Presbyterian Church in Canada

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Historical Background
Presbyterianism is the National Church of Scotland. It grew out of the teachings of John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland, and was greatly affected by the personality of John Knox in Scotland itself.

Beginning in the late 18th century there were great convulsions within the Church of Scotland which came to a head in the early 1840s when it was rent in twain, the seceders forming the Free Church of Scotland (or Free Kirk). In the decades which followed there were other divisions. These quarrels were keenly felt in Canada and Scottish settlements usually had both a Church of Scotland Kirk and a Free Church. As other divisions occurred they might have had third or fourth churches also, perhaps bearing allegiance to groups such as the American Presbyterian union, or being independent. The various terms used in the census indicate these differing views, the most common being Church of Scotland, Free Church, Canada Presbyterian, American Presbyterian, United Presbyterian. The term ‘Irish Presbyterian’ indicates someone probably Scots-Irish and from Ulster. Many people may have changed their church membership from Church of Scotland to Free Church or an independent body, and back again, throughout this period. Searching for relations in Presbyterian records in mid-19th century should mean looking in all the possible registers.

Once the largest Christian denomination in English-speaking Canada, in 1925 some 70 per cent of its congregations joined with the Methodist Church, Canada and the Congregationalist Union to form the United Church of Canada. In the end, 302 out of 4,509 congregations of the Presbyterian Church (211 from southern Ontario) chose to reconstitute themselves as a "continuing" Presbyterian Church in Canada.

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 online records.

 * 1621-1968 Quebec, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1968, index and images ($). Can be used free-of-charge at a FamilySearch Center.
 * 1642-1967, digitized, browsable index.
 * 1763-1967, images only.


 * 1661-1959 Index only.
 * 1661-1949 Index only.
 * 1664-1955 Index only.


 * Canadiana Online
 * Canadian National Digital Heritage Index (CNDHI)

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

 * The FamilySearch Library (FS Library) 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 FamilySearch Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations.
 * To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of Canada.
 * b. Click on Places within Canada and a list of provinces will appear.
 * c. Click on your province.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Or click on Places within Canada, [PROVINCE] and a list of towns will appear.
 * f. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * g. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * h. 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.
 * Holdings of the United Church of Canada
 * Congregation Records in the Presbyterian Archives
 * Guide to family history research in the archival repositories of the United Church of Canada--WorldCat The book provides an historical background for each of the four major components of the United Church (Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregational, EUB), a description of the archival arrangements, brief summaries of their services and major holdings, advice on conducting genealogical research in the United Church repositories and then a listing of the ten archives, their locations, hours and collections. One chapter covers the histories of The United Church of Canada and of the uniting denominations.

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

Addresses

 * Canadian Church Directory
 * Presbyterian Church in Canada Church Finder
 * Free Presbyterian Church of North America Directory
 * United Church Locator

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. Presbyterian Church in Canada Archives and Record Office 50 Wynford Drive Toronto, Ontario M3C 1J7 Telephone: (416) 441-1111 or toll-free at 1-800-619-7301 Their website has a button on the homepage for genealogists.
 * Guide to Genealogy
 * Congregation Records
 * Fees and Services

Churches which became United may have their registers at the church or at a suitable church archives; see below under United Church Archives. Many congregations split in 1925, some members going to the United Church and some remaining Presbyterian. The records for these churches, and Presbyterian records from earlier days, may be at the United Church or Presbyterian archives. If they are not at one, ask at the other.

United Church of Canada Central Archives Victoria University 73 Queen’s Park Crescent East Toronto, ON M5S 1K7 CANADA Telephone: 416-585-4563 Fax: 416-585-4584
 * Research Guide to Genealogy
 * Search Our Holdings
 * Fees and Services

Library and Archives Canada 395 Wellington Street Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Service Points Outside Ottawa

Telephone: 613-996-5115 or 1-866-578-7777 (toll-free in Canada and the United States) TTY: 613-992-6969 or 1-866-299-1699 (toll-free in Canada) Fax: 613-995-6274 Library and Archives Canada holds only a small collection of parish registers, none of which are comprehensive for any region. Most are transcripts rather than originals, available on microfilm and listed in our Checklist of Parish Registers (ISBN 0660538636). Due to the heavy volume of inquiries we receive, we are unable to conduct searches in parish registers.
 * Genealogy and Family History
 * Aurora: Library Search
 * Voilà: Library Search
 * Archives Search Select "Textual material" to limit your search. Keywords: name of place or religious denomination with "church records," "registres de paroisses," "registers of births," "marriage records," "registers of marriages," "death registers," "burials," "baptisms," "baptêmes," "mariages," "sépultures".

Canadian Council of Archives / Conseil Canadien des archives 130 Albert Street, Suite 1201 Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5G4 Canada Toll free 1-866-254-1403 Fax (613) 565-5445 Email: info@archivescanada.ca
 * ArchivesCanada.ca Archive Search You can search the holdings of more than 800 archives across Canada through this portal, formerly known as CAIN (Canadian Archival Information Network).

In 2018, CRKN merged with Canadiana.org, an organization dedicated to the preservation and access of Canada’s documentary heritage since 1978.

Canadian Research Knowledge Network 411 - 11 Holland Avenue Ottawa, ON Canada K1Y 4S1 Phone:(613)907.-7040
 * Canadiana Online
 * Canadian National Digital Heritage Index (CNDHI)

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:

Contact local libraries.
Churches sometimes donate their records to local libraries. Call or write to the libraries in the close vicinity of the church your ancestors might have attended and the towns where they resided.


 * Libraries in Canada

Look for published books with transcripts of church records.
Many early records, especially from the 1600's and 1700's, have been transcribed and published in books. These books can be digitized and available online. Check these online digital libraries:

Try different keywords in various combinations:the name of the town, the name of the specific church, the denomination, "church records", and "[PROVINCE] church records".


 * Google Books
 * Internet Archive
 * Digital Public Library of America
 * HathiTrust Digital Library
 * FamilySearch Digital Library

Consult the PERSI index for records published in journals.

 * PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) at Allen County Public Library; index. PERSI is an index to family and local history periodicals from 1847 to the present. Many of these periodicals publish church records. If you locate an index entry for a church, you will then need to find the periodical. Use the WorldCat.org search engine to find a library near you that carries the periodical. Library reference desks can be contacted to request a copy of articles, or you may need to hire a researcher.

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.