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Archival description
Only top-level descriptions Divorce--British Columbia
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Victoria Supreme Court divorce orders

  • GR-1587
  • Series
  • 1877-1998

The series consists of divorce orders issued by the Supreme Court of Victoria between 1877 and 1998. After October 1998, divorce orders were filed in the Supreme Court order books.

Records from 1877 to December 31, 1948 have been microfilmed. Records from 1949 onward are original paper records. The records consist of decrees nisi and absolute.

Volumes in containers 830561-0001 to 830561-0020 contain indexes.

Until 1968, divorces in BC were granted under the English Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857 (amended 1858). Selected sections of the Act were incorporated into BC’s Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act in 1897 (RSBC 1897, c. 62) and remained largely unchanged until 1968 when the Federal government passed the first national divorce act. This act superseded existing provincial legislation, and a Central Registry of Divorce Proceedings was also created at this time.

In 1972, BC’s Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act was repealed and replaced with the Family Relations Act, which included provisions for issues related to custody. In 1985, the federal Divorce Act was passed, and came into effect in 1986. Under the 1985 Act, the use of decrees nisi was discontinued. Decrees nisi, which had been used inconsistently prior to the 1930s, required a waiting period before a decree absolute – the finalization of the dissolution of the marriage – could be issued. Between 1968 and 1985, decrees nisi required a three-month waiting period. After this time, a decree absolute could be applied for. During this time, a divorce was not legally in effect without a decree absolute.

Under the 1985 Divorce Act, a single court order of dissolution was issued, under which the divorce automatically comes into effect 31 days after the divorce has been granted.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Victoria)

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)

New Westminster Supreme Court civil cause books and case record cards

  • GR-1564
  • Series
  • 1881-1977

Series consists of civil cause books and case record cards from the New Westminster Supreme Court from September 1881 to April 1977. There are no cause books for November 1947 to August 1949 or for July to December 1975 and volume 11 (1956) is missing. Cause books and case records cards provide the framework for Supreme Court civil action cases and may include the names of parties, the dates when proceedings occurred, and can be used to determine volume and folio numbers for locating final orders and/or judgements. Cause books were used by the courts until approximately the mid-1970s. They were replaced by case record cards, which were replaced by digital systems in the 1990s. They are often the only source of information for divorces that were not finalized since no final order would have been granted and case files are destroyed.

Records are arranged chronologically by the date a case was initiated. Case file numbers were then assigned sequentially and include the year a case was initiated. Original textual records prior to 1949 were destroyed after microfilming. Retrieve records using microfilm reels The records were scheduled for retention under Court Services ORCS (schedule 100152) 53200-20.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (New Westminster)

Vernon Supreme Court judgements

  • GR-2315
  • Series
  • 1887-1934

The series consists of judgments issued by the Supreme Court in Vernon between 1887 and 1934. Microfilmed records are covered by indexes in containers of original paper records. The records consist of judgments on a variety of matters, including libel, divorce, foreclosures, debtors and creditors, and other civil matters. Records are arranged in rough chronological order.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Vernon)

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)

Vancouver Supreme Court civil cause books and case record cards

  • GR-1608
  • Series
  • 1893-1994

This series consists of cause books and case record cards from the Vancouver Supreme Court for civil cases between 1893 and 1994. Cause books and case records cards 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. Cause books were used by the courts until approximately the mid-1970s. They were replaced by case record cards, which were used until the courts turned to digital systems in the 1990s. Cause books and case record cards are also often the only source of information for divorce cases that were dropped and never completed, as no final order would have been granted, and case files would have been destroyed.

The records are arranged by case number, which can be found by using the indexes in GR-1704. Some years, the case numbering sequence was re-set. As such, case numbers within this series have been used repeatedly. Make note of the case number and year when the case started when matching records. The original bound volumes for records 1/1893 to 3300/1961 were destroyed after microfilming; retrieve records using microfilm. The records were scheduled for retention under Court Services ORCS (schedule 100152) 53200-20.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Vancouver)

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)

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)

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)

Nanaimo Supreme Court divorce case files

  • GR-2560
  • Series
  • 1900; 1912

Series consists of three divorce case files from the Nanaimo Supreme Court from 1900 and 1912.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Nanaimo)

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

Vernon Supreme Court civil cause books

  • GR-3787
  • Series
  • 1901-1916; 1954-1958

The series consists of civil cause books from the Vernon Supreme court covering 1901-1916 and 1954-1958. Cause books provide details such as the name of parties involved, the names of their solicitors, nature of the claim and a listing of proceedings in the case. Subjects include a variety of financial matters, divorces, probates and estate administration, adoption orders, and other civil cases.

