Researching Family History

Church Records - Indigenous & Métis

Church (or parish) records of baptisms, marriages, and deaths are excellent resources, especially for records that may be missing from the civil registrations. 

Availability of church records varies widely by province and by church organization.  Records can be stored with individual churches, their regional offices, their archives, or their head office. For more detailed information, please see the Church Records section in our corresponding research guide for the province you are researching or ask staff for assistance. Basic information is provided below.

Online

Church records are increasingly becoming digitized and available online on the databases. 

Microfilm

The Family History Department has a number of church records on microfilm. They are listed in the library’s guide, Canadian Family History Resources, under Parish and Vital Records on page 5-53Church records that are available only on microfilm (for some provinces) can usually be ordered via interlibrary loan through our Family History Department.

Print

The Family History Department has a small collection of church histories from churches that contain records of church members. Some examples:

Morin, Gail.  St. Joachim, Fort Auguste (Fort Edmonton), 1858-1890 Baptisms, Marriages and Burials. Library call number: 929.37123 MOR 2000

Macdonald, Darby. 2011. St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Cornwall, Ontario, Canada: births, marriages & deaths, 1833-1856.  Milton, Ontario; MacDonald Research. Library call number – 929.371375 MAC 2011