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Only top-level descriptions Divorce--British Columbia
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Duncan Supreme Court divorce case files

  • GR-2340
  • Series
  • 1939-1949

The series consists of Duncan Supreme Court divorce case files from 1939, 1944-1948.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Duncan)

Smithers Supreme Court divorce case files

  • GR-2754
  • Series
  • 1929-1948, 1968-1983

The series consists of divorce case files created by the Smithers Supreme Court registry between 1929 and 1983. The series does not include records from 1949 to 1967 and the whereabouts of those records are unknown. The majority of case files include divorce orders. Typical divorce case files can include petitions, affidavits, court orders, and relate documents. The records dating from 1968 to 1983 generally contain court orders, correspondence, and the registration of divorce form.

Records dating from 1968 to 1983 are arranged by the number assigned by the Central Registry for Divorce Proceedings.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Smithers)

Penticton Supreme court orders and judgements

  • GR-2705
  • Series
  • 1922-1941

Series consists of original civil orders and judgements created between 1922 and 1941 by the Penticton Supreme Court. Orders are the formal expression of the ruling of the court and judgements are the final orders issued in a case. Records relate to a variety of civil matters including divorces.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Penticton)

Indexes to divorce orders

  • GR-3254
  • Series
  • 1901 -1983

The series consists of indexes to copies of divorce orders submitted to the Division of Vital Statistics and its predecessor, the Vital Statistics Branch.

The indexes consist of computer printouts arranged alphabetically by surname of husband. Prior to 1976 the indexes cover groups of years. From 1977 to 1983 they are annual. A consolidated index covering 1901-1977 was also created. Divorce orders 1501-1582 (1962) were omitted from the 1935-1962 index and a separate index was created by BC Archives staff.

The index entries prior to April 1935 are based on a card index maintained by the Inspector of Legal Offices of actions commenced in divorce and matrimonial proceedings. The index was turned over to the Vital Statistics Division in 1946 which incorporated "certain entries" into its index. The cards were assigned volume number 999, "indicating that the entry referred to an index card only, and not to a copy of a decree." Accordingly, any index entries prior to April 1935 do not necessarily indicate the completion of a divorce action.

Further information about these divorce actions may be found in the court records of the registry where the action was commenced. If an action was commenced prior to April 1935 but a decree was granted after that date, the volume 999 entry was replaced with the Vital Statistics volume and record number. (See "Explanation of Entries in Divorce Index", GR-3255, B16263.) Not all pre-1935 divorces appear to have been included. If a name is not found, the individual court registry records should be checked. Each entry includes full name of husband and wife, place of divorce, date of final order, and Vital Statistics volume and record, or registration, number.

These indexes can also be used to identify court registry and final order date which can be used to assist in locating divorce orders within the court record series. Please note that for index entries prior to April 1935 only Victoria divorce orders appear in GR-3255. The others can be located in the individual court registry records. As well, any 1983 divorce orders with a registration number of 7501 or higher are not included in GR-3255 but can be found in the records of the court registries.

British Columbia. Division of Vital Statistics

Chilliwack Supreme Court cause books

  • GR-2126
  • Series
  • 1916-1969

This series consists of cause books from the Supreme Court of Chilliwack, 1916-1969. The books include primarily civil cases including adoption and divorce.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Chilliwack)

Vernon Supreme Court cause books

  • GR-2813
  • Series
  • 1900-1914; 1937-1954

This series consists of cause books from the Vernon Supreme Court for civil cases between 1900-1914 and 1937-1954. Cause books provide the skeletal framework for Supreme Court civil action proceedings and may include the names of parties, the dates when proceedings occurred, and can be used to determine a volume and folio number for locating final orders. Subjects include a variety of financial matters, divorces, probates and estate administration, adoption orders, and other civil cases.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Vernon)

Victoria Supreme Court civil orders

  • GR-1566
  • Series
  • 1880-2008

The series consists of civil orders issued by the Supreme Court in Victoria between 1880 and 2008. Orders dating from 1880 until December 1946 were microfilmed and the originals destroyed. Records after this period are maintained in their original form. Many, but not all, volumes dating up to the late 1970s include nominal indexes. Orders are the formal expression of the ruling of the court. The records relate to a variety of civil matters including adoptions, divorces, and bankruptcies.

