If you have ancestors from Nova Scotia, a new genealogy database allows you to search for them in certain birth, marriage and death records, for free online.

The records include one million names found in birth records from 1864 to 1877, marriages from 1864 to 1930, and death records from 1864 to 1877 and 1908 to 1955. Users can search the database at www.novascotiagenealogy.com

The database was made possible in a joint effort by the Genealogical Society of Utah, FamilySearch, and the Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management.

A FamilySearch news release states that Nova Scotia is the first province in Canada to digitize all of its historical vital statistics and make them available online.

“This project provides key information to researchers on their ancestors,” said Genealogical Society of Utah regional manager Alain Allard. “It involves the vital records—births, marriages, and deaths—which are a key record set to find, identify, and link ancestors into family units.”

The Genealogical Society of Utah first microfilmed most of Nova Scotia’s vital records back in the 1980’s. In 2005, it used FamilySearch Scanning to convert those microfilms to digital images, while at the same time capturing additional vital records with a specially designed digital camera. Volunteers for the Nova Scotia Archives then used the images to create the searchable electronic index, which was completed in 2006.

Anyone can now search names in the index and view a high quality digital copy of the original image online for free at www.novascotiagenealogy.com.

In the near future, the index and images will also be available on FamilySearch.org. Researchers who want to obtain copies of a record can do so online through the Nova Scotia Archives. The cost will be CAN$9.95 for an electronic file and CAN$19.95, plus shipping and taxes, for archival–quality certified paper copies.