Nova Scotia Civil Registration


 * Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics
 * Township Records at the Nova Scotia Archives
 * 1711-1909 -, index and images.
 * 1727-1884 -, index.
 * 1763-1957 -, index and images.
 * 1837-1904 -, index and images.
 * 1763-1871 - Nova Scotia marriage bonds, 1763-1871, images
 * 1864-1877 -, index and images.
 * 1864-1918 -, index and images.
 * 1864-1877 -, index and images.
 * 1890-1955 -, index and images.
 * 1907-1932 -, index and images.
 * 1956-1957 -, index and images.

Nova Scotia Vital Statistics

 * 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.
 * A 'delayed' registration procedure was also available at the Vital Statistics Office for many years after 1908, to accommodate individuals born in the province before 1908 who wanted their births officially recorded, or who required proof-of-birth in later life when applying for passports, pensions and similar evidence records. The surviving registrations include individuals born in Nova Scotia as early as 1836, but by their very nature (optional, voluntary registration) the records are incomplete.

Nova Scotia Archives
Records are transferred from the Vital Statistics branch of Service Nova Scotia to the Nova Scotia Archives on the following schedule: Births: 100 years after the end of the year in which the birth was registered Marriages: 75 years after the end of the year in which the marriage was registered Deaths: 50 years after the end of the year in which the death was registered

They are then digitized full information and one million digitized birth, marriage and death records are available online at Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics

Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics
For records more recent than the above dates, certificates can be requested from Vital Statistics branch of Service Nova Scotia. Restrictions apply. For instructions, restriction information, and applications are found on their website.

Township Books
Births, marriages, and deaths are recorded in township books beginning in about 1760, when settlers from New England came to Nova Scotia. The township books were discontinued beginning about 1860. Townships were never established on Cape Breton Island, and the township books covered only part of the rest of the province. Marriages recorded in the books may be as early as 1702 and as late as 1920.
 * Township Records at the Nova Scotia Archives

For Further Reading

 * Nova Scotia Birth, Marriage, and Death Records