Series consists primarily of documents from the colonial era of British Columbia, including material related to early settlers on Vancouver Island, the Fraser River and Cariboo/Yukon gold rushes, and the courts. The bulk of the series consists of correspondence, but also includes commission, coroner’s inquisition, court calendar, deposition, jury list, last will and testament, prospectus, receipt, and subpoena.

Series consists of court documents covering a variety of cases and legal disputes in British Columbia between 1858 and 1891 that represent both major criminal charges as well as minor civil suits. It is comprised of more than 750 case files containing over 1,200 documents relating to such topics as Augustus Pemberton and colonial relations with Chinese and Aboriginal peoples in B.C., possible changes that occurred after the colonies were converged, and the many types of small claims being filed during the period.

Series consists of individual acts, proclamations and other documents printed by the British Columbia Colonial Government between 1858 and 1871. These documents include the foundation of law and rule in the province as well as early colonial policies.

The Supreme Court of Civil Justice was originally established as the Inferior Court of Civil Justice in 1857 by Governor James Douglas to deal with the increasing number of petty claims in Victoria. The court was renamed in 1860. Series consists of records including writs, testimony, judgements, and other pertinent documents related to various cases. These records were produced by magistrates, defendants, claimants, and other relevant (and in some cases historically significant) parties including the first judge in BC, the first Attorney General, the earliest clergy, businessmen, and other prominent figures from this period in British Columbia's colonial history. The materials in this series represent a firsthand look at the business and legal proceedings from the colony's early justice system.

The 1858 Gold Rush on the Fraser River in British Columbia brought an influx of miners to the area, resulting in an economic boom for the colonies.
Following the end of the gold rush, however, came a time of financial strain in the 1860s and many individuals suffered personal financial loss. In 1862, a bankruptcy court was established as a formal structure to resolve insolvencies. Series includes documents related to the colonial bankruptcy court including adjudications, affidavits, declaration, deeds, notices, petitions, proofs of debt, receipts, report, statements of account, summons, and wills.

Series consists of four bound volumes of documents originating from the British Columbia Provincial Police (specifically the New Westminster
headquarters):

1. General orders #1-390, 1923-1950: Two ledgers of memorandums circulated to the various district headquarters of the BCPP announcing changes in procedure, law, and policy and announcing personnel changes such as promotions, dismissals, reassignments, and deaths in the force. An index exists for general orders 1 through 271, bound in volume 2.

2. Nominal roll and seniority list, 1926-1950: One ledger of nominal rolls, giving names and registration numbers of police officers and other personnel, organized by divisions and districts. Also contains seniority lists, which lists the names and registration numbers of personnel in all districts organized by hierarchy. Updates were sent to the various districts periodically.

3. War circulars, volumes 1-8, 1939-1946: One ledger of circulars issued during World War II, giving special changes to procedure or reporting on relevant changes in law or orders in council which would affect policing during the war. Issues include fire arms possession and registration, status of First Nations people in the forces, rationing and oil supplies, and the registration of “enemy aliens.”

Series consists of documents created by civil rights organizations
concerned with Japanese-Canadian rights:

1. Japanese Canadian Committee for Democracy (Toronto, ON) membership application forms (three copies, blank). Forms request name, age, address, occupation, and telephone number, and a membership fee of two dollars.

2. Newsletter of the Citizenship Defence Committee (Toronto, ON) issued on April 25, 1946 by Kunic Hidaka, executive secretary. The newsletter discusses financing for an appeal to the privy council, the engagement of an English barrister for the appeal, the Ontario provincial convention, and time limits on permits and placement allowances.

3. Memorandum issued by the Canadian Committee, World Federation of Democratic Youth (Toronto, ON) on June 22, 1946 concerning deportation and internment of Canadians of Japanese ancestry.