GuidedResearch:Why Can't I Find the Record - Nova Scotia Births

This page will give you additional guidance and resources to find birth information for your ancestor. Use this page after first completing the birth section of the Nova Scotia Guided Research page.

Civil registration of births in Nova Scotia were not required until 1864. Birth records before this date mostly come from church or township book records. From 1867 to 1874 these records are fairly complete. In 1877, birth registration was discontinued and in 1908 it began again.

Additional Databases and Online Resources

 * 1823-1905: Nova Scotia, Canada, Antigonish Catholic Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1823-1905 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1840-1915: Nova Scotia, Canada, Births, 1840-1915 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1864-1877: Nova Scotia Births, 1864-1877 at FamilySearch (images only)

Additional Records with Birth Information
Substitute records may contain information about more than one event and are used when records for an event are not available. Records that are used to substitute for birth events may not have been created at the time of the birth. The accuracy of the record is contingent upon when the information was recorded. Search for information in multiple substitute records to confirm the accuracy of these records.

Tips for finding births
Successfully finding birth records in online databases depends on a few key points. Try the following search suggestions:
 * Spelling variations. Your ancestor's name may be misspelled. Search with spelling variations for the first and last name of your ancestor.
 * Search parents. Search for the parents, if known, as the child's first name may not be on the birth record.
 * Search given name. Search by given name (leave out the last name) with the approximate date of birth.
 * Add information. For common names, add more information to narrow the search such as approximate birth date or parent's names if known.
 * Date range. Expand the date range of the search by 5 years.
 * Search state. Search using the state name only instead of by county.

Known Record Gaps
Records Start
 * Very few church records for baptisms for French settlers exist before 1702.
 * Church of England records for British settlers in Halifax began in 1749.


 * Birth registration was discontinued from 1877-1908.