Manitoba Church Records

Church records may be consulted for birth, death, or marriage information prior to 1882. Civil registration of vital statistics was not generally practiced in Canada until provincial governments took responsibility in the late nineteenth century. The first Catholic parish was founded at Red River in 1818 by two priests. The Church of England (Anglican) began in the same area in 1820. The Methodists were established at Rossville in 1840, and the Presbyterians first arrived in Assiniboin in 1851. Many religious groups such as Baptists, Lutherans, and Mennonites were established in the 1870s as a result of the arrival of large numbers of Germanic and Slavic immigrants. The Congregationalists, Methodists, and some of the Presbyterians were combined in 1925 to form the United Church of Canada.

A few Church of England, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and United Church of Canada registers are available on microfilm at the Provincial Archives. The Church of England registers are indexed to 1900. For a complete list of Church of England, Roman Catholic, and Presbyterian registers held by the Provincial Archives see “Genealogical Sources in the Province of Manitoba,” Genealogical Journal 8:98.

Copies of various parish registers and other church records may be found in the National Archives of Canada and at the Family History Library. The Family History Library website is:  http://www.familysearch.org.

Many records prior to 1884 as well as most records since then are still located in various parishes and congregations. For more information on the location and availability of these church records, contact Vital Statistics Consumer and Corporate Affairs or contact the appropriate denomination.

Anglican Diocese of Rupert’s Land 935 Nesbitt Bay Winnipeg, MB R3T 1W6 Telephone: 204-992-4200 Internet: http://www.rupertsland.ca/

Baptist The Canadian Baptist Archives McMaster Divinity College 1280 Main Street West Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1 Telephone: 905-525-9140 Internet: http://www.macdiv.ca/students/baptistarchives.php

Jewish Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada C116 - 123 Doncaster Street Winnipeg, MB R3N 2B2 Phone: 204-477-7461 Fax: 204-477-7465 Internet: http://www.jhcwc.org/archives.htm Internet: http://www.jhcwc.org/geninst.htm

Lutheran Lutheran Historical Institute 7100 Ada Boulevard Edmonton, AB T5B 4E4 Telephone: 780-474-8156 Fax: 780-477-9829 Internet: http://www.lccarchives.ca/

Mennonite Mennonite Heritage Centre 600 Shaftesbury Boulevard Winnipeg, MB R3P 0M4 Telephone: 204-888-6781 Fax: 204-831-5675 Internet: http://www.mennonitechurch.ca/programs/archives/

Orthodox Archives of the Ukrainian Canadian Experience University of Manitoba Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Telephone: 204-474-7967 Fax: 204-474-7913 Internet: http://umanitoba.ca/libraries/units/archives/collections/subject/ukranian/index.shtml

Presbyterian The Presbyterian Church in Canada 50 Wynford Drive Toronto, ON M3C 1J7 Phone: 800-619-7301 Phone: 416-441-1111 Fax: 416-441-2825 Internet: http://www.presbyterian.ca/archives/contact.html

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Winnipeg Catholic Centre 1495 Pembina Highway Winnipeg, MB R3T 2C6 Phone: 204-452-2227 Fax: 204-453-8179 Internet: http://www.archwinnipeg.ca/index.php

Archdiocese of St. Boniface 151 Avenue de la Cathédrale St. Boniface, MB R2H 0H6 Phone: 204-237-9851 Fax: 204-231-2652 Internet: http://www.archsaintboniface.ca/

United Church of Canada Archives Conference of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario Archives The University of Winnipeg Library 515 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9 Telephone: 204-783-0708 Fax: 204-786-1824 Internet: http://www.united-church.ca/archives/mnwo/home.shtm (An appointment is recommended.)