Saskatchewan Birth, Marriage, and Death Records - International Institute

History
Saskatchewan, one of the three prairie provinces, was originally part of the North West Territories. It became a province in 1905 due to an increasing population in the area because of immigration. It derived its name from the District of Saskatchewan. This was an administrative district of the Northwest Territories which was created in 1882. Because Saskatchewan is a young province, its records are limited. Therefore, the existence of old birth, marriage and death registrations are not very likely.

For the most part, the Saskatchewan Archives does not have the birth, marriage and death records that you may be searching. The two most common repositories for these records would be church archives and the Saskatchewan Vital Statistics branch of Information Services Corporation of Saskatchewan.

Church Records
When searching for information from religious records, although the actual records for some denominations are held at the Archives of Saskatchewan, you must request them from the appropriate church first. The church then requests a copy of the entry in the register from the Archives and it is then forwarded to you. Therefore, to save time, remember to contact the appropriate Church for these records. If you are not sure of the denomination of your ancestors, then perhaps local newspapers and directories would give you an idea and a place to start.

Anglican Church
Diocese of Qu’Appelle - Archives and Records 1501 College Avenue Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 1B6 Telephone: 306-522-1608 Email: [mailto:trevorpowell@sasktel.net trevorpowell@sasktel.net]

Diocese of Saskatchewan 1308 Fifth Avenue East Prince Albert, Saskatchewan S6V 2H7 Telephone: 306-763-2455

Diocese of Saskatoon P.O. Box 1965 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7K 3S5 Telephone: 306-244-5651

Baptist Church
Canadian Baptist Archives McMaster Divinity College, McMaster University Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1 Telephone: 905-525-9140 ext. 23511 By appointment only Email: [mailto:cbarch@mcmaster.ca cbarch@mcmaster.ca]

Lutheran Church
Lutheran Theological Seminary Saskatoon 114 Seminary Crescent Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0X3 Telephone: 306-966-7850 Email: [mailto:lutheran.seminary@usask.ca lutheran.seminary@usask.ca]

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada 302-393 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 3H6 Telephone: 204-984-9150

Lutheran Church Canada Central District Missouri Synod 1927 Grant Drive Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 4V6 Telephone: 306-586-4434 Email: [mailto:cdarchives@accesscomm.ca cdarchives@accesscomm.ca]

Presbyterian Church
Presbyterian Church in Canada Archives and Record Office 50 Wynford Drive North York, Ontario M3C 1J7 Telephone: (416) 441-1111

United Church Records
The United Church of Canada Archives holds the local church records of the United Church and its uniting denominations (Methodist, Congregational, Presbyterian (1925 union); and Evangelical United Brethren—joined in 1968).

United Church of Canada Archives (as of September 16, 2013) 40 Oak Street, Lower Level Toronto, Ontario M5A 2C6 Email: [mailto:archives@united-church.ca archives@united-church.ca]

United Church Saskatchewan Conference Archives University of Saskatchewan, Murray Building Room 94, Campus Drive Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A4 Mailing address: 418A McDonald St. Regina, Saskatchewan S4N 6E1 Email: [mailto:archives@skconf.ca archives@skconf.ca]

Roman Catholic Church Records
Some Roman Catholic Church registers are now available at FamilySearch.org. Baptisms, confirmations, marriages, burials, and other records from several Roman Catholic parishes in the province of Saskatchewan are included. This collection covers church records created 1846-1957. It is possible to browse the images if you know the location and parish.

Archdiocese of Regina - Archives and Records 445 Broad Street North Regina, Saskatchewan S4R 2X8 Telephone: 306-352-1651 Email: [mailto:reception@archregina.sk.ca reception@archregina.sk.ca]

Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince Albert - Diocesan Programs Diocesan Pastoral Centre 1415 - 4th Avenue West Prince Albert, Saskatchewan S6V 5H1 Telephone: 306-922-4747 Email: [mailto:arch@cec.pacsd6.sk.ca arch@cec.pacsd6.sk.ca]

Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon 123 Nelson Road Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7S 1H1 Telephone: 306-659-5840 Toll free: 1-877-661-5005 Email: [mailto:bishopoffice@saskatoonrcdiocese.com bishopoffice@saskatoonrcdiocese.com]

