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Before Vital Statistics Services was established in 1906, there was no systematic recording of births, deaths, and marriages on Prince Edward Island. We must, therefore, rely primarily on surviving church records for information on such events. Vital Statistics compiled, in a card catalogue, an Index to Church Baptismal Records covering approximately the years 1777 to 1923. This card index is now housed at the Public Archives and Records Office (PARO) in Charlottetown. In response to the great demand for access to this Index, PARO has developed a Baptismal database which allows users to search the over 168,700 records online
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What information is available in the PEI Baptismal Index?
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The church records documented in the PEI Baptismal Index include such denominations as Anglican, Roman Catholic,
Presbyterian, Free Church of Scotland, United Church, and Methodist. The earliest records are from St. Paul’s
Anglican Church in Charlottetown and begin in 1777. However, the majority of the records date from 1830 on.
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Records contained in the PEI Baptismal Index generally include such information as the child's name, date of
birth and baptism, place of birth and baptism, father's and mother's (usually maiden) name, and reference to
the church record from which the information was abstracted.
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Why are records for a particular individual not available in the Index?
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Unfortunately, many church records have been destroyed through fire or flood, or have otherwise disappeared
over the years so a record of a particular individual’s baptism may no longer exist. Also, denominations like
Baptists and Bible Christians practised adult baptism or believer’s baptism and did not keep records of the
actual birth dates of the individuals.
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Is it possible to obtain a copy of a baptismal certificate?
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The Public Archives and Records Office cannot issue baptismal certificates. However, PARO has microfilmed a
large number of church records from parishes across Prince Edward Island. (Descriptions of some of these church
records are available in Archives PEI, the Archives Council of Prince Edward Island's database of descriptions of
archival holdings.) A microfilm copy print of the actual baptismal record from a church record book can be ordered
through the Individual Results page. The charge is $5.00 plus applicable taxes, Canadian funds.
*Please note that baptismal records created by the following churches are unavailable on microfilm:
- York United
- Kensington United
- Kensington Presbyterian
- St. Peters Bay R. C.
- St. Georges Parish
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Are the church records available through other sources?
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Although the Public Archives of Prince Edward Island does not participate in any interlibrary loan service,
certain church records are available through interlibrary loan from other sources including Libraries and Archives
Canada and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
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Where are baptismal/birth records dated after 1923 located?
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Civil records for births after 1923 are held by the Office of Vital Statistics. Due to privacy considerations, there are restrictions on when these records are transferred to the Public Archives and Records Office to be made publicly available. At present, birth records are restricted for 120 years after the date of the event. For births still under restrictions, clients must apply through the
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Office of Vital Statistics
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Department of Health and Wellness
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126 Douses Rd.
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P.O. Box 3000
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Montague, PE C0A 1R0
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Birth records starting in 1900 and marriage records dating from 1910 on are considered confidential. All records
are subject to search and copy fees. Please contact the Department of Vital Statistics Services for further information.
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This information has been taken from website "Public Archives and Records Office"