Annapolis County, Nova Scotia Genealogy

Canada Nova Scotia  Annapolis County

This is a guide to historical and genealogical records available for Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, primarily those after 1759 when the County was established. For a general overview of Nova Scotia history and research resources, go to Nova Scotia and www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/

History
Annapolis County was established in 1759, when Nova Scotia was divided into five counties. In 1836 and 1837, parts of Annapolis County were divided to create Yarmouth and Digby Counties.

Recommended Reference Materials Nova Scotia Archives &amp; Records Management has a virtual exhibit on the early settlement of Port Royal (now Annapolis) and a searchable databaseof "the largest and most complete online presentation of primary-source documents relating to the Deportation of the Acadians from Nova Scotia." Place-Names and Places of Nova Scotia is another database searchable by county or community that contains brief descriptions and historical facts about more than 2,400 communities.

Calnek, William Arthur, and Alfred William Savary. History of the County of Annapolis Including Old Port Royal and Acadia: With Memoirs of Its Representation in the Provincial Parliament, and Biographical and Genealogical Sketches of Its Early English Settlers and Their Families. Toronto: William Briggs, 1897. books.google.com/books

''––––. History of the County of Annapolis Including Old Port Royal

Repositories
Nova Scotia Archives &amp; Records Management, formerly the Public Archives of Nova Scotia (PANS): 6016 University Avenue Halifax, Nova Scotia (902) 424-6060 www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/The library holdings are only available for use on-site, but there are numerous databases and materials available through the Virtual Archives, including the searchable database of Historical Vital Statistics. If you're planning a visit to the library, you can search a portion of the catalogue online in advance (as of July 2010, 20,000 entries); the remaining 50,000 titles are listed in the Archives Reading Room Card Catalogue, available onsite. Search for 'Annapolis' in Acadia University's Planter Database for a more convenient way to view NSARM's record holdings.

Annapolis Heritage Society Geneaology Centre O'Dell House Museum 136 St. George Street Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia (902) 532-7754 www.annapolisheritagesociety.com/genealogyThe Centre has significant collections of genealogies, local histories, cemetery and probate records, old scrapbooks, microfilms of vital statistics for Annapolis and Digby counties, church records and deeds and other pertinent information for researchers. Its primary emphasis is on Annapolis Royal and the old townships which were adjacent to Annapolis Royal: Granville, Annapolis, Wilmot and Clements. It also covers the early Acadian settlements prior to 1755.

Annapolis Valley Historical Society MacDonald Museum 21 School Street, Middleton, Nova Scotia Phone: (902) 825-6116 www.macdonaldmuseum.ca/Holdings: family files; obituaries- various; photographic collection – local people and scenes; scrapbooks of local interest stories; church registers- various; cemetery inscriptions; Robert L. Hall Funeral home records, Bridgetown, NS (1907-1975); Township Books, Annapolis &amp; Kings County; vital statistics, Annapolis, Kings, Digby &amp; Lunenburg Counties; census records 1838-1901 Annapolis County; library of local history; land grants- various; Annapolis County probate records – abstracts 1763-1938; Annapolis County school records; local newspapers: Middleton Outlook/Mirror-Examiner 1901-present (indexed from 1901-1925), Bridgetown Monitor 1876-1902

Land Registration Office - Annapolis County 396 Main Street Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia (902) 584-7185 Land and property records, maps, geographic information, aerial photographs.

Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources Founders Square 1701 Hollis Street Halifax, Nova Scotia The DNR Library is on the 3rd floor, phone (902) 424-8633. Displays copies of historical maps of all the counties and sells copies of these and the Crown Land Grant Maps, a series of 140 maps showing the original crown land grants from 1750-1850. The Crown Land Information Management Centre is on the 5th floor, phone (902) 424-3171. Houses copies of all original land grants for the Province of Nova Scotia and grant petition papers for grants issued after early 1850s. Maintains alphabetical index of grants.

