Victoria Genealogical Society
QUERIES
The Victoria Genealogical Society's Queries Committee
will conduct specific searches for you
in a variety of our resources.
We can also post your queries in our quarterly journal.
Please consult the following contact
information
and fee schedules for more details.
|
CONTACT
By Mail: |
FEES NOTE: A minimum of $10.00 per order is required. This includes postage and handling. PAYMENTS NOTE: We do NOT have the ability to process credit
or debit cards or Paypal. REFUNDS |
Please remember that the members of the Queries Committee are volunteers. We ask that you be patient when sending requests for assistance or information. Please note, it takes longer to do an unsuccessful search than a successful search. Your chances for a successful search may depend upon how accurately you are able to describe the search you wish to have done.
If you have any questions on these policies, or about queries in general, please contact our VGS Queries Coordinator at the above address.
British Columbia Vital Event Records
Fees for British Columbia vital event civil registrations (Births, Marriages, Deaths) are $5.00 each (minimum $10.00 per order).
Public registration records are limited to:
- Births: 1872 - 1903
- Marriages: 1872 - 1933
- Deaths: 1872 - 1988
IMPORTANT: More recent registrations are
NOT AVAILABLE at
this time, even if they are in the index.
This includes BC Marriage registrations 1934 and forward, and
Death registrations 1989 and forward.
Copies of these more recent registrations must be ordered directly from the
BC Vital Statistics Agency -
www.vs.gov.bc.ca.
WHAT TO SEND US: Please provide us with the full name, registration number and microfilm number
for each vital event registration document.
Registration number and microfilm number can be found on the
BC Vital Event Index Search page.
BC Probate Files and Probated Wills Search
We access available probate records at the BC Archives, and charge a minimum fee of $20.00 for researching and printing up to 10 pages, with a charge of $1.00 per page thereafter.
If no will is found to have been written or probated, no refund can be issued.
BC Archive Research
In addition to the BC Vital Events Index and Probate Files, the VGS Queries Committee can access other holdings at the BC Archives, such as final divorce records, coroner's reports, naturalization records, photograph collections, etc.
Please contact the Queries Committee for applicable fees.
Obituary Search
For a minimum $10.00 charge, we will search for obituaries, with no guarantee that an obituary was published or that a newspaper was available for the time period and location being searched.
Cemetery Transcripts
We provide lookup service of available local cemetery listings - $5.00 per transcript ($10.00 minimum order). VGS has the 1928 to 1995 Royal Oak Burial Park Transcription Index - the largest burial park in Victoria - among others.
Check in the British Columbia Cemetery Finding Aid (BCCFA) for your relatives who were buried in the Greater Victoria area.
To learn more about the Victoria heritage cemeteries, you can also visit the Old Cemeteries Society of Victoria site.
Before sending in your query, don't forget to check the BC Vital Event index (see links above) , in case you also need a copy of the death registration.
Gravestone Photographs
Digital photographs of tombstones and grave markers in the Greater Victoria area can be provided by email or post at a charge of $15.00 per photograph. There will be no refund if the gravestone cannot be located.
BC City Directories
Our fee for researching a single family is $10.00 over a 5 year span, and $20.00 over a 10 year span. For more extensive searches, please contact the VGS Queries Committee for more information. Directories for BC cities, towns and villages can be searched from 1860 to 1996 (the last year they were published). Online indexes on the Vancouver Public Library Directory Index site contain searchable listings from 1860 to 1940.
Family Histories
The VGS Resource Centre currently contains over 145 unique books for about 340 families. Search the VGS online catalogue using the family name. You can also type in FAM into the Call Number Range box to list all our family histories.
Subject to copyright law, our copying fee is $10.00 (minimum order) for up to 10 pages. Additional fees will apply for larger orders. Contact the VGS Queries Committee for the number of pages available and applicable fees.
Greater Victoria Pioneers Index
This list is mostly names of settlers and early residents of Greater Victoria before 1910, extracted from over 700 newspaper articles. Please check in our online Greater Victoria Pioneers Index for the name you are researching.
Subject to copyright law, our copying fee is $10.00 (minimum order) for up to 10 pages. Additional fees will apply for larger orders. Contact the VGS Queries Committee if you require more information.
General Research Queries
We also provide general research service for $25.00 per hour. Please contact the VGS Queries Committee with your specific request.
VGS Journal Queries
Back issues of VGS journals may be purchased, either in hard copy if available, or scanned. Mailed copies are $5.00 each including postage and handling.
Selected articles from the VGS Journal are available for $5.00 for up to 5 pages.
Please search our VGS Journal Index to see what is available.
Queries Published in the VGS Journal
Queries of not more than 150 words in length (including name and address of sender) can be published in our quarterly VGS Journal. Queries may be abbreviated prior to publishing at the editor's discretion.
Published queries are free for VGS members and at a charge of $5.00 for non-members. The query will be published in one copy of the Journal, and the letter placed in the Society Library.
To submit your query for publication in our VGS journal, please contact our VGS Journal Editor -
