What are some of the limitations to research in New Brunswick?

Fire, fire and fire. And of course, floods, hurricanes and other extreme weather events. Improper storage methods, vandalism and a general disregard for keeping historic records would also be major factors. Some major fires took out records, as did smaller fires in churches and government offices. 

First of all, the Provincial Archives did not open until 1967, and much material was lost before that time. With nowhere to deposit old records they were often discarded.

Government Vital Statistics records were not required by law until 1888 and the law was not enforced until 1920. 

Other factors that make it difficult or impossible to find records in New Brunswick include the fact that early marriage records did not normally include the names of parents, or the ages of the bride and groom. Early death records did not list spouses, parents or informants. Many church records have not survived.

Major fires include the Great Saint John Fire of 1877, and the 1825 Miramichi Fire. The 1825 Miramichi Fire was a huge forest fire that started in the Miramichi area and spread all the way to Fredericton. It still ranks as one of the three largest forest fires on record in North America. The fire consumed nearly 16,000 square kilometers, or over 3 million acres, of forests, towns, and villages. It started in Oct 7^th, 1825 and was fueled by drought conditions and high winds. Imagine all the parish churches and their records that were lost in this fire, plus government and other records that were stored in the path of this fire. There are reports of people who survived by submerging themselves and their livestock in the rivers as the fire swept over them. They certainly weren't thinking about saving documents.

The Great Saint John Fire on 20 June 1877 started near the harbour when sparks ignited some hay. Again, wind played a factor and nearly the whole downtown business core of the city burned, including ships in the port. Legend states that one of the churches that survived the fire stored their record books at a larger church for safekeeping. The larger church burned to the ground, the smaller one did not. Someone rescued the records for one of the larger churches, only to see them burn in a fire at the rectory 20 or so years later. The Customs House where all passenger lists were stored also burned in the great fire. The next Customs House and its records burned in the 1920s. The city of Boston came to the aid of Saint John after the great fire and many people continued to travel between the two areas. If you can’t find your ancestors in Saint John, try looking at the records in the Boston area.

In genealogical research we are encouraged to find at least three sources to prove any fact. At times, in your search for New Brunswick ancestors, if you find one source, consider yourself lucky.