The diocesan Archives is asking congregations to bring their old, fragile or inactive parish registers to Synod for transfer to the Archives, where they can be cared for in ideal conditions and kept safe from fire.
The Archives is the repository for Synod records and parish records and owes its existence to Bishop Frederick Wilkinson, who, just one year after his election as bishop in 1955, put into action a plan to preserve the records of the diocese. In 1956, he wrote to the following individuals to let them know he had appointed an Archives committee, and they would constitute the membership: the Rev. Dr. T. R. Millman, the Rev. H.N.W. Bracken, the Rev. B.G. Brightling, Professor W.H. Clawson and Dr. G.W. Spragge. They invited the diocesan historiographer, the Rev. Canon R.W. Allen, to be honorary chairman. Canon Allen’s collection, which was deposited in the Archives in 1959, is a typed compilation of information about important dates and events in the life of every congregation in the diocese up to 1957, obtained from various sources. We still routinely reference this collection almost 70 years later.
At the first Archives Committee meeting on Sept. 18, 1956, the committee established its mandate to collect, amongst other things, the registers and vestry minutes of churches. Between 1956 and 1983, the committee received 680 parish registers for deposit in the Archives. In 1983, the decision was made to hire an archivist, and more robust processes were put in place for documenting the transfer of records.
Since 1984, the Archives collection has grown extensively, with the addition of more than 500 accessions of material from 219 parishes. Within these accessions are over 1,900 parish registers, which include baptisms, confirmations, marriages and burials dating from as early as 1797. Some of these registers have come to the Archives showing significant signs of deterioration, while others have been damaged by floods or fires. Deterioration and damage can lead to the loss of information within the registers. Additionally, there are significant gaps in certain parish records due to the loss of registers in fires. In the Archives, we aim to prevent loss of information through our preservation and conservation efforts.
While at one time these registers might have been filled within 10 years, today we find that some registers are used longer, containing 30 or more years of records. In some cases, parishes hold on to completed registers with records going back 50 years or more. If a flood or fire were to occur, this could result in the loss of years of irreplaceable records. While some may argue that the provincial government maintains birth registrations and marriage registrations, there are times when these events have not been properly registered with the government, so baptism and marriage records in church registers are of vital importance for confirming information. This may allow for a late registration of a marriage where the marriage license was not received by the government after the marriage was solemnized, or where the marriage occurred by banns only and the necessary paperwork was not received by the government. For baptism records, these might help to provide evidence that the name as recorded on the birth registration was misspelled, or the date of birth was incorrectly recorded. These records may also be needed when someone is asked to be a godparent.
Beyond those very important reasons to ensure the records are maintained, there is the value that these records hold to genealogists researching their family history. While their access is limited to records that are considered open to the public, at some point in the future, a descendant of an individual may want to see the entry in the register to understand the person’s connection to the church. These registers also tell a story to future generations about those who attended a church, what the church demographics were and how families changed over time.
When these registers are transferred to the diocesan Archives, we ensure their ongoing preservation by storing them in a climate-controlled vault with a fire suppression system. These measures slow down deterioration, as the registers are kept at an optimal, consistent temperature and humidity without significant fluctuations, which may occur in a church building. Having the registers at the Archives allows our team to provide a copy of a baptism or marriage record to an individual who may need it for legal purposes or for their own family records. Certified copies can be provided when needed and any information about other individuals, when a page contains multiple entries, can be properly redacted for privacy. We can also help individuals who may be unsure which church they were baptised at, saving them the time and frustration of trying to connect to several congregations to conduct searches.
We honour the original members of the Archives Committee and Bishop Wilkinson by continuing to acquire and preserve registers from our parishes. We encourage parishes to transfer their registers to the Archives if they are full and no longer in use or if they contain records older than 30 years or are fragile but still have space. New registers can be purchased through the Anglican Church of Canada’s e-store.
To help facilitate these records being transferred to the Archives, particularly for those congregations who worship in the far reaches of our diocese, we will be accepting parish registers at Synod in November. The Archives will have a display table where you can bring your registers, along with a record transfer form, to deposit the records with us. The registers will be transported back to the Archives at the end of the day on the Friday of Synod – Nov. 7. We look forward to seeing you there!
Be renewed in the Spirit