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Documents & Records

Probate Case Files - British Columbia

Basics

B.C. probate case files and related records are available to the public. Probate case files document the settling of estates of persons who died with or without a will. Probate case files were usually created and maintained by the court registry nearest to the residence of the deceased person or his or her executor. The oldest B.C. probate case files date back to 1861.

Finding the Records

Finding probate case files is a two-step process:

  1. Determine the probate case file number.
  2. Refer to the probate case file number in order to find the corresponding probate case file.

1. Determine the Probate Case File Number

At the Vancouver Public Library

The Victoria Probate Index and Wills Index, 1861-1981 provides probate case file numbers for the Victoria registry court ONLY. (It also provides will numbers for the whole province). The indexes are on microfilm and can be consulted in Fine Arts and History on Level 6 at the VPL Central Branch. The volumes and range of years covered by each film are as follows:

Microfilm number Volumes Years
B1990 Volume 1-4 1861-1948
B11790 Volume 5-6 1948-1962
B11791 Volume 6-7 1955-1968
B11792 Volume 7-8 1962-1975
B11793 Volume 9-11 1973-1980
B11794 Volume 11-12 1978-1981

Each volume is arranged in rough alphabetical order, according to the first two or three letters of the each person's last name. For example, all names beginning with To are grouped together. Names are not otherwise arranged in order, so you must carefully review all names in a group in order to find an individual. The following is a transcript of a portion of the To surname listing for the period 1978-1980:

Tory Olga Drucilla
Tooley Cyril James
Townsend Francis James
Toy Fong
Townley Margaret

Below is a transcript of a full entry from the Victoria Probate Index and Wills Index, 1861-1981:
Surname
 		 Christian
Name		 Papers
 		 Books
 		 Wills
 		 Remarks
 
    No. A or P Vol. Fol. Vol. Fol.  
 
Yen Chu Tait 145/60 P 100 166 194 619 93876

The number in the PAPERS column is the Victoria probate case file number. If there is no entry in the PAPERS column, the will was not probated in the Victoria registry.

Note: The number in the Remarks column is the original will number. See Wills - British Columbia for information about obtaining wills.

Online

B.C. probate case file numbers associated with some court registries are online, but in some cases, only cover a limited range of dates. For example, Vancouver probate file numbers are only available online from 1893-1949.

To find a probate case file number online (if available), search the Textual Records index on the B.C. Archives website for probate case file numbers as shown here:

Researchers are also encouraged to browse online listings of B.C. probate case file numbers. Chinese names have been noted in probate case file number listings produced by the registries listed below. Connect directly to each list of names by using the links below. The GR reference for each entry indicates the B.C. Archives' record group number. Some listings include only one or two Chinese individuals; others comprise significant numbers.

Alberni

B.C. Supreme Court - 1939-1950(GR-2231)

Ashcroft

B.C. County Court - 1875-1942 (GR-1959)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1907-1946 (GR-2952)

Cariboo

Government Agent - 1860-1918 (GR-0216)

Chilliwack

B.C. County Court - 1908-1970 (GR-2205)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1916-1981 (GR-2204)

Courtenay

B.C. Supreme Court - 1949-1986 (GR-2994)

Cranbrook

B.C. County Court - 1905-1949 (GR-1618)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1950-1985 (GR-2995)

Cumberland

B.C. County Court - 1901-1917 (GR-1638)
B.C. County Court - 1916-1948 (GR-1457)

Dawson Creek

B.C. Supreme Court - 1950-1984 (GR-3225)

Duncan

B.C. Supreme Court - 1937-1949 (GR-2209)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1950-1982 (GR-2997)

Fernie

B.C. County Court - 1905-1938 (GR-1458)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1940-1984 (GR-2998)

Fort St. John

B.C. County Court - 1905-1938 (GR-1458)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1963-1990 (GR-2999)

Golden

B.C. Supreme Court - 1916-1984 (GR-2221)

Grand Forks

B.C. Supreme Court - 1904-1944 (GR-2793)
B.C. County Court - 1926-1973 (GR-3222)

Hazelton

B.C. County & Supreme Courts - ca.1912 (GR-2867)

Kamloops

B.C. Supreme Court - 1881-1946 (GR-1562)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1946-1984 (GR-3001)

Kelowna

B.C. County Court - 1923-1936 (GR-2212)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1923-1981 (GR-2226)

Lillooet

B.C. Supreme Court - 1943-1993 (GR-3017)

Merritt

B.C. Supreme Court - 1911-1989 (GR-3004)

Nanaimo

B.C. Supreme Court - 1881-1948 (GR-2213)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1908-1941 (GR-2276)
B.C. Official Administrator - 1920-1964 (GR-3002)

Nelson

B.C. County Court - 1891-1950 (GR-2229)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1895-1989 (GR-2214)

New Westminster

B.C. Supreme Court - 1881-1943 (GR-1422)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1943-1949 (GR-2215)

Penticton

B.C. Supreme Court - 1944-1948 (GR-1428)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1950-1981 (GR-3007)

Port Alberni

B.C. Supreme Court - 1950-1977 (GR-3008)

Pouce Coupe

B.C. County Court - 1931-1953 (GR-2233)

Prince George

B.C. County Court - 1914-1949 (GR-2492)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1921, 1927-1948 (GR-2236)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1965-1983 (GR-3009)

Prince Rupert

B.C. Supreme Court - 1910-1944 (GR-1483)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1944-1985 (GR-3010)

Princeton

B.C. County Court - 1912-1953 (GR-2240)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1926-1950 (GR-2506)

Quesnel

B.C. Supreme Court - 1914-1948 (GR-2242)
B.C. County Court - 1916-1948 (GR-2245)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1949-1978 (GR-3012)

Revelstoke

B.C. County Court - 1890-1949 (GR-2219)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1902-1952 (GR-2249)

Rossland

B.C. County Court - 1840-1976 (GR-2415)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1919-1942 (GR-1429)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1934-1950 (GR-2254)

Salmon Arm

B.C. Supreme Court - 1931-1979 (GR-3013)

Smithers

B.C. County Court - 1921-1947 (GR-1466)

Terrace

B.C. Supreme Court - 1955-1983 (GR-3015)

Vancouver

B.C. Supreme Court - 1893-1941 (GR-1415)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1941 - 1947 (GR-2202)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1947-1949 (GR-2203)

Vernon

B.C. County Court - 1892-1963 (GR-1472)
B.C. Supreme Court - 1901-1942 (GR-1578)

Williams Lake

B.C. County Court - 1927-1947 (GR-2462)
B.C. Supreme Court -1928-1947 (GR-2257)

At the B.C. Archives

If the probate case file number cannot be determined at VPL (Victoria only) or by using the B.C. Archives online listings, it may be possible to obtain it directly from the B.C. Archives. First, you will need to find the name of the court registry in which the person's will was probated. This can be determined using the B.C Wills Index (available at VPL), which covers the period from 1861-1981 (see Wills - British Columbia). If you find the name of the court registry, contact the B.C. Archives for more information about locating probate case file numbers associated with the registry.

2. Finding the Probate Case File

Once you have determined the probate case file number, you can locate the probate case file to which it corresponds. Probate case files are held by the B.C. Archives in Victoria. They are not available through inter-library loan. Copies can be ordered through the B.C. Archives website.

For more information on locating B.C. probate case files, see the B.C. Archives Probate Case Files Guide (1861-1981).

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