Part Four (the Last): Searching for Land Patents in Upper Canada ... It's Not All Online Yet

After the last post on Upper Canada land records (April 30th) we had a family emergency. Thankfully it is resolving itself but it has been very slow. As a result this post took a lot longer than expected. I have written and re-written, organized and reorganized trying to decide the best way I want to present this look at the process of searching for Upper Canada Land Patents.

This is long, and maybe I should have split it up, but I wanted the information all in one place.

First, let's take a look at a few background facts that can be found in various sources.

• 1763  New France (Quebec) including present-day Ontario becomes a colony of Britain (Treaty of Paris of 1763) 
• 1775 – 1783  American Revolutionary War 
• 1783  The Treaty of Separation (Treaty of Paris of 1783, signed 3 Sept. 1783 and effective 12 May 1784) officially ends the Revolutionary War between Great Britain and its former colony, The United States of America. Loyalist refugees and British soldiers migrate to Nova Scotia and Quebec 
• 1783 – 1784  Loyalists and soldiers migrate to and spread into western Quebec (now Ontario) 
• 1788  Western Quebec (now Ontario) is divided into four land districts and the land boards were formed 
• 1789  Unity of Empire (UE) designation and privileges for Loyalist settlers created by Lord Dorchester. (The Treaty of Separation is an important time point for who qualifies as UEL.) 
• 1791  Quebec is divided into Upper Canada (now Ontario) and Lower Canada (now Quebec) 
• 1792  The four land districts are renamed 
• 1798  By now there are eight land districts 
• 1802  Col. Thomas Talbot petitions for land grant and becomes a land promotor establishing The Talbot Tract (in present-day counties of Norfolk, Elgin, Middlesex, Kent and Essex) 
• 1803  Clergy Reserve land leasing finally occurs 
• 1812 – 1814  Britain and the United States go to war (War of 1812) 
• 1819  Grants to 1812 War veterans authorized 
• 1819  Clergy Corporation formed to manage Clergy Reserves 
• 1823  Peter Robinson emigrants from Ireland begin to settle Lanark and Peterborough counties 
• 1824  The Canada Land Company incorporates to colonize the Huron Tract and Crown Reserve Lands 
• 1826  By now there are eleven land districts 
• 1827  Free land grants stopped to all but military and loyalist claimants; open land market begins 
• 1837  Upper Canada Rebellion 
• 1838  By now there are twenty-six land districts 
• 1841  Name change again -- Upper Canada becomes Canada West and Lower Canada becomes Canada East 
• 1849  The district system (in what is now Southern Ontario) is abolished for county administration 
• 1867  Canada West becomes Ontario

This timeline is far from complete but I hope it illustrates that when doing land research it is necessary to understand the history of the land you are researching. Knowing some history and using old maps/diagrams are essential to understanding where your ancestor settled (and sometimes why) and keeping places straight (maybe Grandpa didn't move but the place name changed.)

So now let's look at the process of seeking a land patent and the documents that exist for us to search.

Did you only do a simple check of an index, such as the Ontario Land Record Index or the Upper Canada Land Index? Stopping at an index match does not guarantee that match is your ancestor. Stopping when you find no index match does not mean your ancestor did not try to get land. Are you aware of which record collections are included in a particular index? A rejected petition leaves a smaller paper trail (no entries further in the process -- no patent) but a rejected petition likely contains similar information to those that were recommended to receive land.

Did you just look at a Land Patent Plan? Finding a name and a year on a "map" does not tell you the details.

Did you only look for a Land Petition? A petition was just the first step in the process and even though it may contain a lot of the "goodies" we seek, we may not know for sure if that individual received a recommendation/order for a land grant (and where); if fees/obligations were needed and completed to receive the patent (ownership) of the land; or if the petition was later dismissed. Additionally, if a petition has been lost in time evidence may exist in other documents that a patent was obtained.

As you can see there are lots of details that can be missed if you do not do thorough research.

Let us be clear, we are looking at the process of an individual obtaining land from the Crown government not land transactions from person to person that happened later. For detailed explanations of the process of obtaining a land patent read the various help guides and resources listed at the end of this post. Though I've structured this post to follow the petition process, my goal is to organize online (and offline) record collections that I know of in one hopefully useful place.

Normal research usually starts with an index and moves to a record. But with multiple steps there can be multiple indexes and associated records. Stopping too soon or not realizing there is more can leave you with less of your ancestor's story.

As with many records where you begin in the process often is dependent on what you know of your ancestor, what you know of where he/she settled, and what resources are accessible to you. With some of these particular steps going online, especially with electronic indexes, I think the research flow will alter/shift to doing the steps available online first and then hopefully the "offline" steps will be tackled. And hopefully more of these documents are digitized and put online.

Here's my simplified look at the multi-step process of obtaining a land patent in Upper Canada and the documents created that we now seek out. As you can see some of these steps can be done online and some must still be done onsite.

The process started with an individual making a request for land in writing stating who they are and why they deserve land. Known as a Land Petition.

