Introduction
Vital statistics are records pertaining to births, marriages and deaths within the province of Ontario. The Archives holds a significant number of these records.
Vital Statistics Records Held by the Archives
The Archives of Ontario has the Indexes (where they exist) and Registration Books from the Office of the Registrar General of Ontario for:
- Marriages: [ca. 1801-1929] (Note: There are many gaps in pre-1869 marriage records)
All of these records are
publicly available on microfilm.
Another year of records has been sent to the
Archives but these records are restricted
until they have been made publicly
available. This latest transfer (consisting
of the 1915 births, 1930 marriages, and 1940
deaths) is being digitized and will be
available some time in 2012. For more recent
registrations after these years, you must
contact the Office of the Registrar
General.
Availability of the Microfilm Copies of the Indexes and Registrations
Microfilm copies of the indexes and registrations may be:
- Consulted at the Archives of Ontario, 134 Ian Macdonald Blvd., Toronto.
- Borrowed through the Interlibrary Loan Department of your public library. Quote the appropriate MS and reel #. These reels cannot leave the borrowing library, so make sure to order them from a library that has a microfilm reader.
- The indexes and registrations up to and including
the 1912 births, 1927 marriages, and 1937 deaths can
also be borrowed from the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints through their
Family History Centres. The Family History
Centres have a different numbering system than the
Archives of Ontario. Use the
microfilm conversion list
to convert our reel numbers to one you can use at a
Family History Centre.
- Purchased directly from the Ontario Genealogical Society. For a complete listing of vital statistics microfilm available, consult
Purchasing Vital Statistics Microfilm on our Vital Statistics FAQ page, or visit the
Ontario Genealogical Society website.
Note: The Archives of Ontario does not conduct Vital Statistics searches or issue birth, marriage, or death certificates.
However, we do offer certified copies for legal
purposes.
Looking Up a Registration
The indexes and registrations
are not currently available through this web
site. They are only available on microfilm.
This web site provides directions on how to determine which
microfilm reels you need in order to find the
registrations you are seeking. Future releases of the
Ontario Vital Statistics will be available in a digital format
but not until later in 2011.
Finding a particular birth, marriage or death registration involves the following steps:
- Use this web site to find the Index microfilm containing the surname and year of the event that you are looking for. Request that Index reel through a library, archives or other institution that uses the interlibrary loan system or through a Family History Centre of the Church of Latter Day Saints.
- Using the Index microfilm, look up the event and record the registration year and registration number.
- Returning to this web site, find the
Registration microfilm containing the
registration year and registration number. Request that
Registration reel through a library, archives or other
institution that uses the interlibrary loan system. Up
to the 1912 births, 1927 marriages, and 1937 deaths,
this microfilm is also available through a
Family History Centre of the Church of
Latter Day Saints.
Note: You may also consult microfilm
copies of the Indexes and Registrations at the Archives
of Ontario, 134 Ian Macdonald Blvd., Toronto.
Research Guides and Pathfinders
If you are not familiar with Indexes and Registrations you may want to read the following
resources:
- Understanding the Vital Statistics Indexes (Research Guide 203) [Word,
PDF], which explains the information found on the Indexes.
- Vital Statistics Records (Research Guide 202) [Word,
PDF],
which explains what information was recorded on the registrations.
If you are not familiar with researching Vital Statistics Registrations you may want to consult the following pathfinders:
- Births
- The Archives holds Birth Registrations for July 1869-December 1914.
- Marriages - In addition to Marriage Registrations for the period 1869 to 1929, the Archives holds Registrations dating from the early part of the nineteenth century in the form of District and County Marriage Registers.
- Deaths - The Archives holds
Death Registrations for July 1869- December 1939.
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