Canada, Ontario Births - FamilySearch Historical Records

Canada Ontario

What is in this Collection?
This index covers births from 1869 through 1912.

Births were not recorded by civil authorities before 1869.

These records consist of birth records from Ontario, Canada. The linked search engine allows you to search for ancestors by first and last name, place, and year. Registrations were kept on printed forms and then bound into volumes. The entries are arranged chronologically by date of registration.

A provincial act to register births, marriages, and deaths went into effect on July 1, 1869. This act created the Office of the Registrar General, and in each county or incorporated city or town, a clerk of the peace acted as the district registrar. Each municipality (city, village, town, township, or district) had a division registrar who sent all their books to a district registrar. This district registrar then transmitted the records to the registrar general at the provincial level. In 1875, the office of district registrar was eliminated and the division registrars began sending their registrations directly to the registrar general.

In 1896, the process was altered. Division registrars received a copy of the registration forms from the person who reported the event. These forms were then indexed and entered into new registers. The division registrar made a copy of the form and every six months sent them to the Office of the Registrar General. After 1908, the division registrar made two copies of the original forms, who then kept one locally and sent the other quarterly to the registrar general. Later, the registrar general began indexing the registers

Births were recorded in Ontario to better serve public health needs and to provide demographic and personal identification. Civil registrations of births were official records and are some of the most reliable sources of information available for those who were born in Ontario. Other records may be obtained from the Office of the Registrar General. An application form is required. The fee covers a search of records from a five-year period, including two years on either side of the date you request. Write to:

Registrar General 189 Red River Road P.O. Box 4600 Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6L8 CANADA

What Can these Records Tell Me?
Birth records may contain the following information:


 * Full name of child
 * When the child was born
 * Gender
 * Name and surname of the father
 * Name and maiden surname of the mother
 * Occupation of father
 * When registered
 * Name of accoucheur (doctor or midwife attending the birth)
 * Signature description and residence of the informant
 * Where the birth was registered
 * County where the record was created

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The name of a relative or date of the event

Search the Index
Search by name by visiting the Collection Page.
 * 1) Fill in the search boxes on the Collection Page with the information you have
 * 2) Click Search to show possible matches

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page.
 * 1) Select Record Type
 * 2) Select Year
 * 3) Select Registration Number Range

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * This collection is an index and images. Always look at the image to see if there is extra information not included in the index. Look for the GS number listed on the record you found, if you are interested in finding the catalog entry for the set of records your ancestor is located in. The GS number is the microfilm number that can be used to do this. To find out more about what is on the microfilm you're interested in, use the FamilySearch Catalog.
 * Use the information in the record to find other records such as marriage, christening, census, land and death records.
 * Use the information to find additional family members.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name, especially French versions.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Search the indexes and records of Canada Genealogy.
 * Search in the Canada Archives and Libraries.
 * Search in the FamilySearch Library Catalog

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Citing This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image. Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation:

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