Chris: To see probate files from that era, ask the staff at BC Archives to look them up and copy them for you. Go to the BC Archives INQUIRIES page at http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/services/inquiry/accescom.htm and scroll down to the electronic form at the bottom of the page. You can leave your requests in that form. If you already have the reference numbers from searching at the website, that's even better. The staff will do the research without charge, if they can do it within about one half hour, which is their time limit for research for the public. So you have to be VERY specific in wording your request. If they take on the research, they will contact you and tell you what the photocopying charges would be. When they receive your payment, they mail the copies. The most difficult thing about this simple request is deciding how many pages you want. The charge is 40 cents Canadian per page, (letter size sheets) plus 14% taxes. If there are a great many pages, it makes sense to ask the staff person to include just those pages that have information of genealogical interest, or, in your case, any pages that show things like birth date, heirs, addresses, or anything that would prove or disprove relationship to you. In those earlier years, I usually find there are not too many pages in a file. The will, and statements about disbursements -- "who got what" -- and the name of the executor, who might be a relation, are the most useful parts. The Archives people are usually able to respond quite quickly, though the photocopying might be delayed a while if there are a lot of pages. Claudia Claudia Cole Independent Research Agent 304-1960 Lee Avenue Victoria BC V8R 4W8 -----Original Message----- From: Chris Macneill [mailto:cmm.ft@netcomuk.co.uk] Sent: January 11, 2002 4:37 AM To: CAN-BRITISH-COLUMBIA-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [CAN-BC] BAIN - Seaching for Canadian connections At least two of my GGGrandUncles emigrated to Western Canada. Alexander Bain joined the 46th South Saskatchewan Regiment and died in France in 1918. There is some confusion over Alex as he appears to have enlisted under his mother's maiden name, McKay, but his gravestone is marked Bain. He appears in Canadian Military Archives and the WW1 Roll of Honour as McKay. Kenneth Bain died in Kamloops in 1896, apparently unmarried and without issue. I have his Death Certificate and his obituary from the local newspaper. I have also found a Donald Bain that may be my GGGrandUncle. I have obtained his Death Certificate and it shows him dying at age 43 on 9 April 1906 in South Vancouver, Canada and born Scotland. This fits with my ancestor b.11 May 1862, Latheronwheel, Caithness, Scotland. I would like to be able to either prove or disprove this link, as there were one or two other Donald Bains born in Scotland around this time. There also appears to be a record of Probate lodged with the British Columbia Supreme Court. If anyone can help me obtain information on the record of Probate or has other information on any of these individual I would be grateful. Regards Chris Macneill ==== CAN-BRITISH-COLUMBIA Mailing List ==== Visit the British Columbia Gen Web page at http://www.rootsweb.com/~canbc/