These individuals were not just Loyalists and Military men. Different regulations were passed over the years to entice a variety of people to settle this wilderness. Petitions most often are for grants of land for a Land Patent but you will also see requests for leases of land. Also, there were land sales/leases by private entities like the Canada Company, Peter Robinson, Thomas Talbot which may have resulted in other records in other collections.

The main collection known for land petitions is the Upper Canada Land Petitions which has been digitized and electronically indexed by the Library and Archives of Canada. But petitions can be found in a variety of collections like the Upper Canada Sundries which are included in that online index to the Upper Canada Land Petitions.

Before the online index, there were two main indexes to look at for land petitions. The first is Finding Aid MSS1802 commonly called the Upper Canada Land Index. It consists to two card index sets which not only indexes the petitions but also the Land Books (to be mentioned below.) The microfilms of this finding aid have been digitized and can be searched manually.

The second index is the Ontario Land Record Index (OLRI) by the Archives of Ontario on microfiche. The OLRI only indexes part of the land petitions but also indexes some land related material in the Canada Company and Peter Robinson fonds. There are two versions: alphabetical index by settler's surname and alphabetical index by township. The OLRI is available at the Archives of Ontario and can be rented through the FamilySearch for viewing at a local Family History Center. It has not been digitized.

I also recently learned to check the Land Petitions of Lower Canada 1764-1841 too. This collection is digitized and has an online index. From description at the LAC website, "it includes petitions for part of the colony that later became Upper Canada up to and including 1791." So if you have early, early Upper Canada ancestors be sure to check out this collection.

Most petitions are held by the Library and Archives of Canada but some are held by the Archives of Ontario. See my previous post on Indexed and Non-Indexed Items Related to Upper Canada Land Petitions for some other collections that hold petitions and the details of where to find them online. A few of these are the Heir and Devisee "First Commission," Heir and Devisee "Second Commission," Thomas Talbot fonds, to name but a few. Also, read the resources at the end of this post for other collections not currently online.

Do you have to check every collection if you've found your ancestor's petition in one of the above collections? Probably not. But if you have proof that your ancestor received a patent but have not found a petition, there are other collections to check before you decide his/her petition was lost at some point in time. So if needed give them a try.

Here is a listing of the various collections mentioned with some additional ones containing land petitions:

Upper Canada Land Petitions, 1763-1865

Online Index: Yes, at LAC website (info and search)
Digitized Microfilm: Yes, at archived LAC website

Land Submissions to Executive Council 1783-1865, predominant 1783-1841 (formerly RG1 L3 and RG1 L6B now R10875-4-5-E), MIKAN 205131
For more information, see my earlier Digging Deeper post.

Upper Canada Sundries

Online Index: Yes, at LAC website (info and search)
Digitized Microfilm: Yes, at Héritage website

Civil Secretary’s Correspondence, Upper Canada, Upper Canada Sundries, 1766-1841 (formerly RG5 A1 now R10875-2-1-E), MIKAN 125539
For more information, see my earlier Digging Deeper post.

Upper Canada Land Index (Finding Aid MSS1802)

Online Index: No (has digitized microfilm of an index)
Digitized Microfilm: Yes, at Héritage website

Finding Aid MSS1802 also known as the Index to the Upper Canada Land Petitions (RG1 L3) is part of a digitized microfilm collection labeled Upper Canada Land Books. The finding aid consists of microfilm reels of two index card sets which not only index the Upper Canada Land Petitions (RG1 L3) but also the Executive Council Minute Books on Land Matters (formerly RG1 L1 now R10875-2-1-E) to be mentioned below. This index (the digital microfilm) has not been electronically indexed so it must be searched manually.

For more information, see my earlier Digging Deeper and Cheat Sheet posts.

Ontario Land Record Index (OLRI)

Online Index: No
Digitized Microfilm: No

Compiled by the Archives of Ontario, the OLRI indexes part of the Crown Land papers, Canada Company papers and Peter Robinson papers. There are several pathfinders and research guides by the Archives of Ontario (see below) that explain how to use the index (on microfiche) and its various codes. The OLRI is organized in two ways (pathways) by Name of a Person and by Name of a Place (township, town, city). The OLRI can be rented through FamilySearch from the Family History Library; there are 129 microfiche total.

Lower Canada Land Petitions, 1764-1841

Online Index: Yes, at LAC website (info and search)
Digitized Microfilm: Yes (linked to search results)

Executive Council Office of the Province of Lower Canada (RG 1 L3L) 1637-1842 predominant 1792-1843 (formerly RG1 E17, RG1 E14, RG1 E13, RG1 E11, RG1 E12, RG1 E15A, RG1 L7, RG1 E6B, , RG1 E1 and RG1 E2 now R10870-0-1-E), MIKAN 204826
Petitions and related records accumulated and created by the Executive Council in the administration of its land disposal functions. Commonly referred to as the "Lower Canada Land Petitions" the records are more varied. Microfilm reels C-2504 to C-2571 containing volumes 29 to 210 have been digitized. The images are linked to the search results. Records in volumes 10 to 28 were not indexed see next listing.