Library and Archives Canada 395 Wellington Street Ottawa, Ontario 1-866-578-7777 (toll free in Canada and the US) www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogyHoldings: Federal records for Canada: immigration; census; military; land; other records created by the Government of Canada. Genealogy references: research guidebooks; directories of genealogical societies; bibliographies of family and local histories; biographical dictionaries; genealogical dictionaries; historical atlases. Genealogy sources and finding aids: family and local histories; transcriptions and indexes of parish registers; cemetery records; directories; journals of genealogical and historical societies. 

Military History Research Centre Canadian War Museum 1 Vimy Place Ottawa, Ontario (819) 776-8652 www.museedelaguerre.ca/cwm/explore/military-history-research-centreNational collections of primary and secondary research material document Canada's military history from the pre-contact period to the present.

Biographies
At this time, please read about Biographies in the Province of Nova Scotia Resources - Biography.

Cemeteries
At this time, please read about Cemeteries in the Province of Nova Scotia Resources - Cemeteries.

The Annapolis County GenWeb Project has posted a listing of cemetery records, viewable either by surname or by cemetery. The content comes primarily from Dr. Allen Marble's transcriptions of grave stone transcriptions, which were then transcribed into electronic format by the King's County Historical Committee.

[http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/other/Cemeteries/CAN-NS-CEMETERIES.html RootsWeb mailing list for those researching cemeteries in Nova Scotia. ]

Census Records
At this time, please read about Census Records in the Province of Nova Scotia Resources - Census.

Census
In Canada, census returns are closed for 92 years after the time of enumeration. For Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, census records are available for the following years: 1770, 1792, 1794, 1827, 1838, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911. Census returns prior to 1851 are rarely complete for any area, and the census returns for Annapolis County in 1851 did not survive.

Agricultural returns provide information such as lot and concession number, acreage, livestock and agricultural products. The agricultural returns for 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911 were not retained. For 1851, the returns for Annapolis County did not survive.


 * 1861: For each county, the agricultural returns follow immediately after the personal returns for the whole county.
 * 1871: The personal returns for each enumeration sub-district appear in schedule one. The agricultural returns are schedules three to five and are keyed to schedule one by page and line number rather than by name.

Searchable Databases and Images All surviving census returns from 1851 to 1916 have been digitized and are currently available on various websites, some of which require a subscription to access.

Microfilm

Church Records
At this time, please read about Church Records in the Province of Nova Scotia Resources - Church Records.

Church
Church Records at NSARM: A Searchable Database is an index to the records available on microfilm at NSARM (in-person use only). A search for 'Annapolis' reveals information on the holdings for 16 churches in Annapolis County.

Some of these records also have been filmed by the Family History Library:


 * Granville parish (All Saints), baptisms, 1790-1801, 1829-1858; marriages, 1790-1801, 1814-1882; burials, 1828-1918; All Saints baptisms, 1859-1918 (includes confirmations); film number 1376194 Items 3-4
 * Parish registers of Wilmot, Aylesford and Bridgetown, Anglican 1789-1909; film number 1012328 Items 6-11
 * Church of England in Canada and Methodist Church for various parishes in Annapolis County; time periods range from 1700s to early 1900s; film number 928970

A database of Nova Scotia church records is available to members of the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia.

A database of ministers of religion conducting marriages in Nova Scotia is available to members of the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia.

See also, Nova Scotia Church Records

Court Records
At this time, please read about Court Records in the Province of Nova Scotia Resources - Court Records.

Divorces and Other Court Records
NSARM has an online searchable indices of court records (originals only available in person):


 * Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes, 1759-1960
 * Court of Appeal Casebooks 1885-1900

Directories
At this time, please read about Directories in the Province of Nova Scotia Resources - Directories.

City, Provincial, and Business Directories
Nova Scotia Archives &amp; Records Management (NSARM) has a collection of published directories, beginning with Nugent's Business Directory for the City of Halifax for 1858-59 (1858) and the first McAlpine's Halifax City Directory (1868) to the most recent set of telephone books for the province. Many, but not all, are available on microfilm.

