Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia Genealogy

Guide to Cape Breton county ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records. Nova Scotia Online Genealogy Records Ask the Community

History
In 1765 Cape Breton Island was set as Cape Breton County. From 1784 to 1820, Cape Breton Island was established as a separate colony of England. Cape Breton Island was re-annexed to Nova Scotia in 1820. In 1835 when the county was divided into three distinct counties; namely Cape Breton (Northeastern District), Richmond (Southern District which later became Richmond County) and Juste au Corps (Northwest District later called Inverness County). In 1852, the present boundaries of Cape Breton County were defined by the colonial government in Halifax.

Maps and Gazetteers
1700-1900 Nova Scotia.ca Historical Maps of Nova Scotia 1895 Collections Canada Electoral Atlas of the Dominion of Canada (1895)

Neighboring Counties
Victoria County * Richmond County * Inverness County

Civil Registrations
According to Nova Scotia Archives Records Management: "Civil registration of vital statistics began in Nova Scotia in 1763 with the introduction of procedures for obtaining a marriage licence; the procedure was optional and the surviving records are incomplete. Formalized registration of births, deaths and marriages began in 1864 and continued to 1877, at which time record-keeping lapsed for births and deaths, but continued for marriages. Compliance was not universal during this period and there are gaps in the surviving records. Since 1 October 1908, birth, death and marriage registrations have been collected and maintained continuously."

Birth Records

 * 1661-1959, index.
 * 1702-1896, index.
 * 1830-1909 Births 1864-1877, 1908-1909; Delayed Birth Registrations 1830-1909, index and images.
 * 1836-1910 Nova Scotia, Canada, Births, index and images. ($)
 * 1837-1904, images.
 * 1763-1957, index.
 * 1864-1877 at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage Records

 * 1711-1909, index.
 * 1759-1960 Court records of Divorce and Matrimonial Causes, 1759-1960; Marriage Bonds 1763-1864; Marriage Registrations 1864-1934, index and images.
 * 1763-1942 Nova Scotia, Canada, Marriages at Ancestry - index & images ($); ''Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1763-1957, index.
 * 1864-1918 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1907-1932, images.

Death Records

 * 1763-1957, index.
 * 1864-1877 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1864-1959 Deaths 1864-1877, 1908-1959, images and index.
 * 1864-1960 Nova Scotia, Canada, Deaths, 1864-1877, 1890-1960 index. ($)
 * 1890-1955 index.
 * 1956-1957 index.

Census
In Canada, census returns are closed for 92 years after the time of enumeration. Census returns prior to 1851 are rarely complete for any area, and the census returns for Annapolis County in 1851 did not survive.


 * 1861 - For each county, the agricultural returns follow immediately after the personal returns for the whole county.
 * 1871 - The personal returns for each enumeration sub-district appear in schedule one. The agricultural returns are schedules three to five and are keyed to schedule one by page and line number rather than by name.

Church Records

 * 1720-2001, images.
 * 1757-1946 Acadia, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), images ($)
 * 1823-1905, images.
 * Nova Scotia, Canada, Antigonish Catholic Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1823-1905, index and images ($).
 * 1856-1970 U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, images ($)
 * Nova Scotia Archives, Church Records, index and images.
 * Nova Scotia Archives, Regional Church Archives contact information

See also, Nova Scotia Church Records

City, Provincial, and Business Directories

 * 1758-1952 Ancestry $ Publications of the governments of Nova Scotia
 * 1868-1869 Collections Canada PDF file of McAlpine's Nova Scotia Directory
 * 1880-1881 FamilySearch McAlpine's maritime provinces business directory
 * 1890-1897 Collections Canada PDF file of McAlpine's Nova Scotia Directory
 * 1907-1908 Nova Scotia Archives McAlpine's Nova Scotia Directory

Court Records

 * 1885-1900 Nova Scotia Archives Court of Appeal Casebooks

Wills and Probate

 * 1760-1993, images.


 * 1879-1970, images.

Land Records

 * 1732-1864 Nova Scotia land grants, microfilm.
 * 1763-1970 Land records, microfilm.
 * 1854-1953 Land grants, microfilm.
 * 1965-1970 Card file index to deeds, grantor and grantee, microfilm, Index.

Online Records

 * Land Grants, Images.
 * Crown Land Information Management Centre maps, images
 * 1760-1993, images.
 * 1765-1800 Nova Scotia Land Papers images.
 * 1787-1843 Cape Breton Island Petitions, images

Additional Reference

 * Gilroy, Marion. Loyalists and Land Settlement in Nova Scotia. Halifax: Public Archives of Nova Scotia, 1937. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($).
 * Smith, Clifford Neal. Whereabouts of Some American Refugees, 1784–1800: the Nova Scotian Land Grants. 7 vols. McNeal, Arizona: Vestland Publications, 1992.
 * Land Registration Office - Annapolis County 396 Main Street Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia (902) 584-7185

Military Records

 * The American Civil War : the service records of Atlantic Canadians with the State of Maine volunteers
 * FamilySearch
 * WorldCat
 * The civil sword : James Delancey's Westchester Refugees
 * FamilySearch
 * 1749-1867 Index to commissions in the Public, index.

Online Sources

 * Veteran Affairs Canada has a Virtual War Memorial with listings of graves and memorials, some with photographs and personal memorabilia. It also has excerpts from wartime letters and diaries.


 * Library and Archives Canada Records and databases of information over an extensive period of time.


 * 1910-1967 The Royal Canadian Navy Virtual archive of non-governmental materials (postcards, letters, photographs, etc.)

Newspapers and Obituaries

 * List of Nova Scotia newspapers available on microfilm at Library and Archives Canada: Library and Archives Canada
 * Nova Scotia vital statistics from newspapers FamilySearch
 * 1752-1988 - Hicks, Brenda, Lynn Murphy, and Anjali Vohra. Nova Scotia Newspapers: A Directory and Union List, 1752-1988. Halifax, Nova Scotia: School of Library and Information Studies, Dalhousie University, 1990.
 * PDF file online
 * 1757-1957 - Tratt, Gertrude E. N. A Survey and Listing of Nova Scotia Newspapers, 1752-1957, with Particular Reference to the Period Before 1867. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Dalhousie University, 1979.

Taxation Records

 * 1791-1793 Nova Scotia Archives & Records Management Poll tax rolls

Repositories
Nova Scotia Archives &amp; Records Management, formerly the Public Archives of Nova Scotia (PANS): 6016 University Avenue Halifax, Nova Scotia (902) 424-6060 www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/The library holdings are only available for use on-site, but there are numerous databases and materials available through the Virtual Archives, including the searchable database of Historical Vital Statistics. If you're planning a visit to the library, you can search a portion of the catalogue online in advance (as of July 2010, 20,000 entries); the remaining 50,000 titles are listed in the Archives Reading Room Card Catalogue, available onsite. Search for 'Annapolis' in Acadia University's Planter Database for a more convenient way to view NSARM's record holdings.

Websites

 * Nova Scotia Genealogy Records Online
 * Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia
 * Nova Scotia Genealogy
 * Canadian Genealogy and History Links
 * Acadia University's Planter Studies Centre, focused on the New England residents who settled in Nova Scotia in the late 1700s.