Ontario Civil Registration


 * The Archives of Ontario receives Vital Statistics records from the Office of the Registrar General of Ontario on an annual basis. These records contain indexes (where they exist) and registrations capturing information about births, marriages and deaths in Ontario.
 * Records are made available from the Archives of Ontario in Toronto.
 * For complete instructions, see the Archives of Ontario research guide: Vital Statistics Records.
 * As of September 2020 (additional records are added each year), the available records include:
 * Births, 1869-1919
 * Marriages, 1801-1939 (there may be gaps before 1869)
 * Deaths, 1869-1949
 * For more recent records, the researcher may apply to the Registrar General of Ontario. There are restrictions on record access and a fee is required. Online Certificate Application.

Online Birth Records

 * 1858 - 1913 - Ontario, Canada Births, 1832-1914 - index and images - at Ancestry.com ($)
 * 1869 - 1912 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1826-1938 - Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1938 - index and images - at Ancestry.com ($)
 * 1801 - 1858 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * For a limited period of time prior to 1858, clergymen of faiths other than Anglican and Roman Catholic were asked to record marriage information in district marriage registers. Not all clergymen complied.


 * 1858 - 1869 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * From 1858 to 1869, the province required the counties to keep marriage registers. Clergymen of all faiths were supposed to record information from their parish registers in county marriage books.

Marriage Bonds

 * Marriage bonds were sometimes prepared when the couple were married by license, rather than having banns pronounced in church.
 * Ontario marriage bonds, 1803-1845, have been microfilmed and digitized: Marriage bonds, licenses and correspondence of Ontario, Canada, 1803-1845, 1865
 * The records are indexed in Nominal card index for the Lower Canada marriage bonds.
 * Most have been extracted and published in: Wilson, Thomas B. Marriage Bonds of Ontario 1803-1834. Lambertville, New Jersey, USA: Hunterdon House, 1985. . WorldCat.
 * For a larger online collection, Search: Marriage Bonds, 1779-1858 - Lower & Upper Canada.

"Gretna Green" Marriage Places
Some Ontarians were married in the United States because requirements were less strict there than in Canada. When an eloping Ontario couple's marriage is not in their home county, search for it in alternate places (nick-named "Gretna Greens" after a popular elopement town in Scotland) like:

Names of many who married in the Buffalo, New York, area from 1840 to 1890 are listed in: People from Lambton County., Ontario, Canada and elsewhere in Ontario were married in St. Clair County, Michigan. (Most marriages took place in Port Huron, Michigan). These marriages are for the period 1838 to 1898.
 * Crown Point, Essex, New York
 * Ogdensburgh, St. Lawrence, New York
 * Buffalo, Erie, New York
 * Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan
 * Jewitt, Allen E. Early Canadian Marriages in Erie County, New York. 12 Volumes. Hamburg, New York, USA: Jewitt, 1982. (Family History Library .)

Contents of Records
Births: Birth registrations include the year of birth, name, gender, father's name, mother's maiden name, father's rank or occupation, signature and residence of informant (usually a relative), accoucheur's name (the person assisting with the birth), registration date, registrar's signature, county/district of registration (an exact city, town or township is normally not given in the records for the earliest years). Marriages (1801-June 1869): There is a lot of variation in recorded information for marriages. It can be very limited in the early years (e.g., name of groom, bride, and clergy, location, date and religious denomination of ceremony). Marriages (July 1869 and after): There is information about each person and about the marriage. About each person: Name, age, place of residence and birth, marital status (bachelor/ widower, spinster / widow), occupation, father’s name, mother's maiden name, and religious denomination. About the marriage: Location and date marriage occurred, witnesses' names and residences, name of clergy conducting the marriage, whether marriage was by issuance of a marriage license or publication of banns and registration date. Deaths: The records may include the deceased person’s name, age, sex, religious affiliation, rank or profession, birthplace, cause of death, name and description of informant, registrar's name, date registered and county/ district of registration. Registrations after 1907 may also include the place of burial and the name of the parents.

Divorce Records
Until 1930 an Act of the Parliament of Canada was required to obtain a divorce in Ontario. The act(s) for a divorce often give detailed genealogical information. Copies are available from the Clerk of the Senate. Provide the names of the spouses and the estimated year of divorce and write to:

The Clerk of the Senate   Parliament Buildings    Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6    CANADA

In 1930, divorce became a matter for the Supreme Court of Ontario. See the “Ontario Court Records” article. Some Ontarians received divorces in United States jurisdictions, even though such divorces had no legal standing in Canada.

In order to narrow your search, you may wish to consult historic newspapers. Ontario divorce proceedings and decrees were rountinely published in newspapers such as The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star (formerly the Toronto Telegram). Back issues of The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star are available as part of the ProQuest Historical Newspapers Database which is available free of charge in-person at most libraries in Southern Ontario. Some Ontario libraries also allow online access to ProQuest with a library card number.