New Brunswick Civil Registration

Canada New Brunswick  Vital Records

Background
The provincial government of New Brunswick began recording births, marriages, and deaths in 1888. For 1810 to 1887 records, there is a "Late Registration" compilation which is indexed. It is located at the Provincial Archives. These records were registered after 1888.

Another dependable source for births and deaths before 1888 is the church register.

For additional information about vital records and search strategies, see Canada Vital Records.

Availability
Online vital records search available free at New Brunswick Provincial Archives.

Online New Brunswick death certificates for years 1920-1938 and Provincial Returns of Deaths for years 1818-1919 are available at FamilySearch.org.

Vital Records from 1888, although incomplete up to 1920, are available from:


 * Vital Statistics
 * P.O. Box 6000
 * Fredericton, NB E3B 5H1
 * CANADA
 * Telephone: 506-453-2385; Fax: 506-444-4139
 * Internet: http://www.snb.ca/e/1000/1000-01/e/index-e.asp

Index An index to births, marriages and deaths for 1800-1959 (RS141) is available at http://archives.gnb.ca/APPS/GovRecs/VISSE/?culture=en-CA. This includes


 * index to late registration of births, 1810-1913;
 * index to late registration of births, county series, 1869-1901;
 * index to county birth registers 1800-1913;
 * index to provincial regisrations of births, 1898-1913;
 * index to marriages 1847-1958; *index to county death registers 1885-1921
 * provincial returns of deaths, 1815-1919
 * index to death certificates 1920-1959.

County marriage registers before 1888
County marriage registers kept by the government before 1888 are found at the Provincial Archives. These are available for the following counties:


 * Albert Co.1846–1888
 * Carleton Co.1832–1888
 * Charlotte Co.1806–1887
 * Gloucester Co.1832–1860, 1873–1887
 * Kent Co.1844–1887
 * Kings Co.1812–1888
 * Northumberland Co.1792–1887
 * Queens Co.1812–1887
 * Restigouche Co.1838–1878
 * St. John Co.1810–1887
 * Sunbury Co. (Licenses)1810–1887
 * Westmorland Co.1790–1887
 * York Co.1812–1888

Record Group 3 (Provincial Secretary), Record Series 551, consists of marriage bonds for various townships and counties for the years 1810–1932. These are located at the Provincial Archives at http://archives.gnb.ca/Archives/Default.aspx?L=EN.

Many private collections held in various archives can contain marriage records or notices. These are listed in:


 * Robert F. Fellows' Researching Your Ancestors in New Brunswick, (Fredericton, New Brunswick, 1979), pp. 118–119.

Divorce Records
Divorce was once a matter for Parliament. Brian Gilchrist’sIndex to Canadian Parliamentary Divorces, 1867-1930 (Toronto: privately published) indexes all names, both partners, children etc. Some individual’s petitions or records are held by the Library and Archives of Canada, check the their website, Government of Canada Files database, key word “Divorce”—but after 1916 you must apply to the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Council, Senate of Canada.

As well, on the Internet, Hugh Armstrong’s Genealogy Site, contains material on “Canadian Parliamentary Divorces to 1946”. An Introduction gives an excellent summary of the history of divorce in Canada, and it is only one of a number of lists, indexes, and how-to-do offerings.

Wiki articles describing an online collections are found at:


 * New Brunswick, Provincial Returns of Births and Late Registrations (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * New Brunswick Provincial Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * New Brunswick Provincial Returns of Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * New Brunswick Birth and Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * New Brunswick Provincial Deaths (FamilySearch Historical Records)