Canada, Prince Edward Island Baptism Card Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

Canada Prince Edward Island

What is in this Collection?
This collection contains an index of baptism and birth records from 1721 to 1885.

This collection provides an index of church records of baptisms and births. The baptism card index was created to provide vital record information for the time period during which the government did not record such information on Prince Edward Island.

This index is made up of index cards with an individual’s name typed onto the card. There is one card per baptism record. They are arranged alphabetically by family name. On some of the records the ink has faded or the image was blurred when the photo was taken, although almost all the records are legible.

Before 1906, there was no systematic recording of births, deaths, and marriages on Prince Edward Island. The Vital Statistics Services created this index of baptism records from the church baptism records in the region. The earliest records date from 1721, but the majority date from 1830 onwards.

These records are generally reliable, although because the index cards were transcribed from other documents, some transcription errors may exist.

For an alphabetical list of names currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
Baptismal records usually contain the following information:


 * Full name of child
 * Date and place of birth
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Father’s name
 * Mother’s maiden name
 * Church holding the record, including book and page number
 * Name of officiating clergy

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The approximate year of birth or baptism.
 * The names of the child's parents.

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: 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.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search this collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse Images" on the initial search page ⇒Select the appropriate "Beginning Surname to Ending Surname," which will take you to the images

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s baptism record, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Continue to search the baptism records to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same or other generations who were born in the same county or nearby.
 * When you have located your ancestor’s baptism record, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.
 * Compare the information in the baptism record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person.
 * Use the birth date along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Use the parents’ birthplaces to identify former residences and to help establish a migration pattern for the family.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

 * If the surname is unusual, you may want to find birth entries for every person of the same surname and sort them into families based on the names of the parents.
 * Don't forget about using spelling variations of names and nicknames to try to find your ancestor!

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

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: