Reference Materials
Begin your Surrey history research with the Reference Materials at Surrey Archives.
The Key to Your Search
Anyone is welcome to visit the Surrey Archives to utilize the many resources about Surrey’s past. Friendly staff are on site to help you source our various reference materials.
Reference Library
Books in the Surrey Archives Reference Library are non-circulating and must be used in the Archives Reference Room. Use the Surrey Libraries Search to find Surrey Archives books. Simply select "City of Surrey Archives" under “Available At.”
Directories
The Surrey Archives has Directories dating from 1887 through to 2001. View the full list of Directories available at the Surrey Archives. They are an excellent resource for genealogists and researchers.
Reference Files
The Reference Files at the Surrey Archives are another great place to begin your research. There are about 500 files in total, consisting of newspaper clippings and other reference materials on local topics such as bridges, parks, pioneer families, railways and more. View a list of Reference Files available at the Surrey Archives.
Newspapers
Trying to track a historical news story? Perhaps you would just like to get a sense of a time period by browsing newspapers. Whatever the case, the Surrey Archives' newspaper collection is a terrific resource for researchers. Newspapers in our collection include, but are not limited to:
- The British Columbian: 1864-1885 (gap from 1869-1882)
- Surrey Times: April 1895 - October 1895
- Surrey Gazette: 1917 - 1929
- Surrey Leader: 1929 - 2004 (gap from January to June 1962)
- The Now: 1992-2015
For more information, contact staff at archives@surrey.ca or 604-502-6459.