There was big news on Wednesday from Newfoundland and Labrador.
Vital statistics records for deaths registered in Newfoundland and Labrador from 1950 to 1968 are now available online on The Rooms website, and there’s more to come.
These newly added death certificates can be found on a searchable database in the The Rooms’ Our Collections.
Marriage, birth and additional death records will be added to the archives’ website in the near future.
“Digitalizing these vital statistics records is bringing our history into the present in a modern, accessible way,” said the Honourable Steve Crocker, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation. “In doing so, The Rooms is further cementing its own place as the province’s largest cultural facility – not only for the appreciation and exploration of art, heritage and culture, but for archival research, as well.”
The minister added, “I expect this new development to entice more Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to explore their ancestries and family trees.”
In 2021, Digital Government and Service NL’s Vital Statistics Division provided an initial transfer of 59,698 death certificates, to allow public access for research purposes. This is the first time a collection of vital statistics records has been digitally transferred to The Rooms Provincial Archives.
Searchable database
The Vital Statistics database can be searched by keyword, such as name, date of death, sex, marital status, place of death, and date of registration of death.
Attached to each individual record is a digital reproduction of the individual’s registration of death.
Anne Chafe, CEO of The Rooms Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador, said, “Digital transfer of vital statistics records is an exciting milestone for The Rooms. These records are essential for genealogical research, and making them publicly available is one of our core archival services.”
The Rooms Provincial Archives holds many genealogical research sources, in paper and microfilm format, including: Vital Statistics (pre-1892), Vital Statistics (1891-1949) collections, parish records, census records, the All Newfoundland Births, Family History Collection (MG 929), Gert Crosbie collection, Mildred Howard collection and select newspapers.
Pre-1950 vital statistics
As for earlier online vital statistics records, FamilySearch’s collection, Canada, Newfoundland Vital Records, 1840-1949, can be searched for free, and Ancestry subscribers can search the Newfoundland, Canada, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1850-1949, collection. Both genealogy websites also maintain church records prior to 1950.