List of directories available on microfilm at NSARM

NSARM has digitized McAlpine's Nova Scotia Directory 1907-08, searchable by county or town name and by first letter of surname.

Others are available in printed form; holdings can be found in the Library Catalogue.

Ancestry.com has digitized some Nova Scotia directories (subscription required).

Education
The Family History Library has filmed records at NSARM, RG14:


 * Annapolis County School Papers, 1811-1923; film numbers: 2260562 Item 2, 2260563 Items 1 - 2
 * Nova Scotia school papers, Academies, 1820-1867; film number: 2260937
 * Nova Scotia school papers, Grammar Schools, 1811-1864; film numbers: 2260938, 2260939 Item 1
 * Nova Scotia school papers, 1827-1872 (school lands, and normal and model schools); film number 2224309 Item 2

A database of some 19th century Annapolis County school records is available to members of the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia.

Genealogy
At this time, please read about Genealogies in the Province of Nova Scotia Resources - Genealogy.

Government Records
According to Nova Scotia Archives &amp; Records Management: "Civil registration of vital statistics began in Nova Scotia in 1763 with the introduction of procedures for obtaining a marriage licence; the procedure was optional and the surviving records are incomplete. Formalized registration of births, deaths and marriages began in 1864 and continued to 1877, at which time record-keeping lapsed for births and deaths, but continued for marriages. Compliance was not universal during this period and there are gaps in the surviving records. Since 1 October 1908, birth, death and marriage registrations have been collected and maintained continuously."

NSARM's online searchable database of Historical Vital Statistics contains an index and digital images of original records for births, delayed births, marriages (bonds and registrations), and deaths for the following years: Births: 1864-1877, 1908-1909 Delayed Birth Registrations: 1830-1909 Marriage Bonds: 1763-1864 Marriage Registrations 1864-1934 Deaths: 1864-1877, 1908-1959

As of 2010, the Vital Statistics Division of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations

Land and Property Records
At this time, please read about Land and Property Records in the Province of Nova Scotia Resources - Land and Property.

Land
The Annapolis County Land Registration Office in Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia maintains land ownership and related property information, plus maps and geographic information.

The Family History Library has microfilmed records from the Annapolis County Registrar of Deeds:


 * Index to deeds, 1765-1970; film numbers 814052-814058
 * Deeds, 1763-1910; film numbers 814072-817431
 * Grantor index, 1965-1970; film numbers 814059-814071
 * Extracts of land grants, 1732-1827; film number 477530 Item 1
 * Land grants, 1854-1953 with index for 1854-1950; film numbers 817432-817437

Nova Scotia Archives &amp; Records Management has an online searchable database of transcribed land petitions from 1769-1799. The originals of these petitions, as well as later grant petition papers, are stored at the Crown Land Information Management Centre at the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, which makes copies available for a fee. Assistance with searches is available through the DNR Library.

The Annapolis County GenWeb Project has posted name indexes to the Land Grants maps for Annapolis County, which identify parcels of land by grantee names. The map numbers correspond to a series of 140 online maps hosted by the Crown Land Information Management Centre.

Additional Reference Gilroy, Marion. Loyalists and Land Settlement in Nova Scotia. Halifax: Public Archives of Nova Scotia, 1937.

Smith, Clifford Neal. Whereabouts of Some American Refugees, 1784–1800: the Nova Scotian Land Grants. 7 vols. McNeal, Arizona: Vestland Publications, 1992.

Local Histories
At this time, please read about Local Histories in the Province of Nova Scotia Resources - History.

Maps
At this time, please read about Maps in the Province of Nova Scotia Resources - Maps.


