Canada, Ontario Roman Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This Collection will include records from 1760 to 1923.

This collection includes Catholic Church records from various Ontario parishes. The records include baptisms, marriages and deaths. Church records are an important way to track ancestors prior to civil registration. Civil registration began in Ontario in 1869 but was not fully implemented until 1930. Records are included for the following dioceses:


 * London
 * Moosonee
 * Pembroke
 * Peterborough
 * Sault Ste. Marie
 * St. Catharines
 * Thunder Bay
 * Timmins

Records are included for the following archdioceses:


 * Kingston
 * Ottawa
 * Toronto

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

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

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
These baptismal records usually contain the following information:


 * Name of child
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Date of child's birth
 * Legitimacy declared
 * Name of parents
 * Names of sponsors/witnesses
 * Name of priest performing baptism

These marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Name of groom, his age and residence
 * Groom's birthplace
 * Groom's marital status and occupation
 * Groom's religious denomination
 * Names of groom's parents, including maiden name of mother
 * Name of bride, her age and residence
 * Bride's birthplace
 * Bride's marital status and occupation
 * Names of bride's parents, including maiden name of mother
 * Married by license of banns
 * Names of witnesses and their residence
 * Name of officiating priest

These death records usually contain the following information:


 * Name and age of deceased
 * Birthplace of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Name of officiating priest
 * Date of interment

How to Use the Record
Church records were kept at the local parish of the church. A parish is a local congregation that may include many villages. Your ancestor may have lived in a village and belonged to a parish in a nearby larger town.

Beginning Your Search 

To begin your search, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Ancestor's name
 * Approximate year of birth, marriage, or death
 * Ancestor's religion
 * Place of the event

Searching the Images

To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "County" category ⇒Select the "City/Town" category ⇒Select the "Name of Parish" category ⇒Select the "Record Type and Year Range" category which will take you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Can't Find Information?


 * Indexes to church records are valuable tools to locate families in Canada, especially in the absence of census indexes, many of these indexes are of French Canadian families.
 * Small villages which did not have their own church were designated as belonging to a particular parish. Over time, some villages, chapelries, or "missions" may have belonged to several parishes as jurisdictions changed.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org.] Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites
Archives of Ontario

Related Wiki Articles

 * Ontario
 * Ontario Church Records

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

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
“Ontario Roman Catholic Church Records, 1760-1923,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 7 March 2012), Nipissing &gt; Astorville &gt; St Thomas Aquinas &gt; Baptisms, marriages, burials 1889-1900 &gt; image 1 of 87.