Yukon Church Records

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Denominations
The 2011 National Household Survey reported that 49.9% of Yukoners reported having no religious affiliation, the highest percentage in Canada. The most frequently reported religious affiliation was Christianity, reported by 46.2% of residents. Of these, the most common denominations were the Catholic Church (39.6%), the Anglican Church of Canada (17.8%) and the United Church of Canada (9.6%).Wikipedia

Information Found in the Records
To effectively use church records, become familiar with their content. Click on these links to learn about a specific record type:

Look for digital copies of church records listed in the FamilySearch Catalog.

 * The Family History Library (FHL) has microfilmed and/or digitized records for churches in the Canada.
 * Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under the province or a town.
 * If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?
 * Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations.
 * To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of Canada, Yukon.
 * b. Click on Places within Canada, Yukon and a list of towns will appear.
 * c. Click on your town or the town where the church was, if different.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

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Consult available finding aids.
These aids generally provide lists of records that are known to exist and information on their location.
 * Inventory to the Anglican Church diocese of Yukon records deposited with the Yukon Archives

Correspond with or visit the actual churches.
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
 * Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
 * To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
 * Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
 * A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
 * If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

Addresses

 * Canadian Church Directory
 * Each denomination page offers an online address directory of local churches for that denomination.

Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.
Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to digitized, online records offered by the archives. Some archives provide research services for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a researcher. '''Here you will find archive information unique to the province. Many more archives are kept by denomination. For denominational archives, go to  Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Anglican
Diocese of New Westminster and the Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia and the Yukon Archives Diocese of New Westminster 1410 Nanton Ave. Vancouver, BC V6H 2E2 Canada Phone: 604-684-6306 x 230 E-mail: mriley@vancouver.anglican.ca Housed at the Yukon Territorial Archives
 * Holdings
 * Frequently Asked Questions
 * Yukon Territorial Archives Box 2703 Whitehorse, YT. Y1A 2C6 Canada Phone: 867-667-5321 Fax: 867-393-6253 Archives e-mail: yukon.archives@gov.yk.ca


 * Inventory to the Anglican Church diocese of Yukon records deposited with the Yukon Archives
 * Genealogical Research at the Yukon Archives
 * Get reproductions of Yukon Archives records

Catholic
Diocese of Whitehorse St. Kateri Pastoral Centre 5119 - 5th Ave. Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 1L5 Canada Email: executiveassistant@whitehorsediocese.ca ​Fax:  867-667-4713 Phone: (867) 667-2052
 * Parishes Contact the local parish with inquiries for information.

United Church of Canada
Pacific Mountain Regional Council Archives 4383 Rumble Street Burnaby, BC V5J 2A2 Canada Mailing address: Mailing Address: P.O Box 88054, Lansdowne Mall,Richmond, BC, Canada, V6X 3T6 Phone: 1-800-934-0434 (toll free in BC) Local phone: 604-431-0434 Fax: 604-431-0439
 * Research Services
 * If you are conducting personal research and are unable to visit the Archives, you may contact a professional researcher who, for a fee, will assist in more extensive searches. Professional researchers work independently and are not members of the archival staff. All arrangements, including fees, are between the person making the inquiry and the professional researcher. Please refer to the list of private researchers that appears on the British Columbia Genealogical Society website.

Go to the Wiki article for your ancestors' denomination to find more archives.
There are frequently additional, nationwide or regional archives for each denomination. Find the article for your ancestors' denomination and follow the instructions there to access these sources. This is especially important if local archives are not given above.

Correspond with genealogical or historical societies.
Some church records have been given to historical societies. Also, historical societies may be able to tell you where the records are being held. To find a society near you, consult these lists:
 * Society Hill List of Canada Societies

Carefully compare any record you find to known facts about the ancestor
You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by organizing in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible:
 * name, including middle name and maiden name
 * names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
 * exact or closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
 * names and approximate birthdates of children
 * all known places of residence
 * occupations
 * military service details

Carefully evaluate the church records you find to make sure you have really found records for your ancestor and not just a "near match". If one or more of the details do not line up, be careful about accepting the entry as your ancestor. There are guiding principles for deciding how to resolve discrepancies between records that are seemingly close. For more instruction in evaluating evidence, read the Wiki article, Evaluate the Evidence.