Earltown Church Cemetery Company

Burial Records & Genealogy

Our Historical Archive

The Earltown Church Cemetery Company maintains historical burial records for the four cemeteries under our care. These records are an invaluable resource for genealogists, historians, and descendants of Earltown's pioneer families across Canada, the United States, Scotland, and the world.

Our archive includes handwritten ledgers, transcribed headstone inscriptions, photographic records, and cross-referenced genealogical data spanning more than 200 years β€” from the earliest settler burials of the 1820s through to the present day.

In 2025, we completed the digitization of over 200 historical burial records from the 1870s through the 1920s, making this heritage information more accessible than ever before.

πŸ“Œ Records are provided for heritage and educational purposes. All personal information is handled with respect and discretion in accordance with applicable privacy guidelines.

Historical burial records

How to Request Records

Our simple three-step process for genealogy research inquiries

1

Submit Your Request

Complete the inquiry form below with the name, approximate dates, and cemetery of interest. The more details you can provide, the better we can assist you.

2

We Search Our Archives

Our volunteer archivists will search our historical records, headstone transcriptions, and photographic database to locate the information you need.

3

Receive Your Results

We will respond to your inquiry within 2–4 weeks with any available burial record information, along with relevant historical context where possible.

Genealogy Research Inquiry Form

Please complete the form below to submit your burial record request.

We respond to all inquiries within 2–4 weeks. For urgent requests, please call 902-677-2027.

A Note on Scottish Names

Earltown's pioneers primarily spoke Gaelic and often used traditional Scottish naming conventions. When searching records, please be aware of:

  • Anglicized Gaelic Names Many Gaelic names were anglicized by census takers β€” Alasdair became Alexander, Seumas became James, Catriona became Catherine.
  • Patronymic Naming Some early records use the Scottish patronymic system β€” "Donald son of Angus" rather than a fixed surname.
  • Common Surnames Sutherland, MacKay, Gunn, Ross, MacKenzie, Munro, Fraser, Murray, and MacDonald are among the most common Earltown family names.
  • Spelling Variations Surnames often appear with multiple spellings β€” MacKay / McKay / M'Kay β€” always search all variations.
  • Maiden Names Women's records may be listed under both married and maiden names; maiden names are often preserved in headstone inscriptions.