Canada, British Columbia Naturalization Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Canada British Columbia

What is in this Collection?
This collection includes records from 1859 to 1926.

These records include naturalizations from the counties of Victoria and Cranbrook, British Columbia. They include applications, oaths of allegiance, naturalization certificates and other documents.

The Canadian Citizenship Act of January 1, 1947 introduced Canadian citizenship to Canada. Prior to that time Canadians who were born in the United Kingdom were considered British subjects.

Immigrants to Canada have never been required to apply for citizenship. Some nationalities were more likely to naturalize than others. Until 1947, settlers from Britain were considered citizens of Canada without needing to naturalize. Of those from other countries who applied, some did not complete the requirements for citizenship. Evidence that an immigrant completed citizenship requirements can be found in censuses, court minutes, homestead records, passports, voting registers, and military papers.

British Columbia did not join Canada until 1871 so naturalization and citizenship were handled by the colonial government(s) before 1871. The earliest naturalization records are Oaths of Allegiance signed from 1859 and are in the British Columbia Archives.

Sample Images
Naturalization records may be an important piece in discovering your family's history. These records may contain information about where your ancestor came from, which is the most valuable piece of information when tracing them in their homeland. Without a place of origin, previous generations cannot be identified with much solidarity.

Naturalization records may also give information on your ancestor's immigration, such as the date he or she arrived or the ship he or she rode on. These are all valuable pieces of information if you were to look for an ancestor's name in a passenger list.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
Application records usually contain the following information:


 * Name of immigrant
 * Date of immigration
 * Residence
 * Place of origin
 * Date of arrival in Canada

Oaths of allegiance records usually contain the following information:


 * Name of immigrant
 * Date of immigration
 * Residence
 * Years residing in Canada

Naturalization records usually contain the following information:


 * Name of immigrant
 * Occupation
 * Residence
 * Date of birth
 * Place of birth
 * Date of immigration
 * Name of ship

After 1915, records may also include birth dates, birthplaces and other information about the immigrant and the immigrant’s family.

How do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The approximate year of naturalization.
 * The approximate year of immigration.
 * The age of your ancestor.
 * The names of other family members and their relationships.

View images in this collection by visiting the [Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select "Browse Images on the initial search page ⇒ Select the appropriate "County" ⇒ Select the appropriate "Record Type, Box and File Numbers, and Years" category which takes you to the images.

Important: There are indexes available in the Cranbook records. The indexes are located in the file folder, Index Box 1 to Box 9, 1905-1923. Find your ancestor's name and look for the box, file and folio numbers located by their name. This is the information you will use to find your ancestor in the collection. The numbers you are looking for are located at the bottom of each page. In addition, Christopher J. P. Hanna developed an index to British Columbia Naturalizations from 1859-1882 [Title: BCARS, GR 1554, British Columbia Archives, no date of publication]. This is available at the British Columbia Genealogical Society Library or through other libraries. Also, a British Columbia Genealogical Society volunteer is indexing the earliest British Columbia naturalizations and this index is available on the British Columbia Genealogical Society's Research Projects web page and is being updated as indexing continues.

Look at the images one by one, comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s naturalization record, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * If you haven't already looked, passenger arrival records can help you determine when an ancestor arrived and the port of departure. They can also help identify family and community members who arrived together and the country they came from.
 * Use the information found in the Naturalization Records to determine when vital events in your ancestor's life occurred. This can lead to information that can point to additional family members and generations.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

 * If you are unable to find your ancestor’s name, you may find emigration information on neighbors of your ancestor. Neighbors from the British Isles or Europe often settled together in Canada. Canadians who went to the United States sometimes settled in groups.
 * There are very few passenger lists for ships coming into Canada before 1865. Lists were not made or were destroyed. The Library and Archives Canada website has posted an index of some lists that have survived. Some of these indexed names have been gathered from declarations of aliens and names of some Irish orphans. However, if you don't find anything, keep in mind that a passenger list for your ancestor may not have survived.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

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