Tips and Links

This page contains useful tips and links that will take you to Canadian and International websites. Also given are links to other British Columbia family history websites. The links are given in response to Society members interests and do not represent any endorsement by our Society.

If you have a tip or link that you think will be useful to other members or if you find any permanently broken links please e-mail the webmaster.

British

• Genuki (major portal site)
• Free Births, Marriages and Deaths (England and Wales)
• Family Search Wiki (good descriptions of most major English sites and some from elsewhere in the UK)

Canadian genealogical research portal websites (link to provinces from these websites)

• Can Genealogy - Dave Obee’s webpage with his recommended links for genealogy research in Canada
• Canada Genweb Project
• Canadian Automated Genealogy
• Canadian Genealogical Sources
• Canadian Genealogy and History Links
• Cyndi’s List for Canada
• Library and Archives Canada
  • Canadian Census Records - a list of where to go to find records on line.
• That’s My Family - This free search tool links to genealogy and family history databases hosted by Canadian federal, provincial or territorial archives centers and libraries
• Quebec Passenger Lists - Nanaimo FHS is transcribing these lists and, as of the end of 2010, has completed indexing all arrivals at Quebec ports between 1904-1910.

Canadian Military Records

In a recent About.com: Genealogy newsletter, Kimberly Powell encourages us to discover details of your Canadian soldier ancestors' military service, with this collection of genealogical sources for military service and pension records, war memorials, military cemeteries and other military records and resources for the Canadian Armed Forces.  In her list of 12 resources she includes some that are very useful but not well publicised such as the Last Post Death Notices in the Legion Magazine.  Click on the titles to link to the databases. http://genealogy.about.com/od/canada_military/tp/records.htm?nl=1

Researching Canadian Soldiers of the First World War

If your family had anyone who served in the First World War you will be interested in this helpful new website. You will find step-by-step guides to finding the records as well as information about how to order a copy of a complete service file. There are the usual topics including the service record, war diaries and unit histories and unusual topics such as matching battlefield locations to the modern map. http://regimentalrogue.com/misc/researching_first_world_war_soldiers_part1.htm

Canadian Resources at FamilySearch www.familysearch.org

There are 44 sets of Canadian records that you can search on FamilySearch (current as of 1 October 2011). These include some land registry, census and judicial records.

British Columbia links (other than those mentioned on the separate Parksville/Qualicum Links page)

• Archives and Libraries

British Columbia Archives

PO Box 9419, Stn. PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC V8W 9V1
Telephone: 250-387-1952
Fax: 250-387-2072

MemoryBC

The British Columbia Archival Information Network is a portal where you can access descriptions of archival materials preserved in nearly 200 repositories throughout the province. You can browse by subject, place, name or repository. Some of the material is digitized and available online by following links from this site to the archival repository's own website. Other material can be accessed by visiting the archival repository during its public access hours. This information, along with address, contact information, etc. is all provided at MemoryBC

• Births, Marriages and Deaths

You can search B.C. vital statistics registrations at FamilySearch.org. At the time of writing the following was available:

• Birth Registrations 1854-1903 (including delayed birth registrations and delayed registrations of Indian births)
• Death Registrations 1872-1986
• Marriage Registrations 1859-1932

• 1901 British Columbia Federal Census

The BC Genealogical Society has launched an online database of 1901 federal census records. It can be searched by surname, given name and birth year. Results indicate surname, given name, sex, colour, relate (to head of household), marital status, birth date, age, birth place, race, nationality, religion and occupation. While these records are available elsewhere (see link above), this is a useful alternative site for British Columbia records.

• Directories

Vancouver Public Library has digitised city directories from 1860 up to 1915. The directories contain detailed historical information about British Columbia communities, particularly about Vancouver and Victoria. They contain not only street and name listings for individuals and businesses, but populations, government listings, operating newspapers, schools and libraries from across the province.

• Land Records

Western Land Grants, 1870-1930 (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and BC).

This speciality database relates exclusively to Letters Patent issued by the Lands Patent Branch or the Department of the Interior. The records cover the prairie provinces and the railway belt of British Columbia for the years indicated. They contain only the name of the grantee, the description of the land and the date granted. Homestead applications and files which contain more detailed personal information are held at the BC Provincial Archives.

British Columbia Genealogical Societies:

• Abbotsford Genealogical Society
• BC Genealogical Society
• Campbell River Genealogy Society
• Comox Family History Research Group
• Kamloops Family History Society
• Kelowna & District Genealogical Society
• Nanaimo Family History Society
• Powell River Genealogy Group
• South Okanagan Genealogical Society
• Victoria Genealogical Society

World-wide

• Latter Day Saints Family History Research Page
• FamilySearch Research Wiki
• Cyndi's List
• Links to free census indexes in various countries
• Rootsweb - a site for mailing lists, surname lists, etc

Not genealogically related but still of interest:

http://www.seniors101.ca/

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