Volume one does not include an index, and several files are noted to be “from Vancouver registry.” Volumes two and three have indexes. Volume two has two separate indexes: a large index at the front of the volume and a smaller separate index tucked in the front cover of the volume. These two indexes have overlapping information, but some information may be unique to each index.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Vernon)

Divorce court orders

  • GR-3255
  • Series
  • 1901-1983

The series consists of copies of British Columbia divorce court orders submitted to the Division of Vital Statistics and its predecessor, the Vital Statistics Branch. It includes copies of divorce orders for Victoria from 1901 to 1983 and for British Columbia from 1935 to 1983.

In 1935 an amendment to the Vital Statistics Act required that the Vital Statistics Branch be sent a certified copy of each court order relating to the dissolution of marriage. From 1 April 1935 until 1986, when the requirement for the Division of Vital Statistics to maintain a central divorce register was repealed, divorce orders were sent to Victoria. Copies of final decrees dating back to 1901 were also submitted by the Victoria court registry.

The Victoria orders from 1901 to 1935 are arranged roughly by year. Volume number 999 was assigned to this group of records in 1946 (see GR-3254 description). For British Columbia divorce orders starting in 1935, a sequential volume numbering system was introduced, continuing until 1976. Each year consists of several volumes which are organized alphabetically within groups of months. File numbering to 1946 was sequential but thereafter usually started at 1 at the beginning of each year. From 1977 to 1983, there were no volume numbers assigned.

The volumes and file numbers are internal Vital Statistics numbers and are not the same as the volume and folio numbers assigned by the respective court registries. These orders are intended for reference purposes only. If a certified copy is required, a copy should be made from the original filed document which may be available from the British Columbia Archives or may still be in the custody of the issuing court registry.

British Columbia. Division of Vital Statistics

Vernon Supreme Court orders

  • GR-1853
  • Series
  • 1901-1930; 1958-1959

The series consists of orders issued by the Supreme Court in Vernon between 1901-1930 and 1958-1959. Researchers should note that orders for the period 1931 to 1957 are missing. 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, and some adoptions.

Microfilm reel B16147 contains volume 1 (May1901-November 1916) and volume 2 (October 1916-July 1920) of the orders. Container 831041-0001 contains original paper copies of orders as well as several indexes, although it is unclear to which orders these refer. They appear to index more than what was transferred in the box. When the records arrived at the Archives, they had been divided into folders based on year, and are arranged in rough chronological orders. Records relating to the same case can be found across several folders. The paper records also contain a small number of interfiled judgments.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Vernon)

Fernie Supreme Court civil cause books

  • GR-2148
  • Series
  • 1905-1977

Series consists of cause books from the Fernie Supreme Court for civil cases between 1905-1977. Cause books provide the framework for Supreme Court civil action cases and may include the names of parties and their solicitors; the dates when proceedings occurred, including the issuing of orders; and fees charged. They are often the only source of information for divorces that were not finalized since no final order would have been granted and case files are destroyed.

The records are arranged chronologically by the date a case was initiated. Case file numbers were then assigned sequentially and include the last two digits of the year (e.g., 1/24 for the first case initiated in 1924). The records were scheduled for retention under Court Services ORCS (schedule 100152) 53200-20.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Fernie)

Fernie Supreme Court divorce case files

  • GR-2520
  • Series
  • 1907-1951

The series consists of Fernie Supreme Court divorce case files from 1907 to 1951.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Fernie)

Penticton County Court and Supreme Court orders and judgements

  • GR-2332
  • Series
  • 1914-1938

Series consists of original civil orders and judgements created between 1914 and 1938 by the Penticton County Court and 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. County Court (Penticton)

Vernon Supreme Court cause book

  • GR-1851
  • Series
  • 1914-1937

This series consists of one cause book from the Vernon Supreme Court for civil cases between Sep 1914 and May 1937. 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)

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)

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)

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)

Prince George Supreme Court divorce case files

  • GR-2237
  • Series
  • 1919-1949

The series consists of divorce case files. Files from 1919-1923 are from the Fort George registry and from 1925-1949 are from Prince George registry.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Prince George)

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)

Grand Forks Supreme Court divorce case files

  • GR-2795
  • Series
  • 1923-1946

The series consists of Grand Forks Supreme Court divorce case files from 1923 to 1946.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Grand Forks)

Kelowna Supreme Court civil orders and judgements

  • GR-4252
  • Series
  • 1923-1986

Series consists of original civil orders and judgements created between 1923 and 1986 by the Kelowna 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 divorce, estates, bankruptcy, foreclosure, and some adoptions. In later years, divorce, adoption, and probate orders may also be located within their own series.

Orders and judgements are interfiled. From 1923-1961, records were arranged by entered date and assigned a sequential folio number by the court registry (nos. 1-1305). From 1962-1973, the assigned folio numbering sequence was re-set each year, starting with 1/1962. Beginning in 1974, all orders and judgements for a case are filed together by case file number. This means that records of varying dates are interfiled. Box 6, folder 12 includes orders for cases initiated but not finalized before 1974. The records were scheduled for full retention under Court Services ORCS (schedule 100152) 51400-25.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Kelowna)

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