British Columbia Gazetteers

Online Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places
 * British Columbia coast names, 1592-1906, to which are added a few names in adjacent United States territory : their origin and history Captain John T Walbran, British Columbia coast names, 1592-1906, to which are added a few names in adjacent United States territory : their origin and history, Salt Lake City, Utah : Digitized by FamilySearch International, 2015
 * Disturnell's Business Directory and Gazetteer of the West Coast of North America, 1882-1883 John Disturnell, Disturnell's Business Directory and Gazetteer of the West Coast of North America, 1882-1883. British Columbia beginning on image 266

Print Only Gazetteers

 * 1001 British Columbia place names G. P. V. and Helen B. Akrigg. 1001 British Columbia Place Names, Vancouver, British Columbia : Discovery Press, 1973, c1969
 * Gazetteer of Canada. British Columbia Canadian Board of Geographical Names, Gazetteer of Canada. British Columbia, Ottawa, Ontario : Canadian Board on Geographical Names, 1953
 * Guide map of the province of British Columbia, with short geographical description of the country Guide map of the province of British Columbia, with short geographical description of the country, Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1988
 * The origin and meaning of place names in Canada George Henry Armstrong, The origin and meaning of place names in Canada, Toronto, Ontario : Macmillan of Canada, 1972, c1930
 * The Williams' official British Columbia directory : with a classified business directory Richard T Williams, The Williams' official British Columbia directory : with a classified business directory, Edition 1899, Victoria, British Columbia : R.T. Williams, 1882-

Why Use Gazetteers
A gazetteer is a dictionary of place-names. Gazetteers list or describe towns and villages, parishes, states, populations, rivers and mountains, and other geographical features. They usually include only the names of places that existed at the time the gazetteer was published. Within a specific geographical area, the place-names are listed in alphabetical order, similar to a dictionary. You can use a gazetteer to locate the places where your family lived and to determine the civil and religious jurisdictions over those places.

There are many places within a country with similar or identical place-names. You will need to use a gazetteer to identify the specific town where your ancestor lived, the state the town was or is in, and the jurisdictions where records about the person was kept.

Gazetteer Contents
Gazetteers may also provide additional information about towns, such as:


 * Different religious denominations
 * Schools, colleges, and universities
 * Major manufacturers, canals, docks, and railroad stations
 * The population size.
 * Boundaries of civil jurisdiction.
 * Ecclesiastical jurisdiction(s)
 * Longitude and latitude.
 * Distances and direction from other from cities.
 * Schools, colleges, and universities.
 * Denominations and number of churches.
 * Historical and biographical information on some individuals (usually high-ranking or famous individuals)

British Columbia