Canada, British Columbia, Crown Land Grants - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
These records describe the sale or transfer of specific parcels of Crown land from the provincial government to private persons and organizations. The grants are arranged in registration number order. There are separate index volumes which cover one or more annual volumes of land grant registers.

Land records often predate censuses, and they can help date an immigrant’s arrival and trace immigrant origins. Some types of land records provide birth places or places of last residence, while others provide the basic clues to continue the search in other records. Land records can also pinpoint places of residence in Canada.

The early applications for preemptions and Crown grants began in the mid-1800s and are stored in the British Columbia Information Management Services. They give the name of the grantor and grantee, a description of the land, the date of transaction, and sometimes names of relatives.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in the British Columbia, Crown Land Grant Records, 1851-1874 collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Record Content
The land grant records may contain the following information:


 * Full name of purchaser
 * Full name of purchasee
 * Date of grant
 * Grant number
 * Description of the land

How to Use the Record
To begin your search, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of ancestor
 * Place of residence
 * Approximate year of residence

Search the Collection
To browse the British Columbia, Crown Land Grant Records, 1851-1874 select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page: ⇒ Select the appropriate "District/Town" category ⇒ Select the appropriate "Years and Registration or Volume Numbers" category which will take you to the images.

To browse the British Columbia, Crown Land Grants, 1869 - 1930 select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the appropriate "Record Type" category ⇒ Select the appropriate "Volume,Document Designation and Years" category which will take you to the images.

Search the collection by image 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.

Using the Information
When you have found the information that you were looking for, you can use the following tactics to help you in your search:

The British Columbia, Crown Land Grants, 1868-1930 collection includes a separate index and a general index which can be used to find grants in the crown grants section of the collection.

Some folders in the British Columbia, Crown Land Grants, 1851-1874 collection include indexes at the beginning of the volume.

For Example

Look in the Index folder for your ancestor. Once you have found your ancestor, write down the number next to their name and look further down the film that you are in. The number will help you find the land contract and the date the contract was signed.

If a transaction was on the 7 October 1869, you would search in the 1871 Census of Canada to find their residence in that particular place.

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Preemption and Homestead Guide
 * Provincial Crown Land descriptions

Related Wiki Articles

 * Canada History Links
 * Canada Historic Maps
 * British Columbia Land and Property
 * Canada Land and Property

Citations for this Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. 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. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually. Collection Citation: Image Citations