British Columbia Vital Records: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 14:53, 15 October 2013

Background[edit | edit source]

British Columbia became a province of Canada in 1871. Provincewide registration of birth, marriage, and death records began in 1872. A few records were made for events which took place before 1872 but were registered later. Many births, marriages, and deaths were not registered in the early years, and not all British Columbians were included in registration. Vital records began to be kept more systematically in 1920.

Availability Vital records of births more than 120 years old (and up to 1903), marriages more than 75 years old, and deaths more than 20 years old are available online and on microfilm. Vital records that are more recent must be requested on forms available from the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency.

Some births, marriages, and deaths not recorded in vital records may be in church records. British Columbia vital records are restricted for many years before they can be made public:

Birth records, 120 years. (But years up to 1903 are available as they were before the legislation was changed.)
Marriage records, 75 years.
Death records, 20 years.

For additional information about vital records in Canada, including research strategies, see Canada Vital Records.

Wikiprocedure - Procedure to get birth, death, marrige and divorce certificate

Finding the Records[edit | edit source]

British Columbia Archives - Royal British Columbia Museum

Birth (1854-1903), Marriage (1872-1936), Death (1872-1992) Online index with some registration page images - free.

FamilySearch.org Online indexes with some registration page images - free.

British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency

818 Fort Street

Victoria, BC V8W 1H8

CANADA

Phone: 250–952–2681

Fax: 250–952–2587

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 9657

STN. PROV. GOVT.

Victoria, BC V8W 9P3

CANADA

Vancouver Public Library

350 W. Georgia St.

Vancouver, BC V6B 6B1

CANADA

Phone: 604–331–3740 (newspapers, magazines)

Phone: 604–331–3710 (history, government, genealogy)

Fax: 604–331–3744

Cloverdale Library

5642 - 176A Street

Surrey, BC V3S 4G9

CANADA

Phone: 604-598-7320

Copies of vital records are 50 cents per copy in person or $5 if ordered by mail or e-mail.

Family History Library[1]

Many births, marriages, and deaths are listed in the Master Index Card File, British Columbia Genealogical Society. (BCGS) The BCGS card index of over 100,000 names giving mainly births, marriages and deaths compiled from cemetery transcriptions, church records, published histories and misc. sources for ca. 1850-ca. 1986 is available at the Society's Walter Draycott Library in Surrey, BC, Canada.

Originals of the BCGS Master Index Card File, then over 51,000 records, were filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1986–7 at the British Columbia Genealogical Society, Richmond, BC.

British Columbia films of death registers are no longer available at the Family History Library. See the free online index and images listed above in Finding the Records - British Columbia Archives-Royal British Columbia Museum and in the FamilySearch collections listed below.

Wiki articles describing these collections are found at:

Online Indexes[edit | edit source]

The following links provide further information:

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 === Background  ===
-British Columbia became a province in 1871. Provincewide registration of birth, marriage, and death records began in 1872. A few records were made for events which took place before 1872 but were registered later. Many births, marriages, and deaths were not registered in the early years. Vital records began to be kept more systematically in 1920.
+British Columbia became a province of Canada in 1871. Provincewide registration of birth, marriage, and death records began in 1872. A few records were made for events which took place before 1872 but were registered later. Many births, marriages, and deaths were not registered in the early years, and not all British Columbians were included in registration. Vital records began to be kept more systematically in 1920.
-'''Availability''' Vital records of births more than 100 years old, marriages more than 75 years old, and deaths more than 20 years old are available online and on microfilm. Vital records that are more recent must be requested on forms available from the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency.
+'''Availability''' Vital records of births more than 120 years old (and up to 1903), marriages more than 75 years old, and deaths more than 20 years old are available online and on microfilm. Vital records that are more recent must be requested on forms available from the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency.
 Some births, marriages, and deaths not recorded in vital records may be in church records. British Columbia vital records are restricted for many years before they can be made public:
-*Birth records, 100 years.
+*Birth records, 120 years. (But years up to 1903 are available as they were before the legislation was changed.)<br>
 *Marriage records, 75 years.
 *Death records, 20 years.<br><br>
 For additional information about vital records in Canada, including research strategies, see [[Canada Vital Records|Canada Vital Records]].
 *[http://www.wikiprocedure.com/index.php/Category:British_Columbia Wikiprocedure - Procedure to get birth, death, marrige and divorce certificate]
 === Finding the Records  ===
-:[http://www.bcarchives.bc.ca/BC_About_Archives/news.aspx?id=8705 '''British Columbia Archives-Royal British Columbia Museum''']
+:[http://www.bcarchives.bc.ca/BC_About_Archives/news.aspx?id=8705 '''British Columbia Archives - Royal British Columbia Museum''']
-:Birth (1854-1903), Marriage (1872-1936), Death (1872-1991) Online index with images - free.<br><br>
+:Birth (1854-1903), Marriage (1872-1936), Death (1872-1992) Online index with some registration page images - free.
+:[http://www.familysearch.org '''FamilySearch.org'''] Online indexes with some registration page images - free.<br>
+'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [http://www.vs.gov.bc.ca/ British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency]'''
-:[http://www.vs.gov.bc.ca '''Vital Statistics Agency''']
 :818 Fort Street
 :Victoria, BC V8W 1H8
@@ Line 49: / Line 53: @@
 :Copies of vital records are 50 cents per copy in person or $5 if ordered by mail or e-mail. <br><br>
-:[http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca:9000/sn-4BA3024/gbsearch '''British Columbia Archives''']
+&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; [https://familysearch.org/catalog-search '''Family History Library'''][http://www.bcgs.ca]
-:Index only to births, marriages, deaths - free
-<br>
-=== Family History Library  ===
 Many births, marriages, and deaths are listed in the [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/629258 ''Master Index Card File'', British Columbia Genealogical Society. (BCGS) ]The BCGS card index of over 100,000 names giving mainly births, marriages and deaths compiled from cemetery transcriptions, church records, published histories and misc. sources for ca. 1850-ca. 1986 is available at the Society's Walter Draycott Library in Surrey, BC, Canada.&nbsp; <br>
@@ Line 67: / Line 66: @@
 *[https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/British_Columbia,_Birth,_Marriage,_and_Death_Information_from_the_Victoria_Times_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records) British Columbia, Birth, Marriage, and Death Information from the Victoria Times (FamilySearch&nbsp;Historical Records)]
 *[[British Columbia Death Registrations (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]
 *[[British Columbia Marriage Registrations (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]
 *[http://www.wikiprocedure.com/index.php/Category:British_Columbia Wikiprocedure - Procedure to get birth, death, marrige and divorce certificate]