The records were scheduled for full retention under Court Services ORCS (schedule 100152) 51400-25.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Victoria)

Grand Forks Supreme Court orders

  • GR-1880
  • Series
  • 1900-1947

The series consists of original civil orders created between 1900 and 1947 by the Grand Forks Supreme Court registry. Orders are the formal expression of the ruling of the court. Records relate to a variety of civil matters including divorces, bankruptcies, foreclosures, and some adoptions.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Grand Forks)

Vancouver Supreme Court divorce orders and judgments

  • GR-3260
  • Series
  • 1969-1989

The series consists of divorce orders and judgements from the Vancouver Supreme Court from 1969 to 1989. They are divided into 3 sub-series: decrees nisi, 1980-1989; decrees absolute, 1969-1977 and 1980-1989; and other divorce orders 1980-1989. For decrees nisi 1969-1975 see GR-3155, for other divorce orders before 1977 see GR-2011 and GR-2012. Decrees and orders issued 1977-1979 for cases opened prior to 1977 no longer exist with the exception of copies of decrees absolute which can be found in GR-3255. Decrees and orders issued 1977-1979 for actions started 1977-1979 can be found in the case files (83-0458-3658 to 3665).

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Vancouver)

Quesnel Supreme Court divorce cause book

  • GR-3687
  • Series
  • 1968-1977

The series consists of one volume of a Quesnel Supreme Court divorce cause book with an alphabetical index enclosed in the front. The records are arranged chronologically.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Quesnel)

Duncan Supreme Court civil orders

  • GR-3712
  • Series
  • 1950-2002

The series consists of civil orders created in the Supreme Court in Duncan between 1950 and 2002. Orders are a formal expression of the court’s will, and orders in this series cover a variety of issues, including adoption and divorce.

The series is arranged by volume, and then by folio. From volumes 1 to 48, the volume and folio numbers are provided on the records themselves. After volume 48, this information is not always provided. Sometimes the records bear file numbers which appear to be sequential and which restart every year. Sometimes even these numbers are not listed on the records and the only way to identify them is by filing date.
The dates listed in the file list are derived from the date on which the order was filed. Although the filing date for the majority of the records corresponds closely to when the order was issued, this is not always the case, and there are instances in which orders were filed months after being issued.

Originally the majority of the files were arranged in binders based on volume number. If an index existed for the volume, it would be placed in the front of the binder. For space and preservation reasons, the records have been removed from the binders and placed in acid-free folders. Records from binders tend to span two folders, which are linked by volume number. The first of the two binders will house the index for the entire volume, if one was included.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Duncan)

Chilliwack Supreme Court civil orders and reasons for judgement

  • GR-3705
  • Series
  • 1916-1946, 1949-1992

The series consists of civil orders created by the Chilliwack Supreme Court between 1916 and 1946 and 1949 to 1992. The series also consists of a subseries of early reasons for judgement, dating to the 1930s and 1940s. In many cases, these were interfiled with the civil orders. Early civil orders contain adoption information, although later orders appear to have been removed. The series includes divorce records, including decrees nisi and absolute. Reasons for judgement provide the rationale behind a court’s decision, and civil orders are a formal expression of the court’s will.

Records in this series are arranged by volume and folio number. Many of the records were originally housed in shannon folders, and have been rehoused for preservation purposes. When the records were received by the Archives, the volumes were out of order. As it would have been too difficult to re-order the files at the time, they have been left in the received physical order but the file list is arranged by volume number. The records in this series were selected for full retention under the Court Services ORCS (Schedule 100152) number 51400-25.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Chilliwack)

Vanderhoof Supreme and County Court orders and reasons for judgement

  • GR-3716
  • Series
  • 1977-2002

The series consists of civil orders and reasons for judgement created by the Supreme and County courts of Vanderhoof between 1977 and 2002. Orders from Supreme and County courts have frequently been interfiled together. The records deal with a variety of civil matters, including adoption, divorce, granting of letters probate, and foreclosures. Civil orders represent the formal expression of the court’s will, whereas the reasons for judgement provide the rationale for the court’s decision. The series includes a number of certified copies of probates, the originals of which are awaiting transfer to the BC Archives as of September 2018. These probates date to the 1990s and early 2000s.

