Canada, British Columbia Wills - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes probate records from 1861 to 1981. Probate records were kept by probate or surrogate courts. Often the size of the estate determined which court held jurisdiction. Search the records of all probate courts in all places where the individual had property. The Central Will Registry is maintained by the Department of the Attorney General for all wills probated in the province of British Columbia. Probate records before 1930 are usually at provincial archives, with microfilm copies at the appropriate court. More recent probate records are usually only at the court. The Family History Library has microfilmed records from the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) (formerly known as the National Archives of Canada (NAC); and earlier known as the Public Archives of Canada (PAC)) and the provincial archives in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. It has vital records and probate records from British Columbia, homestead applications from Saskatchewan, land and property and probate records from Newfoundland, and probate records from Manitoba but few records from other Canadian archives. More information can be found at the Canada Archives and Libraries article. A will is a written, legal expression of a person’s wishes for himself and his property at the time of his death. It usually describes the estate and gives the names and relationships of heirs or beneficiaries. The affidavit of the witnesses includes the date or proof of death. If accepted by the court, a copy of the will was sometimes recorded in a will book or register kept by the clerk of the court. The clerk may have made errors when he transcribed the will, but the original will is often kept in the probate packet.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Wills
 * Date of death
 * Names of heirs and guardians
 * Relationships
 * Residences
 * An inventory of the estate
 * Names of witnesses

How Do I Search This Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The name of a relative or date of the event

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 
 * 1) Select Record Type
 * 2) Select  Index Year and Surname or Will Number Range to view the images

Important: There are indexes available in this collection of images. The indexes are located in the section titled, Index. Look for your ancestor's name and look for the will number by their name. You may need to look through a number of folders before you find your ancestor. The will number is listed under the column, Remarks and not the column, Will#. This will help you find the record you are looking for in the collection. Also, The number for each will is written in the upper right-hand corner of each page of the will in small script, be aware that some wills are missing from the collection. The Will Numbers are listed in the indexes under the "Remarks" column, and NOT the "Wills" column. Some letters of the alphabet are continued at the end of the index volume. The index to these wills is also the index to the Victoria Probate Registry district records.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the information found in the probate record to search for the family in census records
 * Use the probate record to help identify family members
 * Search the British Columbia Death registrations for the death record of your ancestor
 * Probate records can be used to estimate a date of death
 * Search for death or burial information in the BillionGraves Index or at Find A Grave
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900
 * It may be useful to check out Saskatchewan Archives Board to see if there are other records that may be of interest to you

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Consult the British Columbia Record Finder to find other records
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This can help you find possible relatives
 * Search the records of nearby areas
 * Check for other names. An individual might appear under an unexpected name for a variety of reasons:
 * They might have been listed under a middle name, nickname, or abbreviation of their given name
 * A woman may have returned to her maiden name after the death of her husband
 * Search the indexes and records of British Columbia, Canada Genealogy
 * Search in the British Columbia Archives and Libraries
 * Search in the FamilySearch Library Catalog

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in British Columbia.
 * Record Finder

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.