The Public Archives of Nova Scotia has many original church registers as well as microfilm copies. The Protestant registers generally cover 1780–1914. There are Catholic records 1679–1914. A list of these holdings can be found in Genealogical Research in Nova Scotia, by Terrence M. Punch (see the “For Further Reading” section of this outline).

Church records, besides those above, are generally found in the individual parishes or congregations or in church-diocesan archive centers. For more information concerning the whereabouts of certain registers, contact the appropriate denomination below:

Anglican

Diocese of Nova Scotia
Attention: Archivist
5732 College Street
Halifax, NS B3H 1X3
CANADA
Telephone: 902-420-0717
Fax: 902-425-0717

Written authorization is required to use these records. Some searches can be made by mail.

Baptist

Vaughn Memorial Library
Acadia University
Wolfville, NS B0P 1X0
CANADA
Telephone: 902-585-1249
Fax: 902-585-1073

The Atlantic Baptist Historical Collection does not contain birth, baptism, marriage, or death certificates. The most useful genealogical information is the list of church members; it usually gives the dates members were received into the church, their date of baptism, and, if applicable, the date of their dismissal from the church.

Catholic

Most registers are still found in the individual parishes. Sometimes information can be obtained from:

Archdiocese of Halifax
P.O. Box 1527
Halifax, NS B3J 2Y3
CANADA
Telephone: 902-429-9800
Fax: 902-423-5201

Presbyterian

Presbyterian records are usually found in the individual churches. For more information, contact the church in the community in which you are researching.

United Church of Canada

Maritime Conference Archives
640 Francklyn Street
Halifax, NS B3H 3B5
CANADA
Telephone: 902-429-4819

The archives will be relocating to Sackville, New Brunswick, in 1998:

Box 1560
Sackville, NB E0A 3C0
CANADA

For registers of other denominations (such as Adventist, Congregationalist, Jewish, and Lutheran), determine the location of the church, and then arrange to see any records that may exist.

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