British Columbia, Canada Genealogy

Guide to British Columbia ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

British Columbia History
British Columbia is a province in Canada. It is in the western most portion of the country. The capital of British Columbia is Victoria. In 1862, a Smallpox outbreak in Victoria spread throughout the coast. The arrival of Europeans began around the mid-18th century, as fur traders entered the area to harvest sea otters in 1774.This co-occupancy was ended with the Oregon Treaty of 1846. The colony of British Columbia was amalgamated with the Colony of Vancouver Island to form the Colony of British Columbia in 1866, which was, in turn, succeeded by the present day province of British Columbia following the Canadian Confederation of 1871. British Columbia became the sixth province to join Confederation on July 20, 1871. The borders of the province were not completely settled. The Treaty of Washington sent the Pig War San Juan Islands Border dispute to arbitration in 1871 and in 1903, the province's territory shrank again after the Alaska boundary dispute settled the vague boundary of the Alaska Panhandle. British Columbia was the locus of immigration from Europe, China, and Japan to supply a labor force. 

This article needs to be updated. Please update this section to reflect recent events.

Getting Started


British Columbia Counties
The counties are created for the administration of justice, and are not used in the administration of government. Local government is organized by municipalities and by regional districts. The counties are:

FamilySearch Resources
Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in researching your family.
 * Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
 * Learning Center - Online genealogy courses
 * Historical Records - databases and record images on FamilySearch
 * Family History Center locator map