Canada, Manitoba Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Manitoba, Registres de l'Église, 1800-1959

Record Description
This collection contains baptisms, marriages, deaths and other records from some Catholic, Lutheran, and Unitarian parishes in Manitoba.

Church Records began in Canada in the 1620s in Quebec with French Catholic Records. These early records were kept according to a 16th-century French law. English-language church records begin in 1749 in Nova Scotia with Church of England records. Canada had French citizens until 1763, so most Protestant records begin much later.

The Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church kept more detailed records than some other religions. Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, and other groups, especially those that did not baptize infants, often did not keep church registers unless required by law.

For a list of records by localities, document type and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
These birth records may contain the following information:


 * When born
 * Full name
 * Gender
 * Name and maiden name of mother
 * Name and surname of father
 * Occupation of Father
 * When baptized

These marriage records may contain the following information:


 * Name of Groom and Bride
 * Groom's place of birth
 * Groom's Occupation
 * Full name of parents
 * Age
 * Residence when married
 * Place of Birth
 * Maiden name of bride with parents
 * Names of witnesses
 * Date and place of marriage
 * By whom married
 * License or Ban
 * Place of birth of father

These death records may contain the following information:


 * Name of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Age at death
 * Occupation
 * Place of birth
 * Cause of death
 * Name of Physician
 * Date of funeral service
 * Signature of Clergyman or Minister

How to Use the Record
To search for birth records in this collection, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of parents
 * Approximate year of birth
 * Place of birth

To search for marriage records in this collection, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of bride or groom
 * Approximate year of marriage
 * Place of marriage

To search for death records in this collection, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of deceased
 * Approximate year of death
 * Place of death

Search the Collection
To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the “Place” category ⇒Select the “Name of Denomination and Parish” category ⇒Select the “Record Type and Year Range” category which will take you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Search for nicknames and various spellings of the name
 * Search in the index for the name of your ancestor
 * Look for the father's name and the mother's name in the index
 * Sometimes church records were kept in the church and sometimes in the home of the minister. The records may still be at the church, with the present minister, at a local historical or genealogical society, or they may have been deposited in an archive of the denomination.
 * It may be necessary to look at the records of all the churches near your ancestor's home to locate your ancestor's church records.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in French. For help with reading the records, see the following wiki articles:


 * French Wordlist

General Information About These Records
Church records (registres paroissiaux) are excellent sources for accurate names, dates, and places of births, marriages, and deaths. Many people who lived in Canada were recorded in church records.

Church records were kept at the local parish of the church. A parish is a local congregation that may include many villages. Your ancestor may have lived in a village and belonged to a parish in a nearby larger town.

Be aware that some of these records may be in French.

Related Websites

 * Libraries and Archives of Canada
 * Manitoba – Genealogy Treasures

Related Wiki Articles

 * Manitoba Church Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. 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.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
“Argentina, Buenos Aires, Catholic Church Records, 1635-1981,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 28 February, 2012), La Plata &gt; San Ponciano &gt; Matrimonios 1884-1886 &gt; image 71 of 389 images, Artemio Avendano and Clemtina Peralta, 1884; citing Parroquia de San Ponciano en la Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Matrimonios. San Ponciano, La Plata.