Source: educanada.ca
One of the main goals for genealogists is finding birth, marriage, and death (BMD) information about their ancestors.
Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians and archivists (as well as the largest of them all - FamilySearch), a great number of indexes to birth, marriage, and death collections have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes provide specific BMD information, and often scanned images of the actual birth, marriage, and death certificates themselves. These free online collections have hundreds of millions of records in them in total.
There are a great number of online and offline collections that may include birth, marriage, and death information that are not included in the lists below. For example, newspapers, draft registration files, naturalization records, etc. have BMD info. To find out which types of other records may include BMD information, please see:
- 27 Ways to Find Ancestor Birth Information
- 22 Ways to Find Ancestors Marriage Information
- 21 Ways to Find Ancestors Death Information
The lists below are specific birth, marriage, and death indexes and record collections that are available for free online:
(Please note that there are a substantial number of vital record indexes available via RootsWeb. This site is currently unavailable and undergoing a significant re-construction. I will add these record indexes in a future update when RootsWeb comes back online)
General Canada
- Canada Births and Baptisms, 1661-1959
- Canada Deaths and Burials, 1664-1955
- Canada Marriages, 1661-1949
Alberta
- Drumheller Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- Provincial Archives - Births
- Provincial Archives - Marriages 1870-1942
- Provincial Archives - Deaths 1870-1967
- Edmonton and Calgary Deaths and Marriages
- Alberta Family Histories Society - Newspaper Birth, Marriage, and Death Index
British Columbia
- British Columbia Birth Registrations, 1854-1903
- British Columbia Death Registrations, 1872-1986; 1992-1993
- British Columbia Marriage Registrations, 1859-1932; 1937-1938
- Victoria Times Birth, Marriage and Death Notices, 1901-1939
- BC Archives - Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- Victoria Death Notices Index 1901-1939
- Victoria Marriage Notices Index 1901-1939
Manitoba
- Manitoba Church Records, 1800-1959
- Manitoba Vital Statistics Agency - Birth, Marriage, and Death Index
- Manitoba Pioneers Index
- Red River Ancestor Index
- Western Manitoba Birth, Death and Marriage Index
New Brunswick
- New Brunswick Births and Baptisms, 1819-1899
- New Brunswick Death Certificates, 1920-1934
- New Brunswick Death Certificates, 1935-1938
- New Brunswick Late Registration of Births, 1810-1899
- New Brunswick Marriage Registers, 1789-1889
- New Brunswick Provincial Deaths, 1815-1938
- New Brunswick Provincial Marriages 1789-1950
- New Brunswick Provincial Returns of Marriages and Late Registrations, 1920-1950
- New Brunswick Provincial Returns of Marriages, 1887-1919
- New Brunswick, County Registers of Births, ca. 1812-1919
- New Brunswick, Provincial Returns of Births and Late Registrations, 1810-1906
- New Brunswick, Provincial Returns of Deaths, 1815-1919
- Daniel F Johnson's New Brunswick Newspaper Vital Statistics
- Death Registration of Soldiers, 1941-1947
- Grand Manan Marriage Records
- Marriage Bonds 1810-1932
- Provincial Archives Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- Saint John Globe Deaths 1897-1926
Newfoundland and Labrador
- Newfoundland Vital Records, 1840-1949
- Newfoundland Church Records, 1793-1945
- Newfoundland Vital Statistics, 1753-1893
- Vital Statistics for Newfoundland
- Newfoundland and Labrador Parish Records
Nova Scotia
- Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics
- Nova Scotia Births and Baptisms, 1702-1896
- Nova Scotia Births, 1864-1877
- Nova Scotia Deaths, 1864-1877
- Nova Scotia Deaths, 1890-1955
- Nova Scotia Deaths, 1956-1957
- Nova Scotia Delayed Births, 1837-1904
- Nova Scotia Marriages, 1711-1909
- Nova Scotia Marriages, 1864-1918
- Nova Scotia Marriages, 1907-1932
- Nova Scotia Church Records, 1720-2001
- Nova Scotia Vital Records, 1763-1957
- Antigonish Catholic Diocese Vital Records 1823-1905
Ontario
- Ontario Births and Baptisms, 1779-1899
- Ontario Births, 1869-1912
- Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947
- Ontario Marriages, 1800-1910
- Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927
- Ontario, County Marriage Registers, 1858-1869
- Ontario, District Marriage Registers, 1801-1858
- Ontario, Roman Catholic Church Records, 1760-1923
- Marriage Bonds, 1779-1858 - Lower & Upper Canada
- Canadian Necrology Database
- Ontario Genealogical Society Provincial Index
- Olive Tree Genealogy Ontario Vital Records
Prince Edward Island
- Public Archives and Records Office Collections - Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths Database
- Prince Edward Island Death Card Index, 1721-1905
- Prince Edward Island Marriage Registers, 1832-1888
- Prince Edward island Baptism Card Index 1721-1885
- Prince Edward Island Church Records, 1777-1985
- Miscellaneous Prince Edward Island Deaths 1878-1886
Quebec
- Quebec Births and Baptisms, 1662-1898
- Quebec Index to Civil Copy of Church Records, 1642-1902
- Quebec, Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979
- Quebec, Non-Catholic Parish Registers, 1763-1967
- Quebec, Quebec Federation of Genealogical Societies, Family Origins, 1621-1865
- Marriage Bonds, 1779-1858 - Lower & Upper Canada
- Miscellaneous Quebec Deaths 1878-1886
- Miscellaneous Vital Records in Online Databases of the National Archives of Quebec
- Southwestern Quebec Genealogical Resources
Saskatchewan
- Saskatchewan Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Saskatchewan, Catholic Church Records, 1846-1957
- Saskatchewan Provincial Records, 1879-1987
- Saskatchewan News Index 1884-2000 (includes BMD articles)
Territories
Happy Hunting!
RSS Feed