Land Petitions and Related Records of the Executive Council
Online Index: No
Digitized Microfilm: Yes (at Héritage website)

Also part of the Lower Canada Land Petitions is Executive Council Office of the Province of Lower Canada (RG 1 L3L) 1637-1843 predominant 1792-1843 (formerly RG1 L3L, RG1 L7 and RG1 E2 now R10870-6-2-E), MIKAN 204929
Petitions and related records accumulated and created by the Executive Council in the administration of its land disposal functions. Commonly referred to as the "Lower Canada Land Petitions" the records are more varied. 25 digitized reels: Reels C-2494, C-2498 to C-2503 contain volumes 10 to 28 which were not indexed in the above Lower Canada Land Petitions collection but a link to the contents of the volumes on these reels is included in that collection's "about this database" information. (This list is not included with this collection's About information though it really should be.) Finding Aid MSS1801 is microfilmed (and digitized) on reels H-1155 to H-1172 and is an alphabetical card index to volumes 1 to 10 and volumes 29 to 209. These microfilmed index cards must be searched manually.

Heir and Devisee "First Commission"

Online Index: No
Digitized Microfilm: Yes, at Héritage website

Records of the Heir and Devisee Commission Accumulated by the Executive Council, 1777-1854 (formerly RG1 L5 now R10875-8-2-E), MIKAN 205142.

Consists of records of the Heir and Devisee Commission forwarded to the Executive Council Office in the course of business, as well as records accumulated by the Executive Council Office after the demise of the first commission in 1805. For more information, see my earlier Digging Deeper post.

There are other various collections by the "First Commission" at the Archives of Ontario find them by doing an Advanced Search using Record Creators in the Archives Descriptive Database with key words "Upper Canada. Heir and Devisee Commission" and selecting the 1797-1805 commission.

Upper Canada, Heir and Devisee Commission "Second Commission"

Online Index: No, except for one collection of case files at Archives of Ontario
Digitized Microfilm: No

There are a variety of record collections by the Upper Canada, Heir and Devisee Commission, 1805-1911, at the Archives of Ontario. The "Second Commission" was responsible for hearing and determining claims by heirs, devisees or assignees of original nominees. These various collections can be found by doing an Advanced Search using Record Creators in the Archives Descriptive Database with key words "Upper Canada. Heir and Devisee Commission" and selecting the 1805-1911 commission.

Though none of these various collections have been digitized, there is an online index to the just the Second Heir and Devisee Commission Case Files, RG 40-5. More information on the database can be found here.

Thomas Talbot Fonds

Online Index: Partial
Digitized Microfilm: Yes, at Elgin County Archives

The Thomas Talbot Fonds, F 501 at the Archives of Ontario were digitized by the Elgin County Archives as part of the Archives of Ontario's Digitization Loan Program. It includes 45 large-format plans and one lease settlement register. Col. Thomas Talbot became a land promoter in about 1802 establishing The Talbot Tract in the present-day counties of Norfolk, Elgin, Middlesex, Kent and Essex.

For more information, see my Thomas Talbot Fonds post.

Township Papers, ca. 1783 to ca. 1870

Online Index: No
Digitized Microfilm: No

Township Papers, ca. 1783 to ca 1870. Series RG 1-58 was formerly Series RG 1 C-IV. Miscellaneous group of land-related records, which have been arranged by township name then by concession and lot, or by town name and lot number. Not all lots have documents and what documents exist for a lot vary. Types of documents include copies of orders-in--council; copies of location certificates and location tickets; copies of assignments; certificates verifying the completion of settlement duties; copies of receipt; copies of descriptions; copies of patents; copies of incoming correspondence. A Finding Aid (microfilm listing) for RG 1-58 is available online through the Archives Descriptive Database or in the Archives of Ontario Reading Room. This microfilm collection also can be rented through the Family History Library.

Additional collections at the Archives of Ontario to consider searching are: RG 53-3 (Cancelled Land Patents) covering 1868-1944; RG 53-9 (Mining Leases and Patents) covering 1891-1984; RG 53-52 (Land Patents - Free Grants) covering 1867-1970; RG 53-53 (Land Patents - School Land Sales) covering 1867-1870; and RG 53-54 (Land Patents - Militia Grants) covering 1905-1928. These collections at the Archives of Ontario are not digitized.

Do check the Library and Archives of Canada online catalog for other additional non-digitized Upper Canada land-related collections. But at the Library and Archives of Canada there are other digitized microfilm collections related to land though the vast majority are not indexed. Here are two examples.

Index to Grants, Deeds, Leases and Licenses of Occupation Unclaimed or Impounded in the Executive Council Office

Online Index: No (this digitized microfilm is a card index)
Digitized Microfilm: Yes, at Héritage website

Finding Aid MSS1803 (card index) to Grants, Deeds, Leases and Licenses of Occupation, Unclaimed or Impounded in the Executive Council Office, 1791-1897, predominant 1791-1848 (formerly RG1 L2 now R10875-6-9-E), MIKAN 205137

For more information, see my earlier Digging Deeper post.

