British Columbia Pioneer Medallion Recipients

As part of Canada’s 1967 centennial celebrations, commemorative medallions were awarded to British Columbia residents who were either born in Canada or were a resident of Canada prior to January 1st, 1892.  The forms provide name of applicant, date and place of birth, maiden names of wives and mothers, names of applicants’ brothers and sisters, and other genealogical information.

Similarly, to commemorate the centennial of British Columbia’s entry into Confederation the provincial government presented pioneer medallions to British Columbia residents who were either born in Canada or were a resident of Canada prior to January 1st, 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.

Members of the Qualicum Beach Family History Society have indexed the pioneers of this area who made application for either of the above mentioned medallions. This index, wherever possible, will link to the original application form on the BC Archives Pioneer Database.

All the locations in the “Place of Residence” field are within British Columbia, Canada and denote the residence shown in the BC Archives which, in turn, is the folder within which the complete form and attachments may be found. The people may have resided outside of that community but their applications were submitted by the centennial commissioner of that place.

As of November, 2016, the Pioneer Medallion database has been digitized and is now available on line.  “The digitization of the Pioneer Medallion applications” is simply the most recent in a long and continuous line of services the BC Archives offers BC citizens,” says Royal BC Museum COO and Deputy CEO Angela Williams. The 1967 applications are contained in Record Series GR 1489 and the 1971 applications in record series GR 1490.

Download the Genealogy Research Guide for more information on family history resources at the B.C. Archives.