Other Church Records
Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon 214 Avenue M South Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7L 2S3 Telephone: 306-653-0138

Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies 1310 Taylor Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R3M 3Z6 Telephone: 204-669-6575 Email: [mailto:cmbs@mbconf.ca cmbs@mbconf.ca]

Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives 600 Shaftesbury Boulevard Winnipeg, Manitoba R3P 0M4 Telephone: 204-888-6781

Provincial Archives
Saskatchewan Archives Board - Regina Office 3303 Hillsdale Street Regina, Saskatchewan Mailing address: P.O. Box 1665 Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 3C6 Telephone: 306-787-4068 Email: [mailto:info.regina@archives.gov.sk.ca info.regina@archives.gov.sk.ca]

The “Family History Research” section describes many official and genealogical sources, including church records, but they do not hold vital statistics.

Saskatchewan Archives Board - Saskatoon Office University of Saskatchewan, Murray Building 3 Campus Drive Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A4 Telephone: 306-933-5832 Email: [mailto:info.saskatoon@archives.gov.sk.ca info.saskatoon@archives.gov.sk.ca]

Civil Registration
Civil registration of marriages began in 1878 and registration of births and deaths in Saskatchewan began in 1888. The Saskatchewan Vital Statistics branch of Information Services Corporation of Saskatchewan is responsible for holding birth, marriage and death registrations.

However, due to the difficulties of bringing in a new system in the early years, many birth, marriage and death registrations were not recorded until approximately 1920. Due to privacy issues, birth and marriage certificates are not normally issued except to the individual themselves or to his/her agent or direct descendants.

The information you will find in birth, marriage and death certificates has changed over the years. The following is an example of some of the changes and additions that have evolved.

Birth Registrations
1889 Name, date, place, sex, name of father, maiden name of mother 1898 Birth place of parents 1916 Age of parents and number of children born to date to mother and number still living, date and place of parents’ marriage

Marriage Registrations
1899 Name, age, residence, religion, birthplace of bride and groom, place and date of event, names of witnesses, name of officiating clergyman, name of parents of bridge and groom. 1900 Religion of Clergyman 1916 Maiden name of mothers 1920 Birthplace of fathers 1947 Birthplace of mothers

Death Registrations
1889 Name, date, place, sex, birthplace, age, occupation 1898 Marital status 1916 Residence, name and birthplace of father, maiden name and birthplace of mother,place of burial 1920 Date of birth 1947 Name of husband or maiden name of wife

An online index of historic birth records of more than 100 years old and historic death records of more than 70 years old is available. This is a work in progress. As of January 2013 the deaths end at 1917. Marriages registered more than 75 years ago will eventually be added to the index once the death index is complete.

Genealogical applications for registrations more current than the above are restricted by legislation governing privacy. Speculative searches are not undertaken so complete identifying information must be provided. For more information regarding restrictions and fees, visit their website.

eHealth Saskatchewan Vital Statistics Registry 101 – 1445 Park Street Regina, SK S4N 4C5 (Mail orders can be paid by money order, cheque or credit card)

Please make money orders and cheques payable to eHealth Saskatchewan.

Phone: 1-855-eHS-LINK (347-5465) Email: [mailto:VitalStatistics@ehealthsask.ca VitalStatistics@ehealthsask.ca]

Saskatchewan Genealogical Society
The Saskatchewan Genealogical Society, with 20 branches throughout the province, offers help and guidance to all genealogists and can be of great assistance to your search. They offer courses, research services and publications to help you find your ancestors. Tracing Your Saskatchewan Ancestors edited by Laura Hanowski is a very complete handbook. See their website for their many projects and excellent library resources.

One searchable database available to members is The Obituary Index and Data database. The society is in the process of scanning their Obituary Collection and entering the data into their database. There are approximately 20,000 names with related data currently uploaded and more to come. This is available on the society’s website at but remember you need a membership to access it.

Saskatchewan Genealogical Society 110 - 1514 11th Avenue Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 0H2 Mailing address: P.O. Box 1894 Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 3E1 Telephone: 306-780-9207 Email: [mailto:saskgenealogy@sasktel.net saskgenealogy@sasktel.net]

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