Land Documents Concerning Quebec, Upper and Lower Canada, Canada East and Canada West and Canada

Online Index: No
Digitized Microfilm: Yes, at Héritage website

Registrar General, Land Documents, 1763-1952 (formerly RG68 now R1002-147-2-E), MIKAN 787982

For more information, see my earlier Digging Deeper post.

The Land Petitions were sent to the land granting authority at the time (Land Board, Executive Council, etc.) which meet, read the petitions, and made decisions which were recorded in a Minute Book/Land Book.

The Minute Books/Land Books of the Land Board (or later the Land Committee of the Executive Council) are where you look to see if a petition was approved (ordered by the Lt. Governor or recommended by the board/committee when the Lt. Gov. was not present) or dismissed. You also may learn if a grant/patent was surrendered.

The Minutes and Records of the Land Boards Accumulated by the Executive Council Office, 1765-1804 (formerly RG1 L4 now RG10875-7-0-E) have been digitized and put online. There is an online index at the Library and Archives of Canada website.

The Land Minutes Books of the Executive Council, 1787-1841 (formerly RG1 L1 now R10875-2-1-E) have been digitized and put online. Though there is no online electronic index, Finding Aid MSS1802 has been digitized. This finding aid consists of two card index sets that index this land minute book collection and the Upper Canada Land Petitions.

The Archives of Ontario also holds a couple other Land Board Minutes related collections which have not been digitized. Use the Archives Description Database to find these collections using "Land Board Minutes" as the keywords.

Here is a listing of the various collections mentioned regarding Minute Books/Land Books.

Minutes and Records of the Land Boards Accumulated by the Executive Council Office

Online Index: Yes, at LAC website (info and search)

Digitized Microfilm: Yes, at Héritage website

Minutes and Records of the Land Boards Accumulated by the Executive Council Office, 1765-1804 (formerly RG1 L4 now R10875-7-0-E), MIKAN 205141

For more information, see my earlier Digging Deeper post.

Upper Canada Land Books

Online Index: No (has digitized microfilm of an index)

Digitized Microfilm: Yes, at Héritage website

Land Minute Books of the Executive Council, 1787 – 1841 (formerly RG1 L1 now R10875-2-1-E), MIKAN 205068 is part of a digitized microfilm collection labeled Upper Canada Land Books. Besides the digitized microfilm for the Land Minute Books, this collection includes the digitized microfilm of Finding Aid MSS1802 Index to the Upper Canada Land Petitions (RG1 L3) and the Executive Council Minute Books on Land Matters (formerly RG1 L1 now R10875-2-1-E) commonly called the Upper Canada Land Index. This index has not been electronically indexed so it must be searched manually.

For more information, see my earlier Digging Deeper and Cheat Sheet posts.

If approved (ordered/recommended) an order-in-council, warrant or certificate was issued approving a grant of land for a certain quantity. It was presented to a surveyor for assignment. It was recorded in a Land Patent Book.

Depending on which regulation under which an individual received his/her grant there may have been fees and/or obligations (improvements) that had to be completed before the actual receipt of a Land Patent by a settler.

Land Patent Books are what tell you where that awarded land grant was located. But because the microfilm of the books and associated indexes have not been digitized and put online, a researcher is left hanging until a research trip can be made or a researcher can be hired to go to the Archives of Ontario to use the microfilms.

Here is a listing of the various collections for Land Patent Books.

Land Patent Books, 1793-1984

Online Index: No

Digitized Microfilm: No

Ontario Government Series RG 53-1 Land Patent Books, 1793-1984. To use these volumes, you first need to consult one of three patent indexes: Index of Land Patents by Name RG 53-56; Index of Land Patents by Township RG 53-55; or Index of Land Patents by District RG 53-2. See below for more information. There is an online finding aid listing the volume descriptions and associated self-serve reels of microfilm for patents issued before 1867.

Index of Land Patents by Name

Online Index: No

Digitized Microfilm: No

Ontario Government Series RG 53-56 Index of Land Patents by Name. An index to the Land Patent Books, 1793-1984 RG 53-1 arranged by name for land patents dating from 1826-1967. The index provides the name of the patentee; date of patent; lot, concession, township; type of transaction; liber (book) and folio (page) where the patent is located in the original patent books; and the number of acres. The index consists of two formats: bound volumes containing the index of names from 1826-1953 and index cards containing the index of names from 1954-1967. There is a microfilm and volumes list at the Archives of Ontario and a microfilm and volumes list for up to the year 1912 online through the Microfilm Interloan Service.

Index of Land Patents by Township

Online Index: No

Digitized Microfilm: No

Ontario Government Series RG 53-55 Index of Land Patents by Township. An index to the Land Patent Books, 1793-1984 RG 53-1 arranged by township for land patents dating from 1793-1852. Each volume contains a list of contents and provides the name of the patentee; lot, concession; date of patent; type of transaction; number of acres; liber (book) and folio (page) numbers for the location of the patent in the original patent books. Patentee names are arranged within each township in chronological order by patent date. There is a microfilm and volumes list online through the Microfilm Interloan Service.

Index of Land Patents by District

Online Index: No

Digitized Microfilm: No

Ontario Government Series RG 53-2 Index of Land Patents by District. An index to the Land Patent Books, 1793-1984 RG 53-1 arranged by district for land patents dating from 1793-1825. Each volume provides the name of the patentee; date of the patent; number of acres; and lot, concession, township, and district; liber (book) and folio (page) numbers for the location of the patent in the original patent books. There is a microfilm and volumes list online through the Microfilm Interloan Service.

Once inspected that fees/obligations were completed (if necessary) a Land Patent was issued transferring ownership to the settler.

Besides being recorded in a Land Patent Book, a settler's grant/patent location was also recorded on a land patent plan (map) created for each township in each county. Since space was limited on these plans you will simply find a name with perhaps the date of the year received. Remember to read the description of the collection to learn more details.

Upper Canada Land Patent Plans

Online Index: No

Digitized Microfilm: Yes, at Archives of Ontario website (info and search)

These images (high-res jpegs that are zoom-able and downloadable) are of the plans in the Ontario Government Record Series RG 1-100 Patent Plans. Patent Plans are essentially maps showing the status of Crown Lands (patented, leased, licensed) by indicating the name of the individual who first received the patent/lease/license for a particular plot of land and often the year received. There is no surname index for these images. Use the Archives of Ontario Visual Database using just the keyword search, or use the Advanced search option using a keyword and RG 1-100 in the Reference Code filter to limit the results to just the patent plans. I suggest using just the name of the township as the keyword. Spelling counts, some townships have various spellings or mis-spellings so check all possibilities.

For more information, see my earlier Patent Plans post.

Occasionally, you will see a petitioner request a specific parcel of land. If a note on the outside of the petition (when it was folded) indicates approval rather than rejection, then check the patent plan for that township to see if your ancestor's name is indeed written on that parcel of land indicating he/she was awarded that patent.

With a copy of the land patent and the land patent plan you have traced your ancestor's acquiring of land from the Crown. Beyond this point, the next question would be when did my ancestor sell the land that he/she got/bought from the Crown?

That answer would sit in the county land registry offices. Each county has a Land Abstract Index organized by township, concession and lot that tracks the ownership of a particular parcel of land from the Crown to the first owner who received the grant and then on and on. It indexes the copy books that hold copies of the individual deeds, instruments, memorials, etc. Usually there is not a surname index (grantor or grantee) for Canadian county land records like there is for land in the United States. But by having the patent information you have the legal description (county, township, concession and lot) which is what you need to search these later land records. These land abstract indexes are available at the Archives of Ontario and many can be rented through FamilySearch from the Family History Library.

Can a patent be found without taking all these steps? Yes, but as I pointed out at the beginning you may risk losing some of the story.

What if you are not back that far to know if an ancestor was here in the time of Upper Canada Land Petitions? As you are working your way back in time, there are other types of sources that can provide you the legal land description (county, township, concession, lot) of where you ancestor was living. From there you would search the appropriate county land abstract index page for that legal description to see if your ancestor is listed as owning it, particularly listed as the first owner receiving it from the Crown. (If your ancestor is not listed for that property, he/she may have likely rented the land from the noted owner at the time or was living with them.)

The following are some of the sources where a legal land description can be found associated with a person. Remember this does not mean they got a patent for the land but that they lived there.

• County Atlases: If your ancestor lived until the 1870s/1880s and still owned the land, his/her name will likely appear on a county historical atlas. Many have been digitized and are on the The Canadian County Atlas Digital Project. 
• County Directories: Some can be found digitized online at various places like Internet Archive. Ancestry.com has a large collection of county directories for Canada. 
• Census Agricultural Schedules 1851-1871 and 1901: Though not available for every locality besides giving the concession and lot in the township you also learn what your ancestor was producing. 
• Local Histories: Often the earliest settlers are noted and where they located. Many of these county and local histories have been digitized and can be found online. 
• Assessment Rolls: When they exist they can be helpful. You might find abstracts/transcriptions online or in books. Some may even be microfilmed. 

Finally, I put together in one spot a list of resources regarding Ontario land records, in particular those dealing with the earlier times of Upper Canada.

Resources for Upper Canada Land Research

Archives of Ontario Research Guides and Tools
Research Guide 215 From Grant to Patent: A Guide to Early Land Settlement Records, ca. 1790-ca. 1850
Research Guide 225 Researching Crown Land Records
Research Guide 231 Finding Land Registration Records
Archives of Ontario Pathfinder to Petitions for Land
Pathfinder to Land Patents at the Archives of Ontario
Research Guide 205 Using the Ontario Land Records Index ca. 1790-1920
Archives of Ontario Pathfinder to the Ontario Land Records Index (OLRI)
Understanding the Archival References Code in the Ontario Land Records Index

FamilySearch Research Wiki's Ontario Land Records
FamilySearch Research Wiki's Ontario Land and Property

