Canada Census Mortality Schedules - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
Mortality schedules are death registers recorded at the national level, usually as part of a census. This collection consists of an index of the 1871 census mortality schedules for the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Ontario.

The official enumeration date for this census was April 2, 1871, and these records cover deaths which occurred during the 12 months immediately prior to the census enumeration. The age given in the census was rounded up to what would have been the deceased’s age at his or her next birthday.

Record Content
Mortality schedule records may contain the following information:


 * Name of deceased
 * Age of deceased
 * Year and place of birth
 * Month and place of death
 * Marital status
 * Religion

How to Use the Record
This section provides information on how to search the collection, what to do with information once found, and what to do if no record is found.

When searching: As you are searching, it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, as well as some identifying information such as residence, age, family relationships and approximate year and place of death.

Search the Collection
To search by index: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

Using the Information
When you have found your ancestor, the following will aid you in your research:
 * Use the death information listed to find other documents like a death certificate, obituary, mortuary record, cemetery record, or probate record.
 * Use the age to estimate a birth date. With a date and place of birth, you can search for a birth record.
 * Use the religion mentioned in the record to search for church records in the surrounding area.
 * Use this information to look for other records that may provide information about the individual and other family members, such as parents, siblings, spouses, and children. For example, if you find a child in the mortality records, look for possible parents in the living schedules of the 1871 Census.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?
If you are having a hard time finding information on your ancestor, consider the following tips to help further your research:


 * Your ancestor may have used a nickname or a different surname, or the registrar spelled the name wrong. See Name Variations in Canadian Indexes and Records.
 * Your ancestor might have lived at a different time from the years you were looking.
 * Not every death was registered.
 * Try looking in a different area. Enumeration was by census/voting district or lot number, not by county. Although many census districts were synonymous with cities and counties, census district and county boundaries were not always the same.

For more information on how to use the collection, go to Canada Census and Canada Vital Records.

Related Websites

 * Canadian Census at Library and Archives Canada
 * Canadian Censuses on AutomatedGenealogy.com
 * Canadian Census Finder

Related Wiki Articles

 * Canada, Census 1871 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Canada Census
 * Canada Cemeteries
 * Canada Probate Records
 * Canada Church Records
 * Canada Vital Records

Citations for this Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. 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. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):