Alberta Civil Registration

Alberta Wiki Topics
Beginning Research
Getting Started Guided Research Research Strategies Record Finder
Record Types
Business and Commerce Cemeteries Census Church Records Civil Registration Court Records Directories Emigration & Immigration Funeral Homes Compiled Genealogies Land and Property	Military Records Municipal Records Naturalization and Citizenship Newspapers Obituaries Online Records Periodicals Probate Records Schools and Education Records Taxation Vital Records
Alberta Background
Biographies Gazetteers Jurisdictions	History Maps Populated Places Further Reading
Cultural Groups
Cultural Groups	First Nations
Local Research Resources
Archives and Libraries Societies FamilySearch Centers

Canada

Alberta

Alberta Civil Registration

Vital Records Collage.JPG

Online Records

• Alberta Birth Record Indexes, 1877-1896
• Alberta Marriage Record Indexes, 1870-1942
• Alberta Death Record Indexes, 1870-1967
• Alberta, Canada, Births Index, 1870-1896, ($).
• Alberta, Canada, Marriages Index,1898-1942, ($).
• Alberta, Canada, Deaths Index, 1870-1966, ($).

Introduction

Vital records are birth, marriage, and death records maintained by civil authorities. Civil governments have created records of births, marriages, and deaths.

Records containing this information are commonly called "vital records," because they refer to critical events in a person's life. These are the most important documents for genealogical research, although the births, marriages, and deaths of many people have never been recorded by civil authorities.

Alberta began province-wide registration of births, marriages, and deaths in 1898, which was generally complied with by 1930. There are a few records of births between 1870 and 1890.

Contents

This table tells you the genealogical information contained in birth, marriage, and death records.

Birth Records
Usually Contain	May Contain
Name of child Names of parents Birth date and place Sex Date of registration Name and address of informant Name of registration district.	Mother's maiden name Name of attending physician or midwife Ages of parents Place of birth for parents Occupation of father Remarks
Marriage Records
Usually Contain		May Contain
Name of bride and groom Date and place of marriage Ages of couple at time of marriage Residences at time of marriage Birthplaces of bride and groom (town, province, or country) Groom's rank or profession	Names of parents Name of person who performed the marriage (possible clue to family's religion) Names of witnesses (possible relatives) Date of registration	Religion of bride and groom Previous marriage (if any) Signatures of couple and witnesses
Death Records
Usually Contain	May Contain
Name of deceased Date and place of death Residence Sex Place of birth (town, province, or country) Age at death or birth date Cause of death Name of informant Name of registration district	Religion of deceased Name of spouse with maiden name Names of parents with maiden name of mother Province or country of birth for the parents Date and place of burial Military service such as dates served and unit Name, address, and relationship of informant	Name of funeral home Time of death Length and type of illness or disease Marital status Occupation Name of attending physician

Provincial Archives of Alberta

• Find Birth, Marriage, and Death Records at the Provincial Archives of Alberta--instructions for online requests.

The Provincial Archives of Alberta provides access to:

• birth records that are 120 years or older (from the date of birth)
• marriage records that are 75 years or older (from the date of marriage)
• death records that are 50 years or older (from the date of death)
• stillbirth records that are 75 years or older (from the date of stillbirth)

• When requesting the record for genealogical purposes, be sure to request a certified photocopy of a registration of birth (long form).
• To apply for a genealogical search of birth records less than 100 years old, you must be able to show that the individual is deceased, and that you are an eligible next of kin (parent, sibling, children or spouse).

Divorce

Alberta divorce records date from 1867. For information on divorce proceedings in Alberta from 1867-1919 contact the Senate of Canada at the following address:

Office of the Law Clerk and
Parliamentary Counsel
Room 304
3rd Floor
222 Queen Street
OTTAWA, ON K1A 0A4
Phone: (613) 992-2416

After 1919 divorce proceedings were handled by the provincial courts. Write to the provincial courthouse for location and availability or enquire at the county courthouse concerning indexes and searches.
Web site: Alberta Courts

Obtaining copies

The minimum fee for a birth, marriage or death certificate requested through a registry agent by an Alberta resident is $20 Canadian. Postage and handling, plus an agency fee is added on top, however, meaning that the actual fee charged will vary by registry agent. The cost for each certificate requested by people living outside of Alberta through Registry Connect is $40 Canadian, which includes GST and postage (except for rush delivery).

How to Request an Alberta Vital Record if you are living in Alberta.  Write to:

Government Services, Alberta Registries

Vital Statistics

Box 2023

Edmonton, Alberta T5J 4W7

CANADA

Phone: (780) 427-7013

Website: http://www.servicealberta.gov.ab.ca/family-and-life-events.cfm

Alberta Provincial Archives

8555 Roper Road

Edmonton, AB T6E 5W1

CANADA

Telephone: (780) 427-1750; Fax: (780) 427-4646

Email:paa@gov.ab.ca

Provincial Archives

If you did not find what you were looking for, see Tip 4 and Tip 5.

Tip: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.
• 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.
• Death records may contain birth, marriage, and burial information as well as death information.
• 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.