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

Collection Time Period
This collection contains records from 1751 to 1885.

Record Description
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.

Record Content
Important Genealogical information found in most records:

• Name of the child

• Date of birth

• Place of birth

• Date of baptism

• Father’s name

• Mother’s name

• Location of the record, including book number and page number

• Officiating clergy

How to Use the Records
Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Use the locator information in the index (such as page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestors in the baptism records. Compare the information in the baptism record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination. Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may have occurred.

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. For example:

• 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.

It is often helpful to extract the information on all children with the same parents. If the surname is unusual, you may want to compile birth entries for every person of the same surname and sort them into families based on the names of the parents. 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.

Keep in mind:

• The information in baptism records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.

• Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.

• There is also some variation in the information given from record to record.

Record History
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 1751, but the majority date from 1830 onwards.

Why This Collection Was Created?
This collection provides an index of church records of baptisms and births. It was created to provide vital records information for a time period during which the government did not record such information on Prince Edward Island.

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

Related Web Sites
Baptismal Card Index

Prince Edward Island Database projects

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Related Wiki Articles
Prince Edward Island

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from the record, you should also list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find th record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you do 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: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections

Please add sample citations to this article following the format guidelines in the wiki article listed above.

Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection
"Prince Edward Island Baptism Card Index, 1721-1885." index and images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org: accessed 1 April 2011).entry for Elisa Maher, June 11, 1846; citing Church Card Indexes, Maby-Murphy, Image 157; Public Archives of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

Sources of Information for This Collection:
“Prince Edward Island baptism card index, 1751-1885,” database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org/); from Prince Edward Island Division of Vital Statistics. Digital images of originals housed at Public Archives of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. FHL microfilm, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

The format for citing FamilySearch Historical Collections, including how to cite individual archives is found in the following link: How to Create Source Citations for FamilySearch Historical Records Collections