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Guide to Saskatchewan ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth, marriage, and death records found in civil registration, census records, church records, and cemetery records. Original records of vital events—births, marriages, and deaths—are an important element of genealogical research. They comprise primary information about these events, provide evidence about when and where people lived, may include occupation and religion, and define relationships between individuals. Where these records are not available, christening and cemetery records may substitute for birth and death records, and newspaper articles may substitute for births, marriages, and deaths.

Civil Registration
A government civil registration and vital statistics system usually registers all births, marriages, and deaths for citizens and residents, issues certificates for each, and compiles the resulting vital statistics. Also included may be name changes, divorces, and adoptions. eHealth Saskatchewan, a Treasury Board Crown corporation, performs this function in Saskatchewan on behalf of the Ministry of Health.

Civil registration of marriages began in 1878 and registration of births and deaths in 1888. However, many birth, marriage, and death registrations were not recorded until about 1920. In addition to these registrations, from 1867 to 1919 civil divorces in Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and Manitoba were granted by private acts of the Parliament of Canada.

Online Index Collections
eHealth Saskatchewan 2130 11th Avenue Regina, SK S4P 0J5

Toll Free: 1-800-667-7551 (Canada and US) Phone: 306-787-3251 Fax: 306-787-8951 Email: vitalstatistics@eHealthSask.ca Genealogy Web page: https://www.ehealthsask.ca/residents/genealogy

You can search eHealth's Genealogy Index for:
 * Births registered more than 100 years ago
 * Deaths registered more than 70 years ago
 * Marriages registered more than 75 years ago

The eHealth indexes for births and deaths are also available at Ancestry ($):
 * Web: Saskatchewan, Birth Index, 1875-1908
 * Web: Saskatchewan, Death Index, 1889-1916

Additional Ancestry collections: ($)
 * Canada Parliamentary Marriage and Divorces, 1867-1919
 * Canada, War Graves Registers (Circumstances of Casualty), 1914-1948 The collection can be browsed by province.
 * Canada, Obituary Collection, 1898-2015 ($):  This collection of substitute vital information was compiled from hundreds of newspapers.

Microfilm copies of the FamilySearch collections below can be ordered from the FamilySearch Catalog (see below). Records for Saskatchewan are limited, as indicated in the Coverage Table.

The Saskatchewan Genealogical Society website includes the following online substitute vital information collections. Copies of the original documents can also be ordered.
 * Saskatchewan Obituary Index ($)
 * Saskatchewan, Canada, Burial Index, 1802-2011. ($) Also available at Ancestry. ($)
 * Royal Canadian Mounted Police Obituary Index 1933-1989. Also available at Ancestry. ($)

Saskatchewan Genealogical Society PO Box 1894 Regina, SK  S4P 3E1

Phone: 306-780-9207 Fax: 306-780-3615 Website: www.saskgenealogy.com Email: saskgenealogy@sasktel.net

Ordering Registration Documents
eHealth Saskatchewan provides Guidance for ordering genealogy documents together with links for ordering online; completing applications for ordering by mail, fax, or email; and payment information.

Census Records
A census is a count and description of the population. Census records can provide family relationships, age, year of birth, description of property, religion, and place of birth. Recent censuses are generally more complete than earlier ones. They can provide information missing from other records. Use census information with caution because information (which may have been given by any family member) may be incorrect or deliberately falsified.

In 1906 the first Prairie Provinces Census was taken in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta. This was one year after the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta were created and Manitoba borders redefined.

Church Records
Church records may include baptisms, marriages, burials, membership lists, finances, business, and other records for a particular congregation. They may be available online or on microfilm, but frequently they are still with the local church or in centralized archives by religion. To determine which church archive to consult, check Canadian census records for the person's religion. For help with writing a letter requesting copies of records, see Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy.

Links to Church Archives

 * Anglican church archives
 * Baptist church archives
 * Roman Catholic church archives
 * Lutheran church archives
 * Mennonite church archives
 * Presbyterian church archives
 * Ukrainian Greek Catholic church archives
 * Ukrainian Greek Orthodox church archives
 * United Church of Canada archives

Online Records

 * (Index)
 * Canada, Quaker Meeting Records, 1786-1988: Browse to Swarthmore Monthly Meeting, 1905-1929 and Swarthmore Monthly Meeting 1906-1929. ($)
 * Canada, Quaker Meeting Records, 1786-1988: Browse to Swarthmore Monthly Meeting, 1905-1929 and Swarthmore Monthly Meeting 1906-1929. ($)

Cemetery Records
See Saskatchewan Cemeteries for detailed information about cemetery research.

Online Cemetery Records

 * Canada GenWeb Cemetery Index. Also available at Ancestry  ($)
 * Saskatchewan Cemeteries Project
 * Saskatchewan Genealogical Society Cemetery Database
 * The following websites have indexes to the cemetery and burial details that are available on the Find A Grave website, an expansive family history database from the world's cemeteries. The limited  indexed information on the websites below is linked to the photographs, portraits, biographies, and stories that are available at findagrave.com.
 * FamilySearch with indexes covering years 1500-2013.
 * Ancestry Canada, Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current. ($)
 * Web: CanadianHeadstones.com Index ($): This third-party database is derived from Headstones.com.  The parent website includes images.
 * Web: CanadianHeadstones.com Index ($): This third-party database is derived from Headstones.com.  The parent website includes images.

How to Use the FamilySearch Catalog
Microfilm copies of additional church and cemetery records may be identified by searching the online FamilySearch Catalog. Go to FamilySearch Catalog Place Search for guidance in conducting a search for church or cemetery records near a locality where your ancestors lived. Once located, microfilm can be ordered for viewing at one of the worldwide FamilySearch Centers or participating libraries near your home. Introduction to LDS Family History Centers explains how you can receive one-on-one assistance at a Center without charge. That introductory article also provides links to information about the microfilm loan program and how to find a Family History Center. The catalog can be searched by place, subject, keyword, or other parameters. A "place" search is the default option, and is illustrated in the example below. Example:
 * 1)  Open the FamilySearch website.
 * 2)  From the dropdown menu at the "Search" button, select "Catalog."
 * 3)  In the "Place" box, enter "Canada, Saskatchewan," and click the "Search" button.
 * 4)  On the page that appears:
 * 5) Enter the name of a specific place in the "Place" box, OR
 * 6) Click the "Places within Canada, Saskatchewan" link to see all cataloged Saskatchewan localities.

If desiring to locate Regina records, among the search results are one cemetery collection and two collections of church records. Links for each can be followed to see what records are available. The cemetery collection is found to include one reel of microfilm that is available for ordering. By clicking on the reel icon and following the resulting instructions, it can be sent to the Family History Center designated by the researcher. Other reels can be ordered at the same time.

Two collections of the Regina church records are on microfilm and available for ordering if they are consistent with the time period and religion of the researcher's ancestor. One of them, Regina Catholic church records, is a subset of the Catholic collection included in the "Church Records" section above. A link takes the researcher directly to that online collection. The other church record collection is on one reel of microfilm, and can be ordered if the time period and religion are consistent with the researcher's ancestor.

When a collection has been identified, one or more of the icons shown below appear next to it. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed; clicking on this icon will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm, such as the Catholic church collection noted above. The microfilm reel icon is shown next to microfilm collections such as the cemetery collection noted above.

This example provides a limited view of search options and experiences that can actually be expected. The results of the example search demonstrate that other record types can also be found in the FamilySearch Catalog. These include court, divorce, naturalization and citizenship, probate, and newspapers. Searching these record types tends to be a greater research challenge, but should ultimately be pursued in order fully describe one's ancestral history.