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Information about parents and the birth date and birthplace may be inaccurate since the person giving the information may not have had complete information. Some information may not have been required by authorities at the time. | Information about parents and the birth date and birthplace may be inaccurate since the person giving the information may not have had complete information. Some information may not have been required by authorities at the time. | ||
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== Research Strategies == | |||
=== What You Are Looking For === | |||
The information you find varies from record to record. Marriages may include: | |||
*Name of your ancestor | |||
*Name of his or her spouse or fiance(e) | |||
*Date and place of marriage or intention to marry | |||
*Names of witnesses or bondsmen | |||
*After 1858, names of parents of the bride and groom | |||
=== Steps for Using Vital Records (Civil Registration) === | |||
==== 1. Decide what years to search and where ==== | |||
==== 2. Use an index ==== | |||
==== 3. Obtain and search the record ==== | |||
==== 4. Analyze the record ==== | |||
=== Search Death-related records first === | |||
Why might it be better to look for the death record of an ancestor first? | |||
*Your ancestor's death is more recent than his birth or marriage. It is usually best to work from recent events backward, from the known to the unknown. | |||
*The death record usually tells you where your ancestor last lived. Then you can look for other records for that place. | |||
*The death record may lead you to other documents created in connection with the death, such as the burial and probate of your ancestor. Those records may give new family information. | |||
*Death records may contain birth, marriage, and burial information as well as death information. | |||
*Death records exist for many persons born before birth and marriage records began. Death records may contain birth and marriage information not available anywhere else. | |||
=== Analyze the record === | |||
Ask yourself these questions to use the record effectively: | |||
*What dates does this record provide? | |||
*What ages are given? | |||
*What places are mentioned in this record? | |||
*Are parents or a spouse named? | |||
*Are witnesses to the event related to the family? | |||
*Who provided the information? Was that person someone who knew the family well? | |||
*Does the death record give the name of the cemetery or funeral home? You may be able to search those records for more information. | |||
*Does the information from the record fit with what you know about the family from other records? If it does not agree, it may have been miscopied by a clerk. Check your sources. | |||
=== How do I find the year and place of a marriage? === | |||
To find a marriage record, you will need the approximate year and place the event happened. You may need to search other records to find clues about this. | |||
Expand your search of marriage records to include family members, such as brothers and sisters and possible relatives found in the area where your ancestor lived. This can help narrow down the place to search in other records. | |||
See what records exist in the family, such as Bibles, letters, obituary clippings, or records from previous research by yourself or a family member. | |||
Then check records that exist for the area where your ancestor lived. For a list of types of records that may be available for your ancestor, see Tip 5. [to fix] | |||
For other ideas on locating your ancestor, see [[How to Locate Your Ancestor in Canada|How to Locate Your Ancestor in Canada]]. | |||
If you are not sure a person you found is your ancestor, see How to Recognize Your Ancestor in Canada. | |||
=== Why can't I find a vital record? === | |||
Some possible reasons are: | |||
*Your ancestor might have lived in a different place from where you were looking for the birth, marriage, or death. | |||
*Your ancestor may have used a nickname or a different surname, or the registrar spelled the name wrong. See *[[Name Variations in Canadian Indexes and Records|Name Variations in Canadian Indexes and Records]] . | |||
*Your ancestor might have lived at a slightly different time from the years you were looking. | |||
*Not every birth, marriage, or death was registered. | |||
You can check: | |||
*The information you have for possible errors. | |||
*If your ancestor might have lived in a different place. | |||
*If your ancestor might have lived at a slightly different time. | |||
*If your ancestor's name might be recorded under: | |||
:#A different spelling. | |||
:#A nickname. | |||
:#An Americanization of a foreign surname. | |||
Sometimes vital records were not recorded for various reasons, even when required. | |||
For other ideas see: | |||
*[[How to Recognize your Canadian Ancestor|How to Recognize your Canadian Ancestor]] | |||
*[[Name Variations in Canadian Indexes and Records|Name Variations in Canadian Indexes and Records]] | |||
*[[How to Locate Your Ancestor in Canada|How to Locate Your Ancestor in Canada]] | |||
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== Locating Vital Records == | == Locating Vital Records == | ||
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[http://www.ingeneas.com/ingeneas/index.html inGeneas database] - May contain birth, death and marriage records. | [http://www.ingeneas.com/ingeneas/index.html inGeneas database] - May contain birth, death and marriage records. | ||
[[Category:Canada]] | [[Category:Canada]] | ||