My Previous Posts on Upper Canada Land Research

1. Ontario Land Settlement Surveys from the Thomas Talbot Fonds Digitized by the Elgin County Archives
2. Digitized Land Patent Plans at Archives of Ontario
3. First Article Two Tips for Searching the Holdings of Two Canadian Archives from their Websites
4. Second Article Digging Deeper into the Digitized Microfilm at the Library and Archives of Canada: Indexed and Non-Indexed Items Related to Upper Canada Land Petitions
5. Third Article Third Tip for Searching: Reel Content Specifics for Some LAC Digitized Microfilm Collections
6. Fourth Article Part Four (the Last): Searching for Land Patents in Upper Canada ... It's Not All Online Yet

Please note: It is possible some links in this post may not work; in particular those to the Archives of Ontario Archives Descriptive Database due to session time outs. In those cases use the RG, F or MIKAN numbers in the appropriate catalog search to bring up the desired record group description.

Good luck with your research!

Third Tip for Searching: Reel Content Specifics for Some LAC Digitized Microfilm Collections

I did not get much time this past week to work on the promised post about the Process of Searching for Land Patents so in the meantime here is another tip which should work for any LAC microfilm collection that is also available through the Family History Library Catalog at FamilySearch.

Part of the problem when working with the digitized microfilm collections of the Library and Archives of Canada (LAC) is that for the most part all you see is a list of reel codes with no descriptions of what is on each "film." (Remember, the digitized microfilm of the LAC is located on two websites: the Héritage website and the archived LAC website.)

Heir and Devisee at Héritage

At the Héritage website, you would think the "About" tab for a particular collection would contain a detail like that. Most of the time it does not. It simply tells you about the records not how they are organized on the microfilm. 

Every so often an "About" does mention what is on the reels for that collection but it is very generalized. That is the case of the Heir and Devisee digitized collection. There is actually a list of what volumes are on which reel but nothing to tell you what a particular volume number contains so you still do not have a clear understanding of what you are working with.

Heir and Devisee at LAC Archives Catalog

Using the MIKAN number (see my Two Tips post) listed for the collection and doing an Advanced search of the Archives Catalog over at the main LAC website, you bring up a similar description for the collection. The Archives catalog entry does list which reel numbers are associated with the collection but again not one detail for what is on which film.

Here's My Tip.
If a particular LAC microfilm collection is available through the Family History Catalog at the FamilySearch website, check the FHL catalog entry. It often has more details of regarding what is on which film. But because the FHL catalog entry does not make mention of the LAC reel number you have to compare the microfilm listings from both sites to see the whole picture.

Catalog listing for the same collection at FamilySearch.

So from the About tab for the Heir and Devisee digitized collection at the Héritage website, we learn that film H-1133 contains vol. 1-6.

From the About tab of the Heir and Devisee Collection at Héritage

Microfilm listing for the same collection at FamilySearch.

Comparing that information to film listing of the entry in the Family History Catalog for that collection we learn that those volumes are "Index of location certificates issued by the Land Boards v. 1 pre-1804 Heir and Devisee Commission records Eastern District v. 2 1803-1804 v. 3 1803? v. 4 1797-1802 (partial index) v. 5 1809-1841 v. 6 1785-1804." And, of course, we learn the FHL microfilm number for that reel known at the LAC as H-1133.

Now we have an understanding of what we are looking at and can finally utilize the collection with less hassle and involving less time.

As I said at the start of this post, this tip should work for any LAC microfilm collection available through the Family History Library.

Lastly, don't get me wrong. I love that formerly hard to access historical/genealogical collections are being made more accessible but what I am pointing out is that the end-user needs to be thought of in this process.

Sitting at home (or where ever) the end-user (you/me) does not have access to long-existing paper finding aids sitting on a shelf in an archive/library. These vital pieces of the puzzle are necessary to understanding collection organization and must be put online in some form also. AND that the steps needed (look here, check this, then look there) to properly utilize a collection are clearly indicated and follow-able on the website.

I hope this tip helps. Now I'll get back to that other post.

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Update: The Next Upper Canada Land Records Post is Coming Soon ... I Promise

I realize that there are quite a few of you waiting for the promised next post on Upper Canada Land Records. It is in the works but the day after the last post we had a family emergency involving a hospital stay. And then my laptop had an emergency of its own with its power cord.

Everyone is recovering now, including the laptop I think. I will be polishing up the promised post and double checking the links so the new plan is to release it next week.

Thank you for your patience.


©2016 All Rights Reserved, goneresearching. All text and photos in this post are copyrighted & owned by me (goneresearching) unless indicated otherwise. No republication (commercial or non-commercial) without prior permission. You may share (tell others) of this blog as long as you give credit and link to this site (not by downloading or copying any post). Thank you.

Gone Researching's Cheat Sheet to the Digitized Upper Canada Land Books at the Héritage website

Upper Canada Land Books
(with ad covered up)

So last week I wrote about a handful of digitized microfilms related to the Upper Canada Land Petitions from the Library and Archives of Canada. Of these digitized microfilms collections a couple collections have online indexes while some have microfilms of card index sets digitized, and yet others have no index at all. Index or not what they all have in common is lists or tables of microfilm numbers without any quick visual clues as to what each "film" contains.

