scotia marriage records and indexes
The Marriage Bonds 1763-1871 are arranged by year and by date of the bond. Look for your ancestor's bond at the approximate date when he or she was married.

Other microfilmed marriage records for all years are usually arranged:


 * 1) First by year
 * 2) then by the names of the counties in alphabetical order, Annapolis through Yarmouth.
 * 3) Within each county, records may be grouped by locality. For example, records for Hantsport, Hants County, are separate from records for Windsor, Hants County.

Indexes for years before 1864 are not complete. If you know an approximate year and county where your ancestor was married, search all available marriage records for that county, a few years around the time he married.

After 1864, if you know the county where your ancestor was married:


 * 1) Obtain the marriage index for that county. Each county has a separate index. They are listed with the Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages, 1864-1916.
 * 2) Find your ancestor's name in the index. Write down the information about year, volume, and page number.
 * 3) Return to the listings for Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages, 1864-1916.
 * 4) Find the film number for the marriage register for the correct county and year.
 * 5) Obtain the film.
 * 6) Find your ancestor's record in the marriage register.

Then look at all records for that date in all the other groups of marriage records. Other records may have more complete information than the marriage register.

Make photocopies of all the records that you found.

If you know the county where your ancestor lived after 1864 and you don't find your ancestor's record in the indexes to the marriage registers, look at the other marriage records for that county and for surrounding counties.

If you don't know when or where your ancestor was married, see How to Locate Your Ancestor in Canada.

Vital Statistics Office
Later records of births, deaths, and marriages can be obtained from:


 * Vital Statistics Offices
 * Department of Business and Consumer Services
 * P.O. Box 157
 * Halifax, NS B3J 2M9
 * CANADA
 * Telephone: 902-424-4381 Fax: 902-424-0678
 * Internet: http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/vstat/history.asp

TOWNSHIP RECORDS
Early township books can contain vital records of the founding families. Records of births, marriages, and deaths were usually interspersed among other records such as land records. Although the vital records are not always complete, these books can often contain helpful information. For a list of township books on file at the Public Archives of Nova Scotia and the dates they cover, see Tracing Your Ancestors in Nova Scotia, by the Public Archives of Nova Scotia, 1981, pages 10–11 (see the “For Further Reading” section at the end of this outline).

Nova Scotia Vital Records Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)