Newfoundland and Labrador Church Records

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Denominations
The major denominations of Newfoundland include the Anglican Church, the Catholic Church, and the United Church of Canada (the Methodists, Presbyterians, and Congregationalists united in 1925 to form the United Church of Canada).

Information Found in the Records
To effectively use church records, become familiar with their content. Click on these links to learn about a specific record type:

Look for online records.

 * Newfoundland's Grand Banks Parish Records for Newfoundland and Labrador Baptisms, Marriages, Burials.
 * 1753-1893 at FamilySearch; Index and Images — How to Use this Collection
 * 1757-1901 Newfoundland, Canada, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1757-1901 at Ancestry, index and images, incomplete ($)
 * 1793-1945 at FamilySearch; Images — How to Use this Collection
 * 1793-1899 Newfoundland, Church Records, 1793-1899 at Ancestry, index & images ($)
 * 1840-1949 at FamilySearch; Index and Images — How to Use this Collection
 * 1850-1949 Newfoundland, Canada, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1850-1949 at Ancestry, index & images ($)
 * 1860-1883 Catholic parish registers of the Fortune Bay District, Newfoundland, 1860-1883 at FamilySearch

Look for digital copies of church records listed in the FamilySearch Catalog.

 * The FamilySearch Library (FS Library) has microfilmed and/or digitized records for churches in the Canada.
 * Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under the province or a town.
 * If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?
 * Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations.
 * To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of Canada, Newfoundland.
 * b. Click on Places within Canada, Newfoundland and a list of towns will appear.
 * c. Click on your town or the town where the church was, if different.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

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Consult available finding aids.
These aids generally provide lists of records that are known to exist and information on their location.
 * Parish Records for Newfoundland and Labrador Listed by District Newfoundland Grand Banks

Correspond with or visit the actual churches.
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
 * Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
 * To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
 * Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
 * A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
 * If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

Addresses

 * Canadian Church Directory
 * Each denomination page offers an online address directory of local churches for that denomination.

Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.
Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to digitized, online records offered by the archives. Some archives provide research services for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a researcher. '''Here you will find archive information unique to the province. Many more archives are kept by denomination. For denominational archives, go to  Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador
This extensive collection contains photocopies and/or microfilm copies of original church registers of baptisms, marriages and burials, as well as records of confirmations, minute books and other records of parish life. The original registers remain with the churches. Approximately 200 Newfoundland and Labrador parishes are represented. (“Parish” is used here to indicate any district with church(es) and clergy.) Denominations include the Anglican, Congregational, United Church, Moravian, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and Salvation Army faiths. Although this is an extensive collection, it is not complete. The Rooms works with parishes to obtain copies of their records. Each parish determines the timeframe for records it will release for copying. Also, many parish records were not transcribed; some have been lost, mainly as a result of fires.
 * Visitor Information
 * Services and Fees
 * Genealogy Research: PARISH RECORDS FINDING AID
 * Genealogical Request For Search (pre 1892 Records Only)
 * Submit completed forms by email, mail or fax to:
 * Email: Attach completed PDF forms and send to archives@therooms.ca Mail: The Rooms - Archives P. O. Box 1800, Station C St. John’s, NL A1C 5P9 Canada Fax: 709-757-8017

Anglican Church of Canada
Diocese of Central Newfoundland Synod Office 34 Fraser Road Gander, NL A1V 2E8 Canada Phone: 709-256-2372 Fax: 709-256-2396
 * Parishes

Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador Synod Office 19 King’s Bridge Rd. St. Johns, NL A1C 3K4 Canada Phone: 709-576-6697 Fax: 709-576-7122 E-mail: archives@anglicanenl.net
 * Parish Address Book

Anglican Diocese of Western Newfoundland Archives John Edgar 25 Main Street Corner Brook, NL A2H 1C2 Canada Phone: 709-639-8712 Fax: 709-639-1636 E-mail: jedgar@nf.sympatico.ca
 * Predominant records are from 1976 to 1990, but there are also records from 1842 to 1990. The Diocese of Western Newfoundland was created in 1976 during the process of restructuring. The former Diocese of Newfoundland (established 1839) was divided into three smaller dioceses. All records generated since this split are located at the Diocesan Archives of Western Newfoundland.
 * Sacramental records of several parishes of Western Newfoundland (since 1842) will be available also through this Archive, by means of microfilmed records. Provision is made also for collection and microfilming of other parish records of the diocese. Correspondence, minutes, reports, principles, constitutions, journals, yearbooks, administrative records, handbooks, newsletters, orders of service, press releases, notices, questionnaires, plans, assessments, feasibility studies, property records are all housed here.

Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's Archives Archdiocesan Archives Pastoral Center 200 Military Road St. John’s, NL A1C 2E8 Canada Tel: (709) 726-3660 Fax: (709) 726-8021 Email: egushue@rcsj.org
 * Baptism Record Request Form
 * Marriage Record Request Form
 * Fees

Baptist
Atlantic Baptist Archives Acadia University Esther Clark Wright Archives Vaughan Memorial Library Special Collections Acadia University P.O. Box 4 Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6 Canada E-mail: archives@acadiau.ca Reference Desk: (902) 585-1011
 * List of Holdings
 * The Atlantic Baptist Archives at Acadia University preserves the records of nearly 800 Baptist Churches in Atlantic Canada. These archival finding aids are inventories of some, but not all, church records in the Archives. New finding aids will continue to be added as they are created.

If you do not see your church listed, please email us: archives@acadiau.ca

United Church of Canada
Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council 21 Wright St. Sackville New Brunswick E4L 4P8 Canada Phone: 1-800-268-3781 ext. 6159 Email: swallace@united-church.ca
 * Finding Aid
 * The Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council/Regional Council 15 Archives is mandated to collect, preserve, and provide access to the records of the Maritime, Gaspé, and Bermuda regions of the The United Church of Canada. We also have pre-1925 records of the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Congregational congregations in the Maritimes and Gaspé which joined The United Church of Canada in 1925.

Go to the Wiki article for your ancestors' denomination to find more archives.
There are frequently additional, nationwide or regional archives for each denomination. Find the article for your ancestors' denomination and follow the instructions there to access these sources. This is especially important if local archives are not given above.

Correspond with genealogical or historical societies.
Some church records have been given to historical societies. Also, historical societies may be able to tell you where the records are being held. To find a society near you, consult these lists:

Carefully compare any record you find to known facts about the ancestor
You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by organizing in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible:
 * name, including middle name and maiden name
 * names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
 * exact or closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
 * names and approximate birthdates of children
 * all known places of residence
 * occupations
 * military service details

Carefully evaluate the church records you find to make sure you have really found records for your ancestor and not just a "near match". If one or more of the details do not line up, be careful about accepting the entry as your ancestor. There are guiding principles for deciding how to resolve discrepancies between records that are seemingly close. For more instruction in evaluating evidence, read the Wiki article, Evaluate the Evidence.