Canada, British Columbia, Crown Land Pre-emption Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
These records include registers of pre-emptions, or purchased land that has not been fully surveyed. The registers summarize the information from the pre-emption certificates. The pre-emptions are listed in numerical order, with an alphabetical index at the back of each volume.

Many people in Canada owned land and thus a very high percentage of the population is named in land records. The availability of land attracted many immigrants to Canada and encouraged westward expansion.

Land ownership was generally recorded in an area as soon as settlers began to arrive. These were often the first records available in an area.

The registers include land petitions, fiats and warrants, land grants and patents, and deeds. The federal homestead era in the Prairie Provinces lasted almost 60 years (1872 to 1930). Homestead record files cover all those years.

The British Columbia Archives has a research guide about the pre-emption process used in Canada.

Record Content
Land Records may contain the following information:


 * Name and age of landowner
 * Name of spouse
 * Names of children, heirs, relatives, and neighbors.
 * Place where landowner lived previously.
 * Occupation.

How to Use the Record
This section provides information on how to search the collection, what to do with information once found, and what to do if no record is found.

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, and other identifying information such as place of residence.

Search The Collection
To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the "Place name" category ⇒Select the “Register Number, Volume Number and Years" category which takes 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.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Search the Canadian Census to locate your ancestor’s residence.
 * Search for the name of the spouse instead of your deceased ancestor.
 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Search the records of nearby localities (or counties, parishes, etc.).

Related Websites

 * Canada History Links
 * Canada Historic Maps
 * British Columbia Archives Research Guide: Pre-emption and Homestead Claims

Related Wiki Articles

 * Canada
 * Canada Historical Geography

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 Citation