 * Ambrose F. Church was commissioned by the Nova Scotia legislature to create maps of each of Nova Scotia's 18 counties. The map for Annapolis County is dated 1876 and shows names and sometimes occupations of residents, along with detailed topographical information. Copies of the county maps hang in the Library of the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, and copies are available for purchase from the Library. The maps are very large (approx. 4.5ft x 5ft), and copies are usually made onto two overlapping sheets.
 * A copy of the A.F. Church map divided into 17 leaves is available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.
 * Electoral Atlas of the Dominion of Canada (1895)
 * Free Maps from the Nova Scotia government for general reference of educational purposes
 * Online Map Store provided by the Nova Scotia Geomatics Centre

Military Records
At this time, please read about Military Records in the Province of Nova Scotia Resources - Military Records.

Records Veteran Affairs Canada has a Virtual War Memorial with listings of graves and memorials, some with photographs and personal memorabilia. It also has excerpts from wartime letters and diaries.

The Canadian War Museum has an online searchable database of newspaper clippings from World War II.

Library and Archives Canada has extensive holdings in microfilm on Canadian military records and topics.

The Family History Library has filmed the Index to Commissions in the Public Archives of Nova Scotia collection, 1749-1867; film numbers 2139850, 2281095-2281097

NSARM has a searchable virtual archive of non-governmental materials (postcards, letters, photographs, etc.) of The Royal Canadian Navy: First Half Century, 1910-1967

Reference From Colony to Country: A Reader's Guide to Canadian Military History, web resource by the Library and Archives Canada.

Canadian War Museum

Canadian Military History Gateway, web resource by the Government of Canada

Raddall, Thomas H. West Novas: A History of the West Nova Scotia Regiment. Liverpool, Nova Scotia: The Author, 1986.

Gilroy, Marion. Loyalists and Land Settlement in Nova Scotia. Halifax: Public Archives of Nova Scotia, 1937.

Newspapers &amp; Obituaries
At this time, please read about Newspapers and Obituaries in the Province of Nova Scotia Resources - Newspapers.

Records NSARM has a virtual image archive of some Nova Scotia newspapers, though none specific to Annapolis County.

List of Nova Scotia newspapers available on microfilm at Library and Archives Canada: http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/newspapers/newspaper-collection/Pages/microform-holdings-geographical-ns.aspx

Reference Tratt, Gertrude E. N. A Survey and Listing of Nova Scotia Newspapers, 1752-1957, with Particular Reference to the Period Before 1867. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Dalhousie University, 1979.

Hicks, Brenda, Lynn Murphy, and Anjali Vohra. ''Nova Scotia Newspapers: A Directory and Union List, 1752-1988. ''Halifax, Nova Scotia: School of Library and Information Studies, Dalhousie University, 1990.

Probate Records
At this time, please read about Probate Records in the Province of Nova Scotia Resources - Probate Records.

Taxation Records
At this time, please read about Taxation Records in the Province of Nova Scotia Resources - Taxation.

Township Records
NSARM has an online searchable index to the Poll tax rolls, 1791-1793 (original records on microfilm available in person).

The Family History Library also has these poll tax rolls on microfilm: 1376295 Items 1 - 2

Townships records on microfilm at NSARM (only available onsite) also have been filmed by the Family History Library:

Granville Township Town register of births, marriages, deaths and ear marks, 1720-1881; film number: 928972 Items 12 - 13 Granville parish (All Saints), baptisms, 1790-1801, 1829-1858; marriages, 1790-1801, 1814-1882; burials, 1828-1918 -- List of town clerks and township vital records, 1779-1876 -- All Saints baptisms, 1859-1918 (includes confirmations) -- Township records including births, marriages, deaths, 1779-1933 (includes two indexes, "This is apparently a partial copy of an earlier volume, with additions."); film number 1376194 Items 3-4

Annapolis, Windsor and Wilmot Annapolis town meetings, 1790-1853 -- Annapolis [County] grand jury, 1786-1800 -- Windsor town meetings, 1799-1845 -- Wilmot, 1749-1894 : births, marriages, deaths (includes index), 1749-1894; ear marks, 1847-1893; Annapolis general sessions, ordinances concerning the township of Wilmot, 1839, 1842; ear marks, 1786-1875; film number: 1421093

Vital Records
At this time, please read about Vital Records in the Province of Nova Scotia Resources - Vital Records. and Acadia: Supplement.'' Toronto: William Briggs, 1913.

