Canada, Anglican Church Archives (National Institute)

The Anglican Church of Canada is divided into four provinces and the provinces are divided into dioceses. The dioceses are divided into parishes.

The four provinces are:


 * Canada (which includes the most populous part of Québec and the Atlantic provinces)
 * Ontario (which includes most but not all of the geographical province of Ontario and part of Québec)
 * Rupert’s Land (which includes the Prairie Provinces the North West Territories and Nunavut, the northwestern most part of Ontario and part of northern Québec), and
 * British Columbia and Yukon (self-explanatory). There are thirty dioceses across the country.

Most of the dioceses have archives, and some of them have canon laws which require the depositing of old registers in their safekeeping. In others you may find the old records at the diocesan archives or at the local church. Occasionally you may find registers deposited elsewhere.

The Church of England, from which the Anglican Church of Canada grew, has a long tradition of making its registers available for use, and this continues to be true here. There are published catalogues for all four provinces:


 * Guide to the holdings of the archives of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada. 1995
 * Guide to the holdings of the archives of the Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia and Yukon. 1993
 * Guide to the holdings of the archives of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario. 1990
 * Guide to the holdings of the archives of the Ecclesiastical Province and Dioceses of Rupert’s Land, by Wilma MacDonald. 1986

In addition, some dioceses may have published their own catalogues, as for example, Diocese of Ontario (Anglican Church of Canada): archives, preliminary inventory, 1980, researched and compiled by Allan J. Anderson (1980).

A complete listing of current diocesan archivists, with full addresses and other contact information, can be found on their website. The entries include automatic links to email addresses, so it is quick and easy to contact the archives through this site.

Finding an individual church may be made simpler by using the Find a Church online service on the Anglican Church of Canada website.

Holdings of the various diocesan archives of British Columbia can be searched using the British Columbia Archival Union List (BCAUL).

Anglican Church records can also be found in other archives, perhaps in published form, or as transcriptions or microfilm. The Newfoundland and Labrador archives are particularly rich in Anglican records in transcription. The Public Archives of Nova Scotia has many Anglican records also; see Terrence Punch’s Genealogical Research in Nova Scotia (1998) for a detailed list.

To find an Anglican parish address (asking the rector is still the quickest way to determine where their records are located), consult the Anglican Church Directory (annual) or do an Internet search. Many of the diocesan archives to not have their own websites as yet, but if you do find a diocesan website, it may have a parish list which will include addresses and telephone numbers. Many individual parishes have their own websites which can be accessed through the diocesan sites also.

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