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June 6, 2005

Marriage Bonds Ontario & Quebec 1779-1865 online

It is difficult to trace a marriage that took place in a Protestant church in Quebec(Lower Canada) and Ontario (Upper Canada) before 1867.

Marriage bonds were prepared for Protestant marriages by licence. After obtaining the bond, a licence was issued and the marriage took place a few days later.

Library and Archives Canada holds:

2960 marriage bonds for Lower Canada (Quebec) issued between 1779 and 1858

7899 marriage bonds for Upper Canada (Ontario) issued between 1803 and 1865

A typical search reveals:

~ Name of the future husband
~ Name of the future wife
~ Their place of residence
~ Names of the sureties (people who knew the groom and would guarantee that no legal reasons existed why the couple could not marry)
~ Date and place where the bond was issued

These bonds are now searchable online at Library & Archives Canada at

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/022/012/index-e.html