British Columbia Civil Registration

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British Columbia

Civil Registration

Online Collections with Images

• BC Archives (Royal British Columbia Museum) indexes to births (1854-1903), marriages (1871-1944), deaths (1872-1999), colonial marriages (1859-1872) and baptisms (1836-1888)
• British Columbia Birth Registrations, 1854-1903: Records include birth registrations, delayed birth registrations, and delayed registrations of Native American births.
• British Columbia Marriage Registrations, 1859-1932; 1937-1938
• British Columbia Death Registrations, 1872-1986; 1992-1993: These registrations include overseas casualties, delayed death registrations, and delayed registrations of Native American deaths.
• British Columbia, Victoria Times Birth, Marriage and Death Notices, 1901-1939 collection offers newspaper clipping substitutes for original birth, marriage, and death records. The collection is described as follows: "Newspaper clippings pasted onto cards and arranged chronologically. Includes the date (year, month, day) and page number on each card. The newspaper was variously known as the Victoria Times, Victoria Weekly Times, and Victoria Daily Times."
• Pre-confederation marriage records, 1859-1872

Online Index Collections

Ancestry.com and FindMyPast collections can be searched free-of-cost at a Family History Center near you.

• British Columbia, Canada, Birth Index, 1851-1903: ($) "The Vital Statistics Agency has released registrations of births that are at least 100 years old..."
• British Columbia, Canada, Marriage Index, 1872-1935: ($) "The Vital Statistics Agency has released registrations of marriages that are at least 75 years old..."
• British Columbia, Canada, Death Index, 1872-1990: ($) "The Vital Statistics Agency has released registrations of deaths that are at least 20 years old..."
• British Columbia, Canada, Death Index, 1872-1992 ($)
• Canada, War Graves Registers (Circumstances of Casualty), 1914-1948 ($) The collection can be browsed by province.
• Canada, Obituary Collection, 1898-2015: ($) This collection of substitute vital information was compiled from hundreds of newspapers.
• Central Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, Newspaper Birth, Marriage & Death Indexes, 1911-1990: ($) This substitute vital information was extracted from three newspapers serving the Campbell River, British Columbia, area in central Vancouver Island.
  

British Columbia indexes are also found in the FamilySearch Canada Births and Baptisms, 1661-1959 collection.

Background Information

A government civil registration and vital statistics system usually registers all births, marriages, and deaths for citizens and residents, issues certificates for each, and compiles the resulting vital statistics. Also included may be name changes, divorces, and adoptions. In British Columbia, this responsibility lies with the Vital Statistics Agency of the Ministry of Health. British Columbia became a province of Canada in 1871 and began civil registration in 1872. However, Vital Statistics Agency records also include some delayed registration of pre-1872 events, colonial period marriages, and overseas war casualties.

What Can these Records Tell Me?

British Columbia, Index to Baptisms - FamilySearch Historical Records
The following information may be found in baptisms records:

• Child’s name
• Child's birth date and place
• Baptism date and place
• Gender

• Parents’ names
• First Nation or tribal affiliation
• Aboriginal name

• British Columbia Birth Registrations, 1854-1903

The following information is provided in the index:

• name
• gender
• birth date
• birth place
• registration number
• British Columbia Archives (BCA) microfilm number
• Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU) microfilm number

The index will only confirm the existence of a record on microfilm for the date listed. Once you have found an entry you can then view the actual record by obtaining a copy of the microfilm, and/or by contacting the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency (http://www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/vs/index.html)

• British Columbia Marriage Registrations, 1859-1932; 1937-1938

The following information is provided in the index: surname, given name, gender, year, month, day, event place, registration number, British Columbia Archives microfilm number, Genealogical Society of Utah microfilm number. The index will only confirm the existence of a record on microfilm for the date listed. Once you have found an entry you can then view the actual record by obtaining a copy of the microfilm, and/or by contacting the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency (http://www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/vs/index.html)

• British Columbia Death Registrations, 1872-1986; 1992-1993: These registrations include overseas casualties, delayed death registrations, and delayed registrations of Native American deaths.

The following information is provided in the index: surname, given name, gender, year, month, day, event place, registration number, British Columbia Archives microfilm number, Genealogical Society of Utah microfilm number. The index will only confirm the existence of a record on microfilm for the date listed. Once you have found an entry you can then view the actual record by obtaining a copy of the microfilm, and/or by contacting the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency

Ordering Register Copies from the Vital Statistics Agency

British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency
PO Box 9657, Stn. Prov. Govt.
Victoria, BC
V8W 9P3
Telephone: (Victoria & Outside B.C.) 250 952-2681, (within B.C.) 1 888 876-1633

• Web page with ordering forms and information
• Application for Records

 

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