Canada, New Brunswick, Saint John, Saint John, Burial Permits - FamilySearch Historical Records

Canada New Brunswick

What is in this Collection?
This collection covers records from 1889-1919. Included in these records are indexes and images of burial permits of Saint John. The records are in possession of the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick at Fredericton.

In 1889, the City of Saint John Board of Health wanted to detect and control contagious diseases. In order to detect the diseases, the City of Saint John Board of Health issued an order that required a permit for anyone that was buried in the city. Burial permits from the City of Saint John Board of Health were issued until 1919.

The burial permits were for anyone who died in the city of Saint John. They were also for any citizens who were out of town when they died, or for anybody that died passing through the city for burial elsewhere.

Sample of Record Content
Burial records may contain the following information:


 * Name of deceased


 * Year of birth


 * Place of birth


 * Date of death


 * Place of death


 * Name of father


 * Name of spouse


 * Gender

How Do I Search the Collection?
As you are searching, it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times. For tips about searching online collections, read FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

To search by index: 

Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

To search by image:  To search the collection image by image select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page

⇒ Select the appropriate 'Year Range and Volume Number' which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

What Do I Do Next?

 * While the burial permits have quite a bit of information, it is also useful to try searching death record collections such as New Brunswick Death Certificates to find out more about your ancestor. Keep in mind that FamilySearch has several different death record collections available online for New Brunswick.


 * When you have found the information that you have been looking for, you can try searching the New Brunswick 1861 Census. While this online collection does not include images, it can tell you where your ancestor resided in 1861, which may lead you to more local records.


 * Use the age in the death records to find an approximate birth year to begin your search for a birth record in church or civil record collections such as New Brunswick, Provincial Returns of Births and Late Registrations.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Try looking in the census records for the possible place of residence at the time of the event. Census records may also list family and household members.


 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they were born, married or died, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.


 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images.


 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: