INTRODUCTION: COUNTY DEATH REGISTERS

Indexing by Michelle Falkjar

The first Act to Provide for the Registration of Births, Deaths, and Marriages in New Brunswick was passed in 1887. It provided that civil registers for births, marriages and deaths be created by the deputy registrars within the various counties. As a result, county death registers were created and maintained between 1888 and 1920. Legislative changes in 1920 resulted in the records being kept centrally. Those wishing to research deaths after 1920 can do so by checking the records in RS141C5.

Most of these registers were indexed by Michelle Falkjar as a volunteer project and the database was transferred to the Provincial Archives for editing, printing, and inclusion in the searchable indexes. The registers are also available on microfilm.

The register(s) contains numbered pages with columns headed: number, name of deceased and residence, when and where died, sex and age, occupation, religious denomination, certified cause of death and duration of illness, where born, name of physican if any, name, occupation and residence of informant, and when registered. The information compiled in this index includes: page, number, name, sex, age, place and county of death, place and county of residence, place and county of birth, register code, and microfilm number. Of course, those wishing to do medical history can view the remaining information on the microfilm.

Dashes (-----) in any entry indicate that the information was not given.

Name of Deceased:

For the most part, the names are transcribed and indexed as they appear in the register. Researchers should note that in cases where a woman is entered as "Mrs. Mary Smith", the entry will show only "Smith, Mary" since there is no consistent indication of marital status. However, where the woman is entered as "Mrs. Thomas Smith", she will appear in the index as "Smith, Thomas (Mrs.)" since her given name is unknown to us. In cases where the woman is entered with her maiden name "Leclerc, Marie née Fournier", she will appear twice in the index: "Leclerc, Marie" and "Fournier, Marie" to assist research.

Age:

All ages are in years: "<1" means that the child was less than one year old.

Place Names:

The counties were added to the places within the register to allow researchers to isolate data based on the county. It should be noted also that where the place of the event is outside of New Brunswick, the county field will be blank but the full reference will be found in the place field: for example, someone born in Boston will show place of birth as "USA - MA - Boston", or someone who resided in Prince Edward Island, the place of residence will be "PE". When the place name is in Canada, only the province will appear, when it is outside Canada the country name will appear, where known. This will allow all entries the United States, Ireland, etc., to be isolated. Where it is clear that the place is in New Brunswick but the county cannot be determined, a question mark (?) appears in the county field.

Errors:

This index is provided for reference purposes only. If errors are suspected, please check the register on microfilm before notifying us. If the error is ours, we will gladly rectify it.

Abbreviations:
New Brunswick Counties:
AL  Albert County
CA  Carleton County
CH  Charlotte County
GL  Gloucester County
KE  Kent County
KI  Kings County
MA  Madawaska County
NO  Northumberland County
QU  Queens County
RE  Restigouche County
SJ  Saint John County
SU  Sunbury County
VI  Victoria County
WE  Westmorland County
YO  York County

Abbreviations used for states and provinces correspond with modern international postal codes.
Canadian provinces and territories:
AB  Alberta
BC  British Columbia
MB  Manitoba
NB  New Brunswick
NF  Newfoundland
NS  Nova Scotia
NT  Northwest Territories
NU  Nunavut
ON  Ontario
PE  Prince Edward Island
QC  Quebec
SK  Saskatchewan
YT  Yukon

American states and territories:
AK  Alaska
AL  Alabama
AZ  Arizona
AR  Arkansas
CA  California
CO  Colorado
CT  Connecticut
DC  District of Columbia
FL  Florida
GA  Georgia
GU  Guam
HI  Hawaii
IA  Iowa
ID  Idaho
IL  Illinois
IN  Indiana
KE  Kentucky
KS  Kansas
KY  Kentucky
LA  Louisiana
MA  Massachusetts
MD  Maryland
ME  Maine
MI  Michigan
MN  Minnesota
MO  Missouri
MS  Mississippi
MT  Montana
NC  North Carolina
ND  North Dakota
NE  Nebraska
NH  New Hampshire
NJ  New Jersey
NM  New Mexico
NV  Nevada
NY  New York
OH  Ohio
OK  Okalahoma
OR  Oregon
PA  Pennsylvania
PR  Puerto Rico
RI  Rhode Island
SC  South Carolina
SD  South Dakota
TN  Tennessee
TX  Texas
UT  Utah
VA  Virginia
VI  Virgin Islands
VT  Vermont
WA  Washington
WI  Wisconsin
WV  West Virginia
WY  Wyoming

Our plan is to add more county death registers to this searchable database in the months and years ahead.