After I searched for my people making notes of what was on each "film" and where (which image number) each specific volume started, I realized I had the beginning of a cheat sheet for this collection and decided to share it. My plan was to just make a cheat sheet for the digitized microfilm of the actual books but I discovered a webpage with a guide to the other half of the "films" containing the card index sets. Using both my "cheat sheet" and the other guide should save you time searching.

The collection known online as the Upper Canada Land Books at the Héritage website is known in the LAC's catalog as Land Minute Books of the Executive Council, 1787 – 1841 (formerly RG1 L1 now R10875-2-1-E.) 

This collection contains Minutes of the Land Committee of the Executive Council of Upper Canada, 1787-1841. These minute books are commonly called “Land Books” which record the petitions read and decisions made (approved or dismissed) regarding those petitions. You will also see some patents being surrendered. (Note: Usually you do not learn from these books what location of land an individual was given.) Originally labeled volumes A through U, later these volumes were assigned volume numbers 18-39 for cataloging. Also included are the Minutes of the Land Committee of the Executive council of the united Province of Canada, 1841-1867. Again, originally labeled using letters and later given the volume numbers 40-48 for cataloging.

Though there is no online index to this collection at this time, there actually are two index options. First, these particular minute/land book volumes each start with its own nominal index of petitioners. Second, there are digitized microfilm of two card index sets (see below) that index these records.

Regardless of the two index options to use, you still have to find the book and page you seek. So rather click around aimlessly this "cheat sheet" shows you where each individual volume starts and what time frame is covered by each volume. (The gray text volumes listed below belong to other collections.)

Upper Canada Land Books (Minute Books) Microfilm Reels

• C-100  v. 18-19
  image 0001 vol. K (23 Mar 1838 - 27 Jul 1838) continued 
  image 0044 vol. L (28 Jul 1838 - )
  image 0320 vol. M (27 Apr 1839 - )
  image 0662 vol. Selections from Quebec Land Books A & B (1787 - 1791)
  image 0886 vol. A (8 Jul 1792 - 27 Jun 1796)
• C-101  v. 19-23
  image 0001 vol. A continued at page 233
  image 0084 vol. B (1 Oct 1796 - 7 Apr 1797)
  image 0269 vol. C (11 Apr 1797 - 19 Jan 1802)
  image 0480 vol. D (22 Dec 1797 - 22 Jun 1802) note: finding aid says 23 May 1798 - 22 Jun 1802
  image 0927 vol. E (23 Jun 1802 - 28 Mar 1804)
• C-102  v. 23-27
  image 0001 vol. E continued at page 112
  image 0152 vol. F (2 Apr 1804 - 27 Feb 1806)
  image 0389 vol. G (28 Feb 1806 - 29 Mar 1808)
  image 0669 vol. H (9 Apr 1808 - 23 Jan 1811)
  image 0905 vol. I (12 Feb 1811 - 10 Aug 1816)
• C-103  v. 27-30
  image 0001 vol. I continued at page 138
  image 0131 vol. J (13 Aug 1816 - 10 Feb 1819)
  image 0440 vol. K (25 Feb 1819 - 27 Dec 1820)
  image 0755 vol. L (16 Jan 1821 - 4 Feb 1824)
• C-104  v. 30-33
  image 0001 vol. L continued at page 485
  image 0045 vol. M (9 Feb 1824 - 13 Dec 1826)
  image 0467 vol. N (3 Jan 1827 - 20 May 1829)
  image 0785 vol. O (2 Jun 1829 - 23 Aug 1831)
• C-105  v. 33-36
  image 0001 vol. O continued at page 362
  image 0095 vol. P (1 Sep 1831 - 12 Mar 1833)
  image 0362 vol. Q (21 Mar 1833 - 28 Mar 1835)
  image 0737 vol. R (2 Apr 1835 - 16 Jun 1836)
• C-106  v. 36-39
  image 0001 vol. R continued at page 429
  image 0038 vol. S (20 Jun 1836 - 27 Jul 1837)
  image 0418 vol. T (10 Aug 1837 - 27 Jun 1839)
  image 0768 vol. U (4 Jul 1839 0 6 Feb 1841)
• C-107  v. 39-42
  image 0001 vol. U continued at page 389
  image 0172 vol. A (15 Mar 1841 - 13 Aug 1842) note: finding aid says 15 Mar 1841 - 22 Dec 1839
  image 0458 vol. B (10 Jan 1843 - 27 Sep 1844)
  image 0829 vol. C (4 Nov 1844 - 28 Dec 1846)
• C-108  v. 42-45
  image 0001 vol. C continued at page 351
  image 0174 vol. D (8 Jan 1847 - 19 Aug 1848)
  image 0551 vol. E (23 Aug 1848 - 8 Oct 1850)
  image 0931 vol. F (11 Oct 1850 - 30 Dec 1852)
• C-109  v. 45-47
  image 0001 vol. F continued at page 198
  image 0254 vol. G (19 Jan 1853 - 27 Mar 1855)
  image 0596 vol. H (4 Apr 1855 - 10 Jul 1858)
  