Fergusson, Charles Bruce. The Boundaries of Nova Scotia and Its Counties. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Public Archives of Nova Scotia, 1966.

Morse, William I. Gravestones of Acadie: And Other Essays on Local History, Genealogy and Parish Records of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. London: A. Smith &amp; Co., 1929.

maintains records for more recent records: Births: 1910-present Marriages: 1935-present Deaths: 1960-present

Filmed by the Family History Library:


 * Annapolis Township births, marriages and deaths, 1747, 1774-1874, 1884 organized primarily by families; film number 1376192 Item 1.
 * Granville Township register of births, marriages, deaths and ear marks, 1720-1881; film number: 928972 Items 12 - 13

Published Indexes and Transcriptions of Vital Records
The Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia (formerly the Genealogical Committee of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society) has published a series of books that list vital statistics reported in newspapers covering the years 1759-1856. The publications are for sale on the GANS website. Or search for the title Nova Scotia Vital Statistics from Newspapers on WorldCat to find them in a library.

A database of Annapolis and Digby marriage records is available to members of the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia.

The Annapolis Valley Newspaper Extracts Project has published online transcriptions of vital statistics from selected newspapers covering 1866-1931.

RootsWeb mailing list for postings and lookups of obituaries

Wills
The Family History Library has microfilmed records of the Annapolis County Courthouse:


 * Probate wills, 1763-1970; probate acts, 1844-1911, 1938-1970; petitions, 1926-1938; letters of administration, 1926-1969; letters testamentary, 1901-1970; film numbers 817440-817455
 * Wills, 1879-1970 (copies of wills pertaining to land transactions); film numbers 817437-817439
 * Estate files, 1763-1930 with index for 1763-1979; index film number: 1838799

Additional Research References
Print

Genealogy Source: Where to Find Genealogical Information in Nova Scotia. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Council of Nova Scotia Archives, 2002.

Elliot, Noel Montgomery, ed. The Atlantic Canadians, 1600–1900: An Alphabetized Directory of the People, Places, and Vital Dates. 3 vols. Toronto: Genealogical Research Library, 1994.

Marble, Allan E. A Catalogue of Published Genealogies of Nova Scotia Families. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Genealogical Association of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society, 1984.

Morris, Julie. Tracing Your Ancestors in Nova Scotia. Halifax: Public Archives of Nova Scotia, 1987.

Morse, William I. Gravestones of Acadie: And Other Essays on Local History, Genealogy and Parish Records of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. London: A. Smith &amp; Co., 1929.

Peterson, Jean, Lynn Murphy, and Heather MacDonald. The Loyalist Guide: Nova Scotian Loyalists and Their Documents. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Public Archives of Nova Scotia, 1983.

Punch, Terrence M. Erin's Sons: Irish Arrivals in Atlantic Canada to 1863. 4 vols. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2008-2010.

Punch, Terrence M. Genealogical Research in Nova Scotia. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Petheric Press, 1978.

Punch, Terrence M. Genealogist's Handbook for Atlantic Canada Research. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1989.

Punch, Terrence M. In Which County?: Nova Scotia Surnames from Birth Registers, 1864 to 1877. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Genealogical Association of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society, 1985.

Smith, Leonard H, and Norma H. Smith. Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867. 2 vols. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1992. Also digitized and searchable on Ancestry.com

County Guide Series, No. 5.'' Halifax, Nova Scotia: Public Archives of Nova Scotia, 1990.

Internet

Nova Scotia Genealogy Records Online

Annapolis County GenWeb Project

Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia

Canadian Genealogy and History Links

Acadia University's Planter Studies Centre, focused on the New England residents who settled in Nova Scotia in the late 1700s.

Thorpe, Wendy L. ''Annapolis County. Nova Scotia Genealogical Sources