Researching Family History

Vital Records - Ontario

Official civil registrations in Ontario began in 1869, many years after established colonial settlement. Full compliance was not achieved until approximately 1871.  Ontario researchers going back further in time may be dealing with either parish records or British Colonial records. Most pre-confederation vital records were known as “registers” and were associated to a particular religious denomination.  Keep in mind that boundaries and place names for the Ontario area changed significantly from the early days.  

  • Births: 1869-1917
  • Marriages: 1869-1938
  • Marriage Bonds: 1803-1845
  • Deaths: 1869-1948 

You can find “some” marriages 1801-1869 and “some” births from 1830-1869 but there are many gaps. Remember to request a photocopy of the registration document as this carries the most information. 

Online

Archives of Ontario has an excellent information page that describes all matters pertaining to Vital Records for Ontario.  Marriage Bonds for Upper Canada (now Ontario) are searchable online through Library and Archives Canada - https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/vital-statistics-births-marriagesdeaths/marriage-bonds/Pages/search.aspx 

The following databases have many vital records collections for Ontario: 

Microfilm

The Family History department holds microfilm index reels for Ontario births, marriages and deaths beginning in 1869, including separate indexes for items like Marriage Index Retakes, Delayed Registrations, and District Marriage Registers.

You can also search Ancestry Library Edition. Our guidebook, Canadian Family History Resources, has instructions and film numbers in section 5:  pages 5 – 22. You can always ask staff for assistance.  

Our Family History department also has some donated church films from Perth, Ontario in our collection. They are labelled Z-20001 to Z-20005 and found in our microfilm cabinets.  

Print

Our Family History department has a large selection of vital notices for Ontario. Many of these items are extracted notices from newspapers, which are then made into books.  Some are vital records from church sources. They can be found in the bookshelves under the call number range 929.3712 to 929.3713.  Some examples are below.  These are excellent resources in that they often have records that are not found online. 

Britnell, W.E. ed.  1979. County Marriage Registers of Ontario, Canada: 1858 - 1869 [38 volumes]. Agincourt, Ontario: Generation Press. Library call number - GEN 929.3713 COU 

Reid. William D.  1980. Death Notices of Ontario. Lambertville, N.J.: Hunterdon House. Library call number - GEN 929.3713 REI 1980 

Rumpel, Renie. Ed. 1997. Roman Catholic Marriage Registers in Ontario, Canada: 1828-1870. Waterloo, Ontario: Ontario Indexing Services, 1997.  Library call number - GEN 929.3713 ROM 1997 

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