Northwest Territories: Genealogy resources

Are you researching ancestors who lived in the Northwest Territories? On this page, you will find information about records held at Library and Archives Canada and the NWT Archives. There are also links to online resources and to other institutions, societies and government agencies.

• Civil registration (birth, marriage and death records)
• Courts and criminal records
• Land records
• Wills and estate records
• Other resources

On July 15, 1870, the Northwest Territories became an official territory of Canada.

Before that:

• The first Indigenous peoples were the Dene. They were followed by other First Nations, Inuvialuit and Métis Nation peoples.
• Centuries of European exploration in the area led to the establishment of fur trade posts in the 1800s.
• Areas of the Northwest Territories were gradually removed to become parts of other jurisdictions: Saskatchewan and Alberta (1905), Yukon Territory (1898) and Nunavut (1999). Other areas were appended to Manitoba (1880, 1912), Ontario (1912) and Quebec (1912).
• There were many boundary changes over the years. To learn more and to view the boundary maps, visit Territorial Evolution of the Northwest Territories.
  

Civil registration (birth, marriage and death records)

Civil registration is a territorial jurisdiction. Records are held at the Registrar General of Vital Statistics of the Government of Northwest Territories. The earliest records are from 1925.

Adoption and divorce:

• Acts of Divorce, 1841–1968
• Aboriginal Custom Adoption
• Adoption in the NWT (see Adoption Registry section)

Courts and criminal records

Courts of the Northwest Territories

The NWT Archives holds the following collection: Canada: Bureau of Northwest Territories and Yukon Affairs fonds, 1921–1953. The fonds includes records of criminal investigations and prosecutions, as well as records of accidents and missing persons.

Land records

The Land Titles Office in the Northwest Territories is responsible for the registration of ownership to privately owned surveyed land. For more information, see Land Titles.

Wills and estate records

The administration of wills and estates is a territorial responsibility.

The Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories has jurisdiction over probate and estate administration.

The NWT Archives holds some files of correspondence on the Administration of Deceaseds' Estates 1926–1948.

See also Public Trustee Office.

Other resources

• Library and Archives Canada

  • Census
  • Métis scrip records
  • Residential Schools: Photographic Collections—Northwest Territories

  To find out about other types of records for genealogy research, visit our Genealogy and Family History pages, including topics.

  See also how to access the records.

  Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Fort Good Hope Mission Fonds (R559-0-2-E, microfilm M-8718)

  This fonds is a register of genealogies of 309 Dene from the Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Espérance mission at Fort Good Hope. The register contains a nominal index. It also includes the names of people who were confirmed between 1861 and 1948. Read more about this fonds.

  Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (Record Group 85)

  In the Northwest Territories and Yukon Branch series, there are some files relating to individuals. You can explore that series in Collection Search. Enter RG85 and a surname.

• NWT Archives

  The NWT Archives holds some sources for genealogy research. Consult the following links:

  • Database Basic Search
  • Listing of northern newspapers and newsletters held at the NWT Archives
  • Record of births and deaths in Fort Norman and Fort Franklin
  • Reference Library
  • Register of Riviere Couteau-Jaune
  • Special Constables in the NWT
  • Vital statistics, cemetery returns and burial permits for Arctic Red River and Fort McPherson, 1939–1943
• Other websites

  • Fort Simpson Historical Society
  • Geographic Names Program
  • Glenbow Library and Archives: Finding Aids
    Enter the word genealogy in the search box to find the Métis genealogy collections.
  • Historical Profile of the Great Slave Lake Area's Mixed European-Indian Ancestry Community
    In her report, author Gwynneth Jones included extracts of selected entries in Oblate birth, marriage and death registers (pages 156–164).
  • Hudson's Bay Company Archives
  • Inuvialuit Cultural Centre: Digital Library
  • Inuvik Centennial Library
  • NWT Place Names Database
  • Norman Wells Historical Society
  • Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre
  • Rotary Club of Slave Lake Public Library: Archives
  • That's the way we lived: an oral history of the Fort Resolution elders
  • Yellowknife Historical Society
  • Yellowknife Public Library