Nova Scotia, Canada Genealogy

Canada

Nova Scotia

Guide to Nova Scotia ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

Nova Scotia Wiki Topics
Beginning Research
Guided Research Research Strategies Record Finder
Record Types
Acadians Biography Cemeteries Census Church Records Civil Registration Directories Disasters Emigration & Immigration Genealogies Court Records Land & Property	Loyalists Military Records Naturalization & Citizenship Newspapers Obituaries Occupations Online Records Periodicals Probate Records School Records Taxation Vital Records
Nova Scotia Background
Gazetteers History Language	Maps For Further Readings
Nova Scotia Cultural Groups
Cultural Groups Black Canadians	First Nations
Local Research Resources
Archives & Libraries Societies Family History Centers

Nova Scotia Information

• Nova Scotia includes regions of the Mi'kmaq nation of Mi'kma'ki (mi'gama'gi).
• The French arrived in 1604, and Catholic Mi'kmaq and Acadians formed the majority of the population for the next 150 years.
• In 1754–63, the British deported the Acadians and recruited New England planters to resettle the colony.
• The New England Planters were settlers from the New England colonies who responded to invitations by the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia, Charles Lawrence, to settle lands left vacant by the Bay of Fundy Campaign (1755) of the Acadian Expulsion.
• Eight thousand Planters (roughly 2000 families), largely farmers and fishermen, arrived from 1759 to 1768 to take up the offer. The farmers settled mainly on the rich farmland of the Annapolis Valley and in the southern counties of what is now New Brunswick, but was then part of Nova Scotia. Most of the fishermen went to the South Shore of Nova Scotia.
• In 1763, most of Acadia (Cape Breton Island, St. John's Island, and New Brunswick became part of Nova Scotia.
• After the American Revolution (1775–1783), approximately 33,000 Loyalists settled in Nova Scotia (14,000 of them in what became New Brunswick) on lands granted by the Crown as some compensation for their losses.
• The Loyalist exodus created new communities across Nova Scotia and infused Nova Scotia with additional capital and skills. However the migration also caused political tensions between Loyalist leaders and the leaders of the existing New England Planters settlement.
• The Loyalist influx pushed Nova Scotia's 2000 Mi'kmaq People to the margins as Loyalist land grants encroached on native lands.
• About 3,000 Black Loyalists arrived and founded the largest free Black settlement in North America at Birchtown.
• The British administration divided Nova Scotia and separated off Cape Breton and New Brunswick in 1784.

Getting Started

Getting Started with Nova Scotia Research Links to articles on getting started with Nova Scotia research. Guided Research Genealogy Guide, NS Archives Nova Scotia Genealogy, American Ancestors How to Locate Your Ancestor in Canada Canada Online Genealogy Records

Nova Scotia Research Tools Links to articles and websites that assist in Nova Scotia research. Nova Scotia Virtual Archives and Databases Mary's Genealogy Treasures - Canadian research resource Library and Archives Canada Nova Scotia FamilySearch Records Page Nova Scotia Genealogy, American Ancestors Memory NS A Catalogue of Archived Records Preserved in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Online Genealogy Records

Ask the Community

Nova Scotia Map

Historical Counties

Annapolis County Antigonish County Cape Breton County Colchester County Cumberland County

Digby County Guysborough County Halifax County Hants County Inverness County

Kings County Lunenburg County Pictou County Queens County Richmond County

Shelburne County Sunbury County Victoria County Yarmouth County

Migration Routes

• Canadian Pacific Railway
• Halifax Road or Grand Communication Route
• Pier 21

FamilySearch Resources

Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in researching your family.

• Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
• Learning Center - Online genealogy courses
• Historical Records - databases and record images on FamilySearch
• Family History Center locator map

Additional Resources

• Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia Searching for your Nova Scotia ancestors.
• How to Recognize your Canadian Ancestor
• Name Variations in Canadian Indexes and Records
• David Rumsey Map Collection