How to Find Birth, Marriage, and Death Records For Saskatchewan, Canada

Guide to Saskatchewan ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth, marriage, and death records found in civil registration, census records, church records, and cemetery records. Birth, death, and marriage information is the foundation for describing your family history. It defines the life span of individual ancestors, and links both generations and ancestral lines. Your best sources for locating this information are these four record types: You will find some of these records online in digital form. Others are available on microfilms available through Family History Centers. Correspondence searches are required for records kept in centralized archives or in the original offices that created them. This article gives you links and instructions for accessing these important record groups in their various forms.
 * Civil registration
 * Census
 * Church
 * Cemetery

Civil Registration
A government civil registration system registers births, marriages, and deaths. Also included may be name changes, divorces, and adoptions. Certificates are issued for each event. eHealth Saskatchewan, a Treasury Board Crown corporation, performs this function on behalf of the Ministry of Health.

Civil registration of marriages began in 1878, and registration of births and deaths in 1888. However, many registrations were not recorded until about 1920. In addition to Saskatchewan registrations, civil divorces were granted by private acts of the Parliament of Canada from 1867 to 1919.

eHealth Saskatchewan
2130 11th Avenue Regina, SK S4P 0J5

Toll Free: 1-800-667-7551 (Canada and US) Phone: 306-787-3251 Fax: 306-787-8951 Email: vitalstatistics@eHealthSask.ca
 * Genealogy Web Page
 * Genealogy Index Search Page. Search for:
 * Births registered more than 100 years ago
 * Deaths registered more than 70 years ago
 * Marriages registered more than 75 years ago
 * Ordering Genealogy Documents Page Includes links to:
 * Placing an online order
 * Completing applications for ordering by mail, fax, or email
 * Payment information

eHealth Saskatchewan Collections at Ancestry.com ($)

 * Web: Saskatchewan, Birth Index, 1875-1908
 * Web: Saskatchewan, Death Index, 1889-1916

Other Ancestry.com Collections ($)

 * Canada Parliamentary Marriage and Divorces, 1867-1919
 * Canada, War Graves Registers (Circumstances of Casualty), 1914-1948. The collection can be browsed by province.
 * Canada, Obituary Collection, 1898-2015 ($).  This collection of substitute vital information was compiled from hundreds of newspapers.

Saskatchewan Genealogical Society
PO Box 1894 Regina, SK  S4P 3E1

Phone: 306-780-9207 Fax: 306-780-3615 Email: saskgenealogy@sasktel.net Website Copies of the original documents identified in the following indexes can be ordered from the Society.
 * Saskatchewan Obituary Index. ($)
 * Saskatchewan, Canada, Burial Index, 1802-2011. ($) Also available at Ancestry. ($)
 * Royal Canadian Mounted Police Obituary Index 1933-1989. Also available at Ancestry. ($)

Census Records
A census is a count and description of the population. Census records can provide family relationships, age, year of birth, description of property, religion, and place of birth. They can provide information missing from other records. Use census information with caution because information may be incorrect or deliberately falsified.

In 1906 the first Prairie Provinces Census was taken in Saskatchewan. This was one year after the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta were created, and Manitoba borders redefined.

Church Records
Church records may include baptisms, marriages, burials, membership lists, finances, business, and other records for a particular congregation. They may be available online or on microfilm, but frequently have not been copied.

Original records may still be with the local church or in centralized archives by religion. To determine which church archive to consult, check census records for the person's religion.

For help with writing a letter requesting copies of records, see Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy.

Links to Church Archives

 * Anglican church archives
 * Baptist church archives
 * Roman Catholic church archives
 * Lutheran church archives
 * Mennonite church archives
 * Presbyterian church archives
 * Ukrainian Greek Catholic church archives
 * Ukrainian Greek Orthodox church archives
 * United Church of Canada archives

Online Records

 * (Index)
 * Canada, Quaker Meeting Records, 1786-1988: Browse to Swarthmore Monthly Meeting, 1905-1929 and Swarthmore Monthly Meeting 1906-1929. ($)
 * Canada, Quaker Meeting Records, 1786-1988: Browse to Swarthmore Monthly Meeting, 1905-1929 and Swarthmore Monthly Meeting 1906-1929. ($)

Cemetery Records
See Saskatchewan Cemeteries for detailed information about cemetery research.

Online Cemetery Records

 * Canada GenWeb Cemetery Index. Also available at Ancestry.  ($)
 * Saskatchewan Cemeteries Project
 * Saskatchewan Genealogical Society Cemetery Database
 * Find A Grave indexed entries may include photographs, portraits, biographies, and stories.
 * FamilySearch, 1500-2013.
 * Ancestry Canada, Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current. ($)
 * Canadian Headstones.com. Index available at Ancestry.
 * Canadian Headstones.com. Index available at Ancestry.

FamilySearch Microfilm Available for Saskatchewan
Microfilm copies of additional church and cemetery records may be identified by searching the online FamilySearch Catalog. To see all the Saskatchewan localities for which records have been identified in the Catalog, Click Here, then click on "Places within Canada, Saskatchewan."
 * 1) Select a locality to see what types of records are available.
 * 2) Click on the "Church records" type to see specific collection titles.
 * 3) Choose the title that reflects the correct religion and time period for your ancestor.
 * 4) Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm 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 microfilm. Clicking on the microfilm reel will lead to information on how to rent the film. Family history center staff will assist you in ordering the film.
 * 5) Follow the same procedure for "Cemeteries."

Microfilm can be ordered for viewing at one of the worldwide FamilySearch Centers or participating libraries near your home. Introduction to LDS Family History Centers explains that you can receive one-on-one assistance at a Center without charge. Also provided are links to information about the microfilm loan program and how to find a Family History Center.