Deaths / Burials

Burial certificate of Catherine Augusta and Albert, children of Anthony Von Iffland and Elisabeth Allen, 1844 and 1863. Library and Archives Canada, MG 8 F89, vol. 8, p. 4776-4777, reel C-14034.

The death or burial record generally provides:

• date of death or burial;
• name of the deceased, occupation and place of residence;
• name of spouse or names of parents;
• age at time of death and cause of death; and
• names of witnesses.

Deaths are recorded in parish registers or in civil registers.

Research at Library and Archives Canada

Records relating to accidental deaths that involved water, land or air transport can be found in our Canadian Transport Commission fonds (RG 46) for 1904 to 1976. Records can be searched using the Government of Canada Files database.

Keywords: surname and "killed," "death," "died," "murdered" or "fatal"
Record Group: 46

For railway accidents, also see Record Group 30.

Accidental deaths, suicides, etc., The Dominion Annual Register, 1882, p. 223.

Accidental and criminal deaths in the western provinces were usually reported in the records of the North West Mounted Police (RG 18). Records can be searched using the Government of Canada Files database.

Keywords: surname and "killed," "death" or "fatal"
Record Group: 18

Information about annual political and parliamentary events was published in The Dominion Annual Register and Review. For the years 1878-1886, lists of suicides and accidental deaths are also included. The pages from the 1886 edition are available online on Bill Martin's Genealogy Pages Web Site [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/%7Ewjmartin/1886.htm].

Accidental deaths are usually reported in Newspapers.

Research in Provincial Sources

Many Provincial and Territorial Archives hold records relating to deaths, coroners' reports, etc. Some archives offer on their Web site databases relating to these topics.

Research in Other Institutions

Funeral Homes

If you can identify the funeral home responsible for an individual's burial, you might wish to contact them to inquire about their records.

Some funeral homes have Web sites on which they list recent funerals. The Canadian Funeral Homes [www.generations.on.ca/funeral.htm] can also be used to locate funeral homes by place.

Some funeral homes have deposited their older records in provincial or other local archives. Consult CAIN [www.archivescanada.ca/]. Select Title Keyword and enter "funeral home."

Research Online

Some Canadians died in the United States. The US Social Security Death Index [www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=ssdi/search_ssdi.asp&clear;_form=true] is available free at Familysearch.org. Please note that there is no equivalent index or database for Canadian deaths. The records are held by each province and territory, as explained under Civil Registration.

Newspaper obituaries often provide details about the deceased such as military service, information about the individual's career and usually the names and places of residence of surviving family members. Some obituaries have been indexed and can be searched on the Obituary Daily Times [www.rootsweb.com/~obituary/] and Canadian Obituary Links [http://obit.obitlinkspage.com/canada.htm] Web sites.

Use AVITUS to find other Web sites that provide online indexes to various types of death records.

Related Topics

War Graves
Newspapers
Justice