Births, Marriages & Deaths were recorded initially by the church through their logs of baptisms, marriage ceremonies and burials. Few of these records survive and those that do can be a challenge to locate as there isn't a central respository for church records.
In 1763 when Ontario came under British rule, it was expected that the population would be mostly, if not all, Anglican (Church of England). Therefore marriage was not legally recognized unless performed by an Anglican minister. The Marriage Act of 1793 allowed military officers, magistrates, and later, Justics of the Peace, to perform marriages if the couple lived more than 18 miles from an Anglican Minister and if the district in which they lived had less than five Anglican clergymen. If there were more than five the couple would have to travel to one to be married.
By 1900 laws restricting marriage based on religion were more tolerant and any religious marriage was legally recognized. Before then, if your ancestors were:
| Religion | Year the religion received the rights to perform marriage in Ontario |
|---|---|
| Anglican (Church of England) | 1763 |
| Baptist | 1831 |
| Calvinist | 1798 if the minister was certified and had taken an Oath of Allegiance |
| Catholic | 1798 but marriages were not legally recognized until 1847 |
| Church of Scotland | 1798 |
| Congregationalist | 1831 |
| Dunkers | 1831 |
| Independents | 1831 |
| Jewish | Recognized but not legal until 1857 |
| Lutheran | 1798 if the minister was certified and had taken an Oath of Allegiance |
| Mennonites | 1831 |
| Methodist | 1831 but in the early years couples were required to give an Oath of Allegiance |
| Moravians | 1831 |
| Presbyterian | 1798 if the minister was certified and had taken an Oath of Allegiance |
| Record | Years Available | Who Can Obtain the Record | Where Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriages | before 1793 | - Anyone | See Church Records |
| District Marriage Registers | 1793-1858 | - Anyone | Archives of Ontario Family Search (c1800-1858) $ Ancestry (c1800-1858) |
| Early entries in the District Marriage Register were few as couples were only entered if they paid a fee. After 1831, any non-Anglican or non-Catholic marriages were required to be registered. After 1858 all marriages regardless of religion were to be registered. | |||
| County Marriage Registers | 1858-1869 | - Anyone | Archives of Ontario Family Search (1858-1869) $ Ancestry (1858-1869) |
| Marriage Registrations | 1869- | - Anyone | Archives of Ontario Family Search (1869-1927) $ Ancestry (1869-1937) |
| Marriage Certificates | - | - Either spouse - Next-of-kin or executor if both spouses are deceased | $ Registrar General |
Registrations vs. Certificates: Registrations are recorded when a marriage is performed. Until the early 1900's, at the end of each year registrations were copied into a book and sent to the government. This book is what was microfilmed (later digitized). If originals were kept they would have remained with the church. Certificates are certified copies of a registration and are issued by the government but only for the years indicated above. Certificates may or may not include all the information available on the registration.
| Information in a marriage registration | Years this information is included |
|---|---|
| Names* at time of marriage | 1793+ |
| Ages | 1857+ |
| Place of birth | 1857+ |
| Married by License or Banns | 1869+ |
| Groom's occupation | 1869+ |
| Religion | 1869+ |
| Residence | 1857+ |
| Marital status | 1869+ |
| Fathers names | 1857+ |
| Mothers names | 1857+ |
| Mothers maiden names | 1905+ |
| Marriage date | 1857+ |
| Marriage place | 1857+ |
| Married by | 1869+ |
| Fathers place of birth | 1920+ |
| Witnesses | 1869+ |
* The bride's surname will either be her maiden name, if a spinster, or the surname of her previous husband. Keep in mind that some 'widows' were actually divorcees.
