Marriage Sunday: Using Marriage Records to Find Your Ancestors

Cardinal McGuigan at the 1947 wedding of his sister Alice
at St. Michael's Cathedral.
PH 09F.18P

This weekend, February 7th -8th 2015, the Archdiocese of Toronto will celebrate Marriage Sunday.

Here in the archives, one of our jobs is to help people find their Catholic ancestors, so when we think of marriage we think of genealogy. In Ontario, civil marriage records before 1869 were kept by county governments. Before 1858, they were kept by district. Since Catholics are traditionally great record keepers, one way for genealogists to complement civil records is to search Church marriage registers.





One of the earliest marriage records held by ARCAT is from 1830:

"1830 M.1. John S. Kelly to Catherine Shaughnessy - September 27th were married, after three publications of Banns, John S Kelly and Catherine Shaughnessy residing in the township of Toronto. Witnesses: Charles Doherty, Thomas Shaughnessy, David Baites, By me Edward Gordon."  From the register entitled A Register of the Baptisms performed by The Revd. Edward Gordon, in the Townships above York, now Toronto, during his mission of three years and five months.

The earliest records vary in the amount of detail that was recorded, but here we are able to learn the names of the bride and groom, the date they were married, who the witnesses to their marriage were, and where they were living.

Starting in 1858, after An Act to Amend the Laws relating to the Solemnization of Matrimony in Upper Canada,  clergy were required to send marriage records to their local county officials.   Marriage registers started looking like this:

St. Michael's Cathedral Marriage Register starting 1858

In the above register, the couples' names, ages, place of residence, place of birth, names of parents (including the mother's maiden name) and witnesses and date of marriage are recorded. All very valuable information to genealogists!

St. Basil's Marriage Register starting 1858

While many registers just list the country of birth, this St. Basil's register goes so far as to list the town where each registered person is born. In this case, the groom was born in Goresbridge, County Kilkenny, Ireland.

ARCAT holds a few original registers, but most are held by individual parishes. Originals are not available to researchers, but there are a few ways to access copies. Check the ARCAT page on the archdiocesan website to find the option that is best for you. We are always available to guide you in your search.

Check here for a history of marriage records and practices in Ontario.

Yousuf Karsh: Renowned Portrait Photographer

Pope Pius XII. Albert Einstein. Winston Churchill. Ernest Hemingway. Fidel Castro. Audrey Hepburn. Queen Elizabeth II. The Marx Brothers. Marshall McLuhan. James Cardinal McGuigan. G. Emmett Cardinal Carter.

What do these people have in common? They are only a few of the subjects of prolific photographer Yousuf Karsh.

Born in Armenia in 1908, Karsh was brought to Canada by his uncle in 1924 and apprenticed with portraitist John H. Garo in Boston from 1928-1931. Karsh set up his own shop in Ottawa in 1931, and achieved international success in 1941 when his portrait of Winston Churchill was featured on the cover of Life Magazine.

Over his five-decade career, Karsh photographed many important and influential people. His work has been featured in many books and exhibits, and he received many industry, academic, and national awards. He passed away in 2002.

Cardinal McGuigan and Cardinal Carter were lucky enough to be captured by Karsh's artistic vision:

Photographic portrait of James C. Cardinal McGuigan taken by Yousuf Karsh in a left side profile pose and kneeling in prayer in front of a framed tapestry of the Madonna and Child.  He is wearing a cappa magna with a fur stole and a zucchetto, and is holding a biretta.

Photographic portrait of James C. Cardinal McGuigan by Yousuf Karsh in a standing pose, wearing episcopal dress, zucchetto, and cappa magna and  is holding his biretta in his right hand.  

Photographic portrait of G. Emmett Cardinal Carter by Yousuf Karsh in Archbishop's choir dress before he was created Cardinal.

Photographic portrait of G. Emmett Cardinal Carter taken by Yousuf Karsh, in a seated, side view pose, facing the camera.  The photograph was taken in St. Michael's Cathedral, Toronto, ON

Please visit the Yousuf Karsh official website for more information.
Check the Library and Archives Canada website for information about their extensive Karsh holdings.

Record of the Week: Toronto Visits St. Peter's

On this day in 1626, St. Peter's Basilica in Rome was dedicated by Pope Urban VIII exactly 1300 years after the dedication of the original St. Peter's by Pope Sylvester I.

For almost a millennium and a half, St. Peter's has been a popular destination for Catholics from all over the world who go to admire and be inspired by the architecture and art. Toronto Catholics are no exception. Below are a few items from the Archives which document a few visits by Toronto Ordinaries to the famous basilica:

A document certifying that the 'Illustrious and Reverend Joseph Lynch, Bishop of Toronto' visited Pope Pius IX at the 'Basilica of the Principle Apostle' on the 9th day of June, 1862. 

Cardinal McGuigan posing in St. Peter's Square

An undated photograph of delegates to the Second Vatican Council from the back of St. Peter's facing the Holy Father.  Cardinal McGuigan and Archbishop Pocock both served as Council Fathers. 

A cardboard model of St. Peter's Dome created and donated to ARCAT by Fr. Joseph Fenech 

To visit St. Peter's Basilica without leaving your keyboard, check out the virtual tour on the Vatican website.