Directories - British Columbia
City directories are a great resource to fill in the gaps from Census records. They are generally published annually, and contain information such as address, occupation, marital status. Directories are increasingly becoming digitized and available online on digital resources.
Online
- Vancouver Public library has digitized the BC directories collection from 1860-1955
- Library and Archives Canada has a collection of historical directories for some locations across Canada, searchable here:
- Ancestry.ca and FamilySearch.org also have collections of directories for most provinces.
- TheAncestorHunt.com provides links to directories for all provinces here:
Directories from approximately 1980 to present can be found in our print collection. Some of the formats are criss-cross (address and phone number indexes), regular directories, and phone books. There is a small number of miscellaneous directories from the 1960’s and 1970’s as well.
The Family History department also has the following series that contains BC directory information:
Genealogical Research Library. 1994. The Western Canadians 1600 to 1900: an alphabetized directory of the people, places, and vital dates. Toronto. Genealogical Research Library Library call number – GEN 929.3712 WES
Microfilm
The Family History department has a collection of BC Directories on microfilm from 1860-1995. Please check each microfilm box for geographic coverage, there are sometimes several reels per year.