Hi Viola The 1881 Census was the first to include British Columbia, prior to to the start of Civil Registration in1872 there are only HBC and church records. BC entered Confederation in 1871. The New Westminster Public Library has some directories dating from about 1860, the collection of British Columbia and City Directories varies, some of libraries have better/more complete selection than others. You might search the BC Archives, the University of British Columbia or University of Victoria libraries or one of the Libraries maintained by Catholic and Anglican Diocese' and Schools of Theology . There is a good list of British Columbia Libraries [with links] at http://www.libdex.com/country/Canada-British_Columbia.html The following, captured from the BC Archives, may be useful. British Columbia Archives Government Records Catalogue Email: access@www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca GR-1490 BRITISH COLUMBIA. CENTENNIAL '71 COMMITTEE. Originals, 1970, 4 m To commemorate the centennial of British Columbia's entry into Confederation the provincial government presented pioneer medallions to B.C. residents who were either born in Canada or were a resident of Canada prior to 1 January 1897. Medallion application forms provide pioneers' names, date and place of birth, and occupation prior to retirement. Forms also show names of applicants' fathers, maiden names of wives and mothers, names of brothers and sisters, and other genealogical information. Duplicate forms are filed by name of pioneer and by name of community. Records also include a chronological list of pioneers born between 1860 and 1879. Transferred from the office of the Deputy Provincial Secretary, 1975. Finding aid: box/file list. Subject Headings British Columbia - Centennial celebrations British Columbia - Genealogy British Columbia - History Pioneers - British Columbia Secondary Entries British Columbia. Provincial Secretary. See Also: GR-1490 (Find.) Pioneer me appli (17 K) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There is also some film on early marriages BRITISH COLUMBIA ARCHIVES GOVERNMENT RECORDS FINDING AID ACCESS UNIT REFERENCE DESK STREET ADDRESS: 655 Belleville Street, Victoria, B.C., Canada MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 9419, STN PROV GOVT, Victoria, B.C., V8W 9V1, Canada PHONE: (250) 387-1952 FAX: (250) 387-2072 EMAIL: access@www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND PROTECTION OF PRIVACY ACT These records may be covered by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and access to them may be restricted in accordance with that Act. Researchers are advised to verify the access status of records they wish to consult PRIOR to visiting the BC ARCHIVES, by contacting the Access Unit Reference Desk. GR-3044 British Columbia Colonial Secretary Pre-confederation marriage records Microfilm 1859-1872 16 mm [B09707] Originals 1859-1872 40 cm Pre-confederation marriage records consist of records of marriages occurring in the colony of British Columbia, and the colony of Vancouver Island (the two colonies were united in 1866), prior to the entry of British Columbia into the Confederation of Canada. The records are bound into eight volumes in two accessions. The volumes contain certified copies of marriage certificates, or returns of marriages, submitted by clergy of various denominations. Volume A1 is missing but volumes A2 to A5 are arranged alphabetically by the surname of the groom. Each marriage record contains a record number, information about the bride and groom including: the name; age; condition (marital status); rank or profession; residence, place of birth; father's name; and profession of father. Also included are: the date of the marriage; place of marriage; names of witnesses; the name of the officiating clergyman; and the church denomination. You should poke around in the BC Archives, you might find more Regards David ---------------------------------------------------- On Mon, 22 Oct 2001 15:15:20 -0500, Viola Seward wrote: >Hello. How far back does the census go? Do you have City Directories? >Have found a Landry family who lived at or near Lake Superior were >Chippewa. Now all my life i heard we were Chippewa. But every paper i >have gotten on my Tremblay and Landry name say Cree. Was also told maybe >Landry changed there nationalities after the Riel incident. Any one know >any thing about this? You see Marie Landry and her daughter Catherine >were both born in BC. 1800-1818. >Thank you. >Viola. > > >==== CAN-BRITISH-COLUMBIA Mailing List ==== >Visit the British Columbia Gen Web page at >http://www.rootsweb.com/~canbc/ > >