Canada, New Brunswick Provincial Deaths - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection covers the deaths registered from 1815 to 1938.

Registration of deaths began in 1887 in order to keep a written record of the population for use by the government.

The death registrations are recorded on individual, printed forms and consist of completed statements regarding deaths in New Brunswick. These statements were submitted to district registrars and registered by the registrar or director of Vital Statistics.

New Brunswick is one of the four original provinces of Canada. The province entered into the Canadian Confederation on July 1, 1867. Following the passing of the Vital Statistics Act of 1887, registrations of death were collected and kept by the provincial government. In this collection, there are a number of records which date from before the passing of the act. The oldest of these dates is 1815.

Death registrations are the best source of death information in New Brunswick beginning in 1815.

The death returns have printed numbers and handwritten numbers which sometimes differ. The index refers to the handwritten numbers. The handwritten numbers also correspond to the numbers listed by each person in the county registers. Death dates are often out of chronological order in the county registers. The years listed below are death years and not registration years.

The returns of deaths are arranged alphabetically within each year (except for the years 1815-1887 which are one alphabetical sequence). The years listed are the death years and not the registration years. There are very few pre-1888 returns. The "Mc's/Mac's" are filed before the "M's."

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in the New Brunswick, Provincial returns of Deaths, 1815-1919 collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in the New Brunswick, Death Certificates, 1920-1934 collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in the New Brunswick, Death Certificates, 1935-1938 collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

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

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of death
 * Name and residence of deceased
 * Age of deceased in years, months and days
 * Gender, race, marital status and occupation of deceased
 * Date and place of birth of deceased
 * Name and birth place of father
 * Maiden name and birth place of mother
 * Cause of death
 * Spouse, if married
 * Name of informant and their relationship to deceased
 * Burial information

How to Use the Records
To begin your search in this collection, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of ancestor
 * Approximate year and place of death
 * Name of parish/town

Search the Collection
For searching the New Brunswick, Provincial Returns of Deaths, 1815-1919 collection:

To search the collection image by image ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Year" ⇒Select the appropriate "Beginning Name - Ending Name" which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For searching the New Brunswick, Death Certificates, 1935-1938 collection:

To search the collection image by image ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Year" ⇒Select the appropriate "Certificate Number Range" which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For searching the index in the New Brunswick Provincial Deaths, 1815-1938 collection:

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 look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

For searching the browse in the New Brunswick, Death Certificates, 1920-1934 collection:

To search the collection, ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page: ⇒Select the appropriate "County/City" ⇒ Select the appropriate "Year Range" ⇒Select the appropriate "Parish/Town" which will take you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

Using the Information
When you have found the record that you are looking for, the following will help you further your research:


 * Use the age to calculate the year of birth, then search for a birth record of your ancestor.
 * Search for a birth record of the deceased's father as well as the mother
 * Search for a marriage date for the spouse of your ancestor if they were married at the time of their death.
 * Search for a marriage record of the father and mother.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Usually the person who provided the death information was a child or other relative of the deceased.
 * Death registrations are the best source of death information for an individual.
 * These records may list a person's age, occupation, religious affiliation, and birthplace.
 * You can use this information to search for additional records.
 * Death registrations after 1907 list the names and birthplaces of parents.
 * Use this information to begin compiling a family group and to extend your lineage.
 * The records are sorted by year and within each year the forms are alphabetized by each persons ending name.

Related Websites

 * New Brunswick Provincial Archives
 * Online Death Indexes Records for Canada

Related Wiki Articles

 * New Brunswick
 * New Brunswick Genealogy
 * New Brunswick Vital Records
 * Name Variations in Canadian Indexes and Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should 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
“Argentina, Buenos Aires, Catholic Church Records, 1635-1981,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 28 February, 2012), La Plata &gt; San Ponciano &gt; Matrimonios 1884-1886 &gt; image 71 of 389 images, Artemio Avendano and Clemtina Peralta, 1884; citing Parroquia de San Ponciano en la Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Matrimonios. San Ponciano, La Plata.