Canada, Nova Scotia, Antigonish Catholic Diocese - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains church records for the years 1823-1905; dates vary for each parish. In this set of parish registers, the births or baptisms, marriages, and deaths or burials are usually entered in separate volumes. A few volumes have intermixed entries; some are indexed. Early registers are written in paragraph format, while later registers are pre-printed with the information filled in by hand in each column. On August 23, 1886, the see was moved from Arichat to the town of Antigonish and the diocese became the Diocese of Antigonish. The diocese covers seven counties in northeastern Nova Scotia: Richmond, Inverness, Victoria, Cape Breton, Antigonish, Pictou and Guysborough. Catholic records are traditionally kept on the parish level so the registers are usually found at the church where the event occurred. Based on statistics from the 1901 Canadian census, around 28% of the population of Nova Scotia was Catholic and 58% of the Catholics in Nova Scotia lived in the Diocese of Antigonish. About 68% of the pre-1906 parishes in the diocese are included in this record set.

Reading These Records
Some of these records are in Latin or French. For help with reading the records, see the following resources:
 * Latin Genealogical Word List
 * French Word List
 * French Records Extraction - An Instructional Guide

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Baptism
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Child's name and date of birth
 * Names of parents
 * Names of godparents

Marriage
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of the groom and bride
 * Names of witnesses

Death
 * Date and place of death and burial
 * Name and age of deceased
 * Birthplace of deceased
 * Cause of death
 * Officiating priest
 * Name of cemetery

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The name of a relative or date of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * If available, check the image for additional information
 * Analyze the entry to see if it provides additional clues to find other records of the person or their family
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Consult the Nova Scotia Record Finder to find other records
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This can help you find possible relatives
 * Search the records of nearby areas
 * Check for other names. An individual might appear under an unexpected name for a variety of reasons:
 * They might have been listed under a middle name, nickname, or abbreviation of their given name
 * A woman may have returned to her maiden name after the death of her husband

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in Nova Scotia.
 * Nova Scotia Guided Research
 * Nova Scotia Record Finder

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * edited by Terrence M. Punch with George F. Sanborn, Jr., Genealogist's handbook for Atlantic Canada research 2nd ed. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1997, c1989 FS Library 971.5 D27pt 1997
 * Terrence M. Punch, Genealogical research in Nova Scotia 4th ed. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Nimbus Pub., c1998 FS Library 971.6 D27p 1998
 * The Nova Scotia genealogist Halifax, Nova Scotia: Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia, 1983- FS Library 971.6 D25n
 * Genealogy/biography card index to materials in the Public Archives of Nova Scotia collection, ca. 1650-1990
 * Locality index to church records in the Public Archives of Nova Scotia collection, ca. 1750-1940's
 * B.M. Broderick, The Catholic Church in the Maritime Provinces Douglastown, New Brunswick : B.M. Broderick, 1989?
 * Angus Anthony Johnston, A history of the Catholic Church in eastern Nova Scotia Antigonish, Nova Scotia : St. Francis Xavier University Press, 1960- FS Library 971.6 K2j v. 1
 * J. Brian Hanington ; with original illustrations by Rand Gaynor and Derek Sarty, Every popish person : the story of Roman Catholicism in Nova Scotia and the Church of Halifax, 1604-1984 [Halifax, Nova Scotia : Archdiocese of Halifax, c1984 FS Library 971.6 K2h]

Antigonish County Cape Breton County
 * Saint Ninian's Cathedral, Antigonish, baptisms and marriages, 1833-1905
 * Saint Margaret, Arisaig, baptisms, marriages and deaths, 1845-1905
 * Saint Paul, Havre Boucher, baptisms, marriages and burials, 1811-1905
 * Immaculate Conception, Heatherton, baptisms, deaths, and marriages, 1875-1905
 * Saint Patrick, Lochaber, baptisms and marriages, 1861-1905
 * St. Andrew, St. Andrews, baptisms, marriages and deaths, 1833-1905
 * St. Joseph, St. Joseph, baptisms, marriages and burials, 1859-1905
 * St. Andrew, Boisdale, baptisms and marriages, 1839, 1850, 1856-1905
 * Saint Joseph, Bras d'Or, baptisms and marriages, 1848-1850, 1879-1905
 * Immaculate Conception, Bridgeport, baptisms, 1885-1905
 * Saint Barra, Christmas Island, baptisms and marriages, 1854-1905
 * Saint Mary, Frenchvale, baptisms, marriages and deaths/burials, 1853-1878
 * Saint Anne, Glace Bay, baptisms and marriages, 1873-1905
 * Saint Anthony, Glace Bay, baptisms, marriages and burials, 1903-1905
 * Saint John The Baptist, Glace Bay, baptisms and marriages, 1903-1905

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.