Canada, British Columbia Wills - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection will include records from 1861 to 1981.

This collection contains images of will indexes and wills. The Central Will Registry is maintained by the Department of the Attorney General for all wills probated in the province of British Columbia. The number for each will is written in the upper right-hand corner of the first 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.

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.

In English Canada, 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.

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.

For a list of an index and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in the British Columbia Wills collection usually include the following information:


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

How to Use the Record
To browse this collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the "Record Type" category ⇒ Select the "Index Year and Surname or Will Number Range" category which takes you to the images.

There are indexes available in these collections. 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.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

To begin your search, it would be helpful to have the following information:


 * Ancestors name
 * Place of death
 * Names of family members

Using the Information:

The wills can give you a wide variety of genealogical information for your research. When you have found the will that you are looking for, you can use it for:


 * Identifying the ages of the family members, the spouse of the deceased and/or the extended family.
 * Gathering information on where the deceased was living at the time of death. That will allow you to search the British Columbia Death registrations and give you the place of death, date and place of birth and/or the date and place of marriage.

Related Websites

 * British Columbia Probate Registry
 * BC Wills Index
 * Wills in British Columbia
 * Canada GenWeb project

Related Wiki Articles

 * Canada Probate Records
 * British Columbia Probate Records
 * Canada Notarial Records
 * Canada Archives and Libraries

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"British Columbia, Wills, 1861-1981," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 19 June 2012), Wills &gt; no 1871-2470 &gt; Image 15 of 2563, Solomon Dean, Last Will and Testament dated 9 February 1903; citing Department of the Attorney General, British Columbia Wills, 1861-1981. British Columbia Archives, Victoria, British Columbia.