Archives are an excellent place for researching the history of a place and time to complement your genealogy research.

The British Columbia Archives (BC Archives) are located in the city of Victoria, BC, Canada.  They provide research access for both public and provincial government researchers.

Since 1894, the BC Archives has been acquiring and preserving the records of British Columbia’s past. The history of the province is in these archives in various records.  A selected list below.

• Crockford’s Clerical Dictionary (Anglican)
• city and provincial business directories
• telephone directories for various communities
• British and Canadian Army militia lists
• British Navy List
• Canadian Expeditionary Force, Battalion List
• Voter Lists
• 1881 Census Vancouver Island
• Index to Biographical Dictionaries of British Columbians
• Historical Manuscripts, Wills, Papers
• Newspapers
• Maps
• Birth records over 120 years old
• Marriage (over 75 years old)
• Death Records (over 20 years old)    [Vital Index Search is here]
• Crown land grant records
• Canadian Who’s Who
• Gazettes and much more. There is an online search feature.

Location of the BC Archives:

655 Belleville Street

Victoria, BC, Canada

(This is downtown Victoria at the corner of Belleville and Government Streets, close to the Legislative Buildings and the Empress Hotel.  View the map.)

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[Editor: It is important to note that the BC Archives does not participate in an Inter Library Loan program.]

Genealogists in Canada and elsewhere will be interested to hear of the Canadian Headstone Photo Project. This looks like a worthwhile cause if you are interested in volunteering. 

“The mission of this project is to capture digital images of  headstones of our ancestors. As decades pass — many stones are becoming harder, if not impossible, to read the inscriptions they originally contained. By archiving the images, we can help save these important records and also assist researchers using this valuable resource.  This Headstone Photo Project is a privately sponsored, non-profit, educational site. Success of the Project depends completely upon the activities of many volunteers and other individuals who contribute photographs to the archive.”

If you enjoy photography and would relish a worthwhile volunteer project, consider helping with this one.  The Website is here: http://canadianheadstones.com/

Our Roots is a library, archive, museum and school all in one.  The collection features scanned versions of Canadian local histories in French and English.  There are also Educational Resources for learning packages for students and teachers.

I recently used the resource to access a local history publication featuring a small town in Saskatchewan, near where my grandparents had farmed.  An article written by my grandmother was featured in the publication.  She mentioned many family members and neighbours  and various activities that occurred over a time period of fifty years.  She also mentioned the birthdates of her parents and where they lived.  Local histories such as these can greatly aid the genealogist in their research.

Access to Our Roots is free upon registration.