Nova Scotia is often the starting point for Atlantic Canadian family history, but its complex record availability requires a specialized strategy. Success depends on moving beyond commercial sites and leveraging the unique collections housed at the Nova Scotia Archives (NSA) for vital statistics, wills, and historical records.
Nova Scotia is Latin for “New Scotland”.
Population: 971,395 (2019)
Capital: Halifax Regional Municipality
Area: 55,284 km²
Canadian Postal abbr.: NS
Capital (and largest city): Halifax
Confederation: 1 July 1867 (1st, with New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec)
Demonym(s): Nova Scotian, Bluenoser
Counties & Municipal Districts Including Former and Dissolved
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_municipalities_in_Nova_Scotia
Cities and Towns
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_population_centres_in_Nova_Scotia
Essential Records at the Nova Scotia Archives (NSA)
The Nova Scotia Archives is your single most important resource. Many of their valuable records are digitized and available online.
Nova Scotia Archives
- Search for Births (up to 1918), Marriages (up to 1943), and Deaths (up to 1968). Note that coverage can be scattered and incomplete in the earliest periods.
- Search their database for Wills and Estate Papers.
Genealogical Societies
Facebook Pages & Groups
- Atlantic Canada DNA Genealogy
- Cape Breton Genealogy Research
- Nova Scotia Genealogy
- Nova Scotia Genealogy –
- Pictou County Genealogy
- Guysborough County Genealogy
- Cape Breton Cousins – A Genealogical Research Group
Specialized Research Strategies & Resources
Newspapers Available Online
Newspapers are vital for finding obituaries, probate notices, and social news.
- Comprehensive site with extensive lists of newspapers.
- The Ancestor Hunt – Nova Scotia
- Holdings at the Nova Scotia archives.
- Nova Scotia digitized historical newspapers
- News Papers by Community from Google Newspapers
- Halifax
- The British Colonist 1823-1890
- Halifax Citizen 1863-1873
- The Unionist 1869-
- Morning Journal 1854-1859
- The Church Guardian 1879-1895
- The Maritime Grocer and Commercial Review 1893-1895
- The Maritime Merchant 1898-1920
- The Royal Gazette 1785-1858
- The Maritime Merchant and Commercial Review 1897-1914
- The Citizen 1873-1873
- The Halifax Gazette 1752-1780
- Halifax Morning Sun 1862-1867
- Acadian Recorder 1854-1861
- The Wesleyan 1883-1884
- The Novascotian / Colonial Herald 1827-1830
- Pictou
- The Colonial Patriot 1827-1834
- Sydney
- Cape Breton Post 1901-1973
- Yarmouth
- The Yarmouth Herald 1810-1940
Local Histories (Including Cape Breton)
Local histories offer critical context for family research.
- Cape Breton
- Beaton Institute
- History of Inverness County, Nova Scotia
- History of the Presbyterian Church in Cape Breton
- Northern Nova Scotia
- Pictonians at Home and Abroad Halifax Region
- Prospect Region
Other Resources
- Consult Nova Scotia Records Collection and Nova Scotia Guided Research
- Explore books such as Highland Emigration to Nova Scotia and Our Children in Old Scotland and Nova Scotia By E. M. Stirling the Founder of the Edinburgh and Leith Children’s Aid and Refuge Society
- Search specialized records like the List of Nova Scotia Casualties WWII.
Ready to Dive Deeper into Nova Scotia?
You have the records and the strategies. The key to unlocking your Nova Scotia family history is persistence in the provincial archives and connecting with local institutions.
- Need Expert Guidance? If your brick wall involves a missing pre-1871 record or an elusive Loyalist ancestor, get a personalized Research Plan or Brick Wall Busting Session with an Atlantic Canada expwer.
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