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Post–Deportation Argyle – First 50 Years of Catholic Parish Records 1799-1849

The resource presented here results from a partnership between the Argyle Township Court House and Archives, who created the product in its entirety, and the Nova Scotia Archives, who provided technical assistance in integrating, and then hosting, the final results.

Researchers will find here a searchable database providing the names of all Roman Catholics baptized, married or buried, 1799-1849, in the predominantly Acadian French township of Argyle, Yarmouth County, as recorded in the first eleven parish registers, all of which have survived.

Each of the 4575 records included in the database is linked to a data table presenting, in both French and English, key information about the event. Below the data table is a digitized image of the page on which the original register entry is found, and another link leading to a full transcription, in French, of that same page. A surname index elsewhere on the site helps researchers understand what family names (and variations) are found in the registers.

The resource is enhanced by a background article providing valuable information about Argyle Township, its early history, Acadian families, the arrival of Catholic clergy and the growth of the first parish and its mission churches. Also included are detailed descriptions of the eleven registers which are the focus of this resource, plus useful information for understanding the wealth of kinship detail contained in the records.

Lastly, and not captured in the searchable database, is a separate transcript, in French, of the baptisms and marriages recorded by Abbé Charles-François Bailly de Messein during his missionary visit to Argyle in August 1769.

This is a companion resource to 'An Acadian Parish Remembered', which presents similar information for other French families, as found in the earlier parish records of Saint Jean-Baptiste, at Annapolis Royal. Together the two databases provide a window into the past, before and after the defining moments of Le Grand Dérangement, for Acadians everywhere.

The Argyle Township Court House and Archives, and its partner in this resource, the Nova Scotia Archives, welcome you to an exploration of your past. We believe it will be rewarding.

This project was made possible in part through the Provincial Archival Development Program,
Nova Scotia Archives, Communities, Culture and Heritage.