Researching Family History

Newspaper Resources

Directories

These directories at Cloverdale Library will help you determine which newspapers were being published at the time and place of death.

Newspapers on Microfilm

Most historic newspapers are in this format. The following links will help you locate institutions that have the particular newspaper you are looking for. Some microfilms are available through inter-library loan. You will need to know the date and place of death in order to find an obituary on microfilm.

  • B.C. Archives: The B.C. Archives is located in Victoria. While their microfilm collection is not available via interlibrary loan, the collection is open to the public. 
  • Canadian Newspapers on Microform held by Library & Archives Canada: The list is organized by Province. 
  • Surrey Archives
    Located next door to Cloverdale Library, the Archives has the following newspapers on microfilm:  Surrey Leader (1929-2004), The British Columbian (1864-1885), The Daily Columbian (18-1910 & 1949-1951), The British Columbia Fraser Valley Edition (1890-1922), Westminster Columbian (1964-1966), The Surrey Gazette (1917-1929), The Surrey Times (Apr-Oct 1895), The Now (1992-2015).
  • Surrey Public Library – Cloverdale Branch
    Cloverdale Branch has the following newspapers on microfilm: Province (1993-2019), The Vancouver Sun (1979-2019), Surrey Leader (1929-2005), Surrey Now (1984-89; 1994-2009), Surrey Times (1985), Surrey Gazette (1917-1929).  Visit Cloverdale yourself or check with Information Staff about obtaining copies of obituaries from these microfilms.
  • University of British Columbia:  Lists newspapers both in print and on microfilm held at Koerner Library which is open to the public.  
  • Vancouver Public Library has a large collection of newspapers on microfilm. 
     

Newspapers Online

Many newspapers have their own website; however access to obituaries varies from paper to paper. Many offer free access to obituaries from the past 30 days but charge a fee for older ones. Obituaries older than 2004 are harder to find. Check the website of the newspaper you are interested in for details. The following links will help you locate online newspapers where you can search the obituary section.