Canada, British Columbia Marriage Registrations - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
The record set for pre-confederation (or colonial) marriages covers 1859-1872 while the provincial marriage registrations cover 1872-1932

Record Description
The pre-confederation (or colonial) marriage records consist of certified marriage certificates, or returns of marriages, submitted by clergy of various denominations, as well as typed certified extracts (ca. 1933) from marriage registers maintained by churches and missions. The set contains 8 volumes but v. A1 (A to J surnames, 1859-1872, British Columbia mainland) was missing at the time of filming and is not included in this set. The marriage registrations, begun in 1872, are recorded on individual, printed forms. They consist of completed statements regarding marriages submitted to district registrars and registered by the director of Vital Statistics. Note that these forms are not marriage certificates but registrations of marriages. Marriage certificates contain information from the original registration records and are only available through the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts that may be found in the marriage records are: * Names of bride and groom * Ages of bride and groom * Residences when married * Places of birth * Marital status * Rank or profession * Names of parents (father’s name only in most preconfederation records) * Names of witnesses (the registration records include their residences) * Date and place of marriage * Religious denominations of bride and groom * Name of person performing the marriage * Whether marriage was by license or by banns

How to Use the Records
Pre-confederation marriages and marriage registrations are the best source of marriage information in British Columbia beginning in 1859.

Record History
The pre-confederation (or colonial) marriages occurred in the colonies of British Columbia and Vancouver Island and were submitted to the Colonial Secretary by clergy. The two colonies were united in 1866 prior to the entry of British Columbia into the Confederation of Canada. British Columbia became a province of Canada in July 1871, and registration of vital events began in 1872. The only persons excluded from the Births, Deaths, and Marriages Act of 1872 were Chinese and Indians. This was changed by an amendment in 1897, stating the registration would apply to all races. However, the Act was amended in 1899 to once again exclude Indians from provincial registration until another amendment was passed in 1916, which authorized registration of Indians to begin again in 1917. These restrictions did not apply to pre-confederation marriages.

Coverage is a small percentage of the population. Beginning in 1872, official government registration applied to the whole province of British Columbia except for the Chinese (until 1897) and Indians (until 1917). Early registration records are very incomplete chiefly due to the fact that a majority of the population lived great distances from the registry offices and communication was difficult.

Why This Collection Was Created?
Pre-confederation marriages were gathered and registration of marriages begun in order to keep a written record for use by the government.

Record Reliability
Provincial vital registrations are considered a reliable source in family history research because they contain a record of an event usually registered very near the time the event occurred. The reliability, of course, depends on the accuracy of the informant.

Style Guide
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Sources of Information for This Collection:
"British Columbia Marriages, 1859-1932," database, FamilySearch; from British Columbia. Vital Statistics Branch. "Marriage registrations, 1872-1934; microfiche index, 1872-1921, original indexes for brides, 1872-1942, and grooms, 1872-1939; Indian marriages, 1917-1934," Vital Statistics Agency, Victoria, British Columbia. FHL microfilm, 71 reels. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

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