Nova Scotia Archives

Halifax

The Nova Scotia Archives serve as the official repository for the Province of Nova Scotia. Its Research Holdings chronicle the early history of Nova Scotia. Archival materials are organized by the various peoples who have inhabited this space, including Acadians, African Nova Scotians, Gaelic Nova Scotians, and the Mi’kmaq. These archival collections can be searched through MemoryNS, an online catalog of the Archives’ holdings. Additionally, researchers can search the Archives’ Library Catalogue. Much of the Archives’ material has been digitized and can viewed through its Virtual Archives and Databases, including over 20 Newspapers.

Vaughan Memorial Library

Wolfville

Located at Acadia University, the Vaughan Memorial Library boasts a significant collection of early Nova Scotian sources within its Archives & Special Collections. Its Special Collections consists of rare and unique books with an emphasis on 19th century Canadiana, Atlantic Canadian history, and Baptist history. The Acadia Archives are composed of three archival collections: the Atlantic Baptist Archives, the Esther Clair Wright Archives - Annapolis Valley, and the Acadia University Records. Researchers may find the various Archive Finding Aids and Baptist Finding Aids useful, and can search the Archives here. Much of the Archives & Special Collections material has been digitized and is available through Acadia University’s Digital Collections. Another useful resource is the Planter Studies Centre, which promotes research in the 18th century colonization of Nova Scotia.

Other Nova Scotia Archives & Sources

Many counties retain many of their earliest documents, including court records and civil lists. Check with local county clerks to see what is available. Several smaller research libraries and universities in Nova Scotia maintain Special Collections with limited sources (mostly printed) related to the early history of the province, including the Angus L. Macdonald Library Specialized Collections, the Cape Breton University Special Collections, the University of King’s Library Special Collections, and the Université Sainte-Anne’s Centre Acadien.

Several regional repositories collect sources related to early Nova Scotia, including the Archives of Ontario, the Beinecke Library, the Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec, the Detroit Public Library, the John Carter Brown Library, the Massachusetts Historical Society, the New-York Historical Society, the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, and the William L. Clements Library. Nova Scotian sources can also be found at Library and Archives Canada.

Nova Scotia was a colonial space of both New France and British North America. As such, early Nova Scotian sources can be found in France at the Archives Nationales d’Outre-Mer and the Bibliotheque Nationale de France, and in Great Britain at the British Library and the National Archives at Kew.