It is important to note that you are researching registrations as opposed to certificates. Certificates are documents produced by the Office of the Registrar General on demand for people who need them for various purposes. Registrations are the original data recorded, from which certificates were produced. You do not need a certificate for family history purposes. If you need records for legal purposes, you can have certified copies made.

The Archives of Ontario holds death registrations in three different formats. Between 1869 and 1896, registrations were recorded in a half-column format (six registrations to a page). From 1897 to 1906, deaths were recorded in a "cross-line" format. These registrations should be read from left to right across two pages. After 1907 deaths were recorded using a full-column format (three registrations per page) and included additional information. Click on the thumbnails below for examples of each format.

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Death Registration 1869 to 1896

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Death Registration 1897 to 1907

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Death Registration 1908 to 1935