Record Atlas
116 FamilySearch collections · 3 archives · 461 places · 1621–2015

Canada

Where the records of Canada are, who holds them, and what it costs to look. 77,213,759 indexed records reachable through FamilySearch alone.

Where to start in Canada

2 of the 3 checked sources here can be opened tonight. 2are free images with no account. 1is paid or part-paid. On top of that, 9 worldwide services reach Canada without a subscription.

Write to BAnQ numérique — Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Library and Archives Canada for what is not online. FamilySearch has 116 collections covering it, running 1621–2015, 77,213,759 indexed records. 2 pieces of this ground are mapped for jurisdiction, so the atlas can say whose archive held it in a given year.

461 places placed, 55 volumes walked. Open Canada on the map, or tell us what is missing.

Whose archive this ground was

Record regions mapped in Canada — which empire held the ground, and therefore which archive holds its paper.

The archives

And 12 worldwide providers reach Canada too — the full list.

116 FamilySearch collections

Grouped by the ground each one covers, province by province, with the nationwide indexes last. A free account opens the images; some are restricted to a Family History Centre.

New Brunswick 18
Newfoundland and Labrador 6
Northwest Territories 1

29 more collections, contributed

A directory David assembled, sorted by what kind of record each one is. Read this differently from the rest of the page. The descriptions are his, not an archive's catalogue, and nobody here has opened the volumes behind them. Every link was tried on 2026-09-20 and answered; the ones that did not are not listed.

Church and parish registers 1
Civil registration and vital records 13
Probate, land and notarial 13
Cemeteries and burials 2
General historical archives 1

461 places, 55 volumes

The 250 carrying the most collections are listed; 211 more are in Canada and on the map. Every place lists them all.

Every country · The map