Records in this series were arranged in various ways, including by court registry file number and by volume and folio number. In some instances, the folio and volume number have been reversed on the orders themselves.

Records have been managed and retained under the Court Services ORCS (schedule 100152) 51400-25.

British Columbia. County Court (Vanderhoof)

Fernie Supreme Court orders

  • GR-3720
  • Series
  • 1983-2002

The series consists of orders from the Supreme Court in Fernie. The orders date from 1983 to 2002 and the series is largely composed of divorce orders. There is one folder of adoption orders and one of general court orders, which also includes orders related to probates and estates. Divorce orders were originally arranged by volume and folio number, but this system appears to have changed in 1999 and the records were subsequently arranged by filing date. Researchers should note that there is sometimes a gap between the date the order is issued and the date it is filed. Other orders appear to be arranged by filing date.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Fernie)

Victoria Supreme Court divorce cause book/case card indexes

  • GR-3739
  • Series
  • 1965-1989

The series consists of indexes to divorce cause books and case cards created by the Supreme Court of Victoria between 1965 and 1989. The indexes are arranged alphabetically and provide a case file number. This can then be used to locate the volume and folio number in the relevant cause book or case card, which can then in turn be used to obtain a copy of the divorce order.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Victoria)

Princeton Supreme Court divorce case files

  • GR-2779
  • Series
  • 1928-1949

The series consists of divorce case files from the Princeton Supreme Court, 1928 to 1949. Most of these cases appear to have been tried elsewhere, primarily Vancouver.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Princeton)

Fernie Supreme and County Court civil orders and reasons for judgement

  • GR-4162
  • Series
  • 1978-2001

The series consists of original civil orders, judgements, and reasons for judgement created between 1978 and 2001 by the Fernie Supreme Court and County Court registry. Orders are the formal expression of the ruling of the court, judgements are the final orders issued in a case, and reasons for judgement provide the court's rationale. The records relate to a variety of civil matters including divorces, bankruptcies, and some adoptions. In the later years of this series, adoptions were removed and filed separately.

From 1978 to August 1999, the records are arranged by volume and folio number as assigned by the court registry. Beginning September 1999, they are arranged chronologically. The records were scheduled for full retention under Court Services ORCS (schedule 100152) 51400-25.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Fernie)

Prince George Supreme and County Court index to civil orders and judgements

  • GR-4157
  • Series
  • 1984-1996

The series consists of an index to civil orders and judgements created between 1984 and 1996 by the Prince George Supreme and County Courts. Entries provide a file number, the style of cause (including names of plaintiffs and defendants), a description of the order and/or judgement, and volume and folio numbers, which can be used to located associated orders and judgements found in GR-4156 (1965-1989). The index relates to orders and judgments on a variety of civil matters including divorces, bankruptcies, foreclosures, and some adoptions.

The index is arranged by file number. The records were scheduled for full retention under Court Services ORCS (schedule 100152) 51400-25.

British Columbia. County Court (Prince George)

Kelowna Supreme Court divorce orders

  • GR-4183
  • Series
  • 1977-1996; predominantly 1977-1986

The series consists of original decrees nisi, decrees absolute, and divorce orders created between 1977 and 1996 (predominantly between 1977-1986) by the Kelowna Supreme Court registry. Between 1968 and 1985, a judgement by way of decree nisi required a three-month waiting period before a judgement by way of decree absolute could be applied for. During this time, a divorce was not legally in effect without a decree absolute. After 1985, divorce orders automatically came into effect 31 days after the divorce was granted, barring an appeal.

