Additional Sources for Newfoundland and Labrador Birth, Marriage, and Death Records (National Institute)

Family History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador
Family History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador Suite 101A, 66 Kenmount Road St. John’s, Newfoundland A1B 3V7 Telephone: 709-754-9525 Email: [mailto:fhs@fhsnl.ca fhs@fhsnl.ca]

This following information can be found on the Family History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador’s website and with their permission is being reprinted here.

Parish Records and Cemetery Headstone Database
The Family History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador’s (FHSNL) database of Cemetery Transcriptions and Parish Records is available for research by members online and the general public in their resource centre. FHSNL is in the midst of an ongoing project to index all the cemetery and parish records in Newfoundland and Labrador. More than 100,000 birth, marriage, death and burial events have been indexed resulting in around 500,000 name references.

All details found in the parish records or recorded on the headstones of the cemeteries are included in the event records. These details include names of persons, spouses, parents, and witnesses; places of birth, baptism and death; dates; occupations; and similar important information. Everything in the registers has been transcribed to this database. Use of the database is in two stages. In the first stage the index is searched for matches on the Name you submit. The search scope can be limited by Region, Community, Religion, Parish, Type of Event or Date Range if any of this additional information is known. The search result lists all matches and a code reference to the Event that created the index entry. Several references can refer to the same Event since many names are captured from each Event. A special feature of the index allows all variants of a surname to be automatically included in a surname search. Having reviewed the results of your first stage search, you indicate which Event records you wish to receive. You will receive a print-out of all the recorded information about the Event.

Currently available:

They are currently working on parish records from St. John the Baptist (Church of England) and the Basilica (Roman Catholic, marriages 1874-1905) in St. John’s; and King’s Cove (Church of England, marriages and burials).

The FHSNL has collected headstone inscriptions from some 1,300 cemeteries across Newfoundland and Labrador. Please check the list of communities that have headstone inscriptions in their database. A ”beta test” version of a web-based tool to enable searching the FHSNL Headstone database is now on their website but it is only available to members. Membership information is available on their website.

As well, a listing of family and community histories is available online. Directories, periodicals, copies of the Gertrude Crosbie and Mildred Howard files, census records and a collection of general information are available for perusal in the Resource Centre.

The FHSNL is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to developing and providing genealogical information in Newfoundland and Labrador. To support the continuing work to compile this valuable information and cover administrative costs FHSNL is charging fees for access to its database. Fees, listed on their website, vary between $2 to $10 depending if you want an Index Search or an Event Record and if you are a member or not.

Your request should include the surname and name variants and the search delimiters (region, community, date range). The request and payment can be sent to their contact address.

For persons conducting a lot of research, membership in the FHSNL is recommended. For a $42 annual fee, one receives membership, their quarterly publication The Newfoundland Ancestor, access their database, and access to their extensive collection of genealogical information. Accounts can be set up, if you will be frequently using the database.

Maritime History Archive
This archives’ holdings relate to fishery, trade and settlement, and therefore will be of great interest to genealogists. Some of their collections were compiled from parish registers. They do not have the records on computer but do specify where there are name indexes to the records. It is a worthwhile site to visit.

They have research services but you will need to provide the location of the parish. Visit their website for more detailed information.

Maritime History Archive Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John’s, Newfoundland A1C 5S7 Telephone: 709-864-8428 Email: [mailto:mha@mun.ca mha@mun.ca]

Church Records Anglican Church Archives
Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist P.O. Box 23112 St. John’s, Newfoundland A1B 4J9 Telephone: 709-726-5677 Email: [mailto:angcathedral@nf.aibn.com angcathedral@nf.aibn.com]

The archives include baptism, marriage and burial records going back to the mid 1700s.

These records deal not only with the Cathedral parish of today but also all of St. John’s and even into the province as a whole.

Anglican Diocese of Western Newfoundland Archives 25 Main Street Corner Brook, Newfoundland A2H 1C2 Telephone: 709-639-8712

Predominant records are from 1976 to 1990, but there are also records from 1842 to 1990. The Diocese of Western Newfoundland was created in 1976 during the process of restructuring. The former Diocese of Newfoundland (established 1839) was divided into three smaller dioceses. All records generated since this split are located at the Diocesan Archives of Western Newfoundland.

Sacramental records of several parishes of Western Newfoundland (since 1842) will be available also through this Archive, by means of microfilmed records. Provision is made also for collection and microfilming of other parish records of the diocese. Correspondence, minutes, reports, principles, constitutions, journals, yearbooks, administrative records, handbooks, newsletters, orders of service, press releases, notices, questionnaires, plans, assessments, feasibility studies, property records are all housed here.

St. Mary’s Anglican Church Archive Anglican Parish of St. Mary the Virgin 1 Cornwall Crescent St. John’s, Newfoundland A1E 1Z4 Telephone: 709-579-0039 Email: [mailto:stmarysthevirgin@nf.aibn.com stmarysthevirgin@nf.aibn.com ]

Records are dated from 1859 to 1995. Records relate to the history of the parish since its inception. These include vital statistics records, e.g., birth, marriage and burial records; publications on the history of the parish; photographs; minutes and other records of the various parish organizations, etc.

Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John’s
The Archdiocesan Archives is the main repository for the historical and contemporary documents of the Roman Catholic Church in Newfoundland. Its holdings are divided as follows:


 * Papers of the Bishops (1784-2001)
 * Clergy Files
 * Estates and Wills
 * Parishes of the Archdiocese
 * Vatican Publications
 * Educational Records and Reports
 * The Monitor (1934-1996)
 * Photographs
 * Parish Baptism, Marriage and Mortuary Records (1763-1850)
 * Architectural descriptions and blueprints

There is a guide to the collections of the Archives and it is available to researchers for examination at the archives if requested. The above information is located on the website.

Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese P.O. Box 1363 St. John’s, Newfoundland A1C 5M3 Telephone: 709-726-3660

United Church Records
The United Church of Canada Archives holds the local church records of the United Church and its uniting denominations (Methodist, Congregational, Presbyterian (1925 union); and Evangelical United Brethren—joined in 1968). The records of the churches which did not join at union but remained part of the continuing Presbyterian Church in Canada after 1925, are held in the:

Presbyterian Church in Canada Archives and Records Office 50 Wynford Drive Toronto, Ontario M3C 1J7 Telephone: 416-441-1111 ext. 310

United Church of Canada - Newfoundland and Labrador Conference Archives 320 Elizabeth Avenue St. John’s, Newfoundland A1B 1T9 Telephone: 709-754-0386 Email: [mailto:unitedchurch@nfld.net unitedchurch@nfld.net]

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Information in this Wiki page is excerpted from the online course offered by The National Institute for Genealogical Studies. To learn more about this course or other courses available from the Institute, see our website. We can be contacted at [mailto:wiki@genealogicalstudies.com wiki@genealogicalstudies.com]

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