Canada, British Columbia Crown Land Pre-emption Registers, 1860-1971

What is in This Collection?

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.

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

To Browse This Collection

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

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

Collection Content

Sample Images

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  1920 Pre-emption records