Decrees nisi and decrees absolute are filed together and arranged by case number, not by volume and folio or by date. This means that records of varying dates are interfiled. Orders transferred to the Kelowna registry from other court registries within the province were not assigned a Kelowna case file number and are filed alphabetically by last name at the end of this series. The records were scheduled for full retention under Court Services ORCS (schedule 100152) 51440-25.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Kelowna)

Ashcroft Supreme Court divorce orders

  • GR-4250
  • Series
  • 1950-1958, 1971-1997

Series consists of original decrees nisi, decrees absolute, and divorce orders created between 1950-1958 and 1971-1997 by the Ashcroft Supreme Court registry. Between 1968 and 1985, a judgement by way of decree nisi required a three-month waiting period before a judgement by way of decree absolute could be applied for. During this time, a divorce was not legally in effect without a decree absolute. After 1985, divorce orders automatically came into effect 31 days after the divorce was granted, barring an appeal.

Decrees nisi and decrees absolute are filed together and arranged by case number, not by volume and folio or by date. This means that records of varying dates are interfiled. From 1950-1978, case file numbers were assigned chronologically and include the year a divorce was initiated. For example, no. 1/71 was the first divorce initiated in 1971, no. 1/72 was the first divorce of 1972, and so on. Starting in 1979, case file numbers continued sequentially across years from no. 14 in 1979 to no. 82 in 1997. The records were scheduled for full retention under Court Services ORCS (schedule 100152) 51440-25.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Ashcroft)

Vancouver Supreme Court divorce indexes

  • GR-1586
  • Series
  • 1893-1994

The series consists of indexes for divorces at the Vancouver Supreme Court between 1893 and 1994. Entries may provide a case number, which can be used to locate an associated record within a cause book or case record card. Entries may also provide a volume and folio number, which can be used to obtain a copy of the final divorce order.

Over time, index entries vary and may be searchable by only the name of the plaintiff or by either the name of the plaintiff or the defendant. The records were scheduled for full retention under Court Services ORCS (schedule 100152) 53200-20.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Vancouver)

Barkerville Supreme Court divorce case files

  • GR-2022
  • Series
  • 1939-1951

The series consists of six Barkerville Supreme Court divorce case files from 1939 to 1951.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Barkerville)

New Westminster Supreme Court orders and judgements

  • GR-2018
  • Series
  • 1940-1945, 1948-2004

This series contains New Westminster Supreme Court orders from January 1940 to May 1945 and January 1948 to December 2004 (predominantly up to April 2001). Orders are the formal expression of the ruling of the court and judgements are the final orders issued in a case. Records relate to a variety of civil matters including divorces, bankruptcies, foreclosures, probates, and some adoptions.

Records are arranged by volume and folio number as assigned by the court registry. Beginning in May 1950, orders and judgements were separated and volume numbers 49-108 are duplicated. Beginning in March 1976, orders and judgements are interfiled. Between October 1990 and December 2004, orders, default judgements, certificates, and determinations related to financial cases were separated into their own volumes, 148-204, once again creating duplicated volume numbers. Researchers are encouraged to check volume numbers against dates when searching for specific records. Most, but not all, volumes include indexes or volume file lists. However, beginning in July 1990, volumes include a file list by case number only. The records were scheduled for full retention under Court Services ORCS (schedule 100152) 51400-25.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (New Westminster)

Grand Forks Supreme Court cause books

  • GR-1635
  • Series
  • 1900-1969

The series consists of four volumes of indexed cause books, created in the Grand Forks registry between 1900 and 1969. A typical cause book entry lists the style of cause, solicitors' names, nature of claim, and the dates of various proceedings in each case. The entry also provides the case file number. For Supreme Court cases, cause books are often used as a starting point for research. The cause books include information on adoption, divorce, chattel mortgages, and other civil proceedings.

The records are arranged by case number and are also chronological.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Grand Forks)

Ashcroft Supreme Court civil cause books and indexes

  • GR-3539
  • Series
  • 1917-1934

Series consists of volume 2 of Ashcroft Supreme Court’s cause books. The volume covers cases 5/1917 to 3/1934 and includes information on divorces, probates and estate administration, adoption orders, and other civil cases. The volume also includes an alphabetical index.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Ashcroft)

Penticton Supreme Court divorce indexes

  • GR-3592
  • Series
  • 1977-1988

The series consists of divorce index ledgers created by the Supreme Court in Penticton between 1977 and 1988. The ledgers are organized by year and alphabetically by surname of the divorcing party.

The location of the cause books to which the indexes refer is unknown.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Penticton)

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