• C-110  v. 47-48
  image 0001 vol. H continued at page 652
  image 0020 vol. I (18 Aug 1858 - 31 May 1867)
  image 0305 vol. A (13 Feb 1841 - 11 Oct 1842)
  image 0584 vol. B (1 Nov 1842 - 29 Jun 1843)

Finding Aid MSS1802 also known as Upper Canada Land Index

Also part of this collection is Finding Aid MSS1802 Index to the Upper Canada Land Petitions (RG1 L3) and the Executive Council Minute Books on Land Matters (formerly RG1 L1 now R10875-2-1-E) commonly called the Upper Canada Land Index. It consists of two card index sets that as the title says indexes two collections. (Note: The online index to the Upper Canada Land Petitions does not index these Minute/Land Books.)

• H-1976, H-1977, H-1978
  A supplementary card index to the Upper Canada Land Petitions (RG1 L3) and Executive Council Minute Books on Land Matters (formerly RG1 L1 now R10875-2-1-E) which was filmed in 1991.
  
  
• C-10810 to C-10836
  A card index to the Upper Canada Land Petitions (RG1 L3) and Executive Council Minute Books on Land Matters (formerly RG1 L1 now R10875-2-1-E) which was filmed in 1981.

The FamilySearch Research Wiki Ontario Land Records Land Books and Petitions Index Film Numbers has a helpful list (see the pink column on the right) that breaks down what cards/names are on each "microfilm" of these card index sets making up Finding Aid MSS1802. So rather than duplicate something that already exists I simply point you to that aid for the card index sets.

When you are at the Archives of Ontario: For Upper Canada Land Books diffusion material see inventory D 355 for microfilm numbers. (AO refers to this collection as RG1 E1 at National Archives but LAC has it as formerly RG1 L1 now R10875-2-1-E.) At the Archives of Ontario, these card index films (both sets) are part of Upper Canada Land Petitions diffusion material D 29 see user’s guide to Upper Canada Land Petitions and Land Books for detailed descriptions and microfilms.

I hope this cheat sheet helps you. Hopefully, one day we will get a better website interface for these digitized microfilm collections.

Finally, there is yet one more article/post to come that goes with what became a series on Upper Canada Land Records Research.


©2016 All Rights Reserved, goneresearching. All text and photos in this post are copyrighted & owned by me (goneresearching) unless indicated otherwise. No republication (commercial or non-commercial) without prior permission. You may share (tell others) of this blog as long as you give credit and link to this site (not by downloading or copying any post). Thank you.

Digitized Land Patent Plans at Archives of Ontario

Digitized Patent Plans
Archives of Ontario

I discovered another land records related digitized collection for Ontario on Wednesday while in the process of confirming that a recently digitized collection (Thomas Talbot Fonds) was indeed the one sitting on my To-Do Research List since 2012.

From what I can tell I think the Digitized Patent Plans collection on the Archives of Ontario website has been accessible since last June perhaps April. Some how this escaped my attention.

What are the Digitized Patent Plans? Essentially they are maps showing the status of Crown Lands (patented, leased, licensed) by indicating the name of the individual who first received the patent/lease/license for a particular plot of land and often the year received.

These images (high-res jpegs that are zoom-able and downloadable) are of the plans in the Ontario Government Record Series RG 1-100 Patent Plans. According to the Archival Records Description there are 4,201 plans in the record group. Currently, the Digitized Patent Plans page says more than 4,100 plans are digitized. So it looks like they are close to completing digitization of this collection.

Most of the digitized images are readable, however, I have come across some that could have been either scanned or color corrected (tweaked) better to make them more readable.

Visual Database
Archives of Ontario

To find the digitized plans, you can use The Archives of Ontario Visual Database using just keyword search, or use the Advanced Search option using keyword and RG 1-100 in the Reference Code filter to limit results just to the patent plans.

I suggest using the just the name of the township as the keyword because the county name does not appear anywhere in the item description. (Remember, spelling counts even if the entry is misspelled itself, i.e. Ameliasburgh Township has two entries spelled Amerliasburgh.)

Use the reference code filter if too many other images appear besides the various plans for the township. (The image descriptions do not indicate the year a plan was initially drawn, so you'll have to find that on the plan itself.)

Another way to view the digitized plans is to view the item-level listing from the Archival Records Description for RG 1-100. (This is how I discovered the misspelling noted above.)

Since there is no person name index to these patent plans that means you have to browse and look at the images rather than enter a name for a results list. These names on the patent plans are the first individual owners. For later person to person sales, you need to look at the records of the County Land Registry Offices.

These digitized Patent Plans are a wonderful complement to the Land Petitions of Upper Canada, 1763-1865 indexed and digitized by the Library and Archives of Canada a few years ago.

The petition papers (not just for United Empire Loyalists) are name indexed but the digitized images are not automatically linked to the results entry. (For the Library and Archives of Canada's digital collections, you have to separately digitally browse to locate the digitized microfilm using information in the search results entry and then browse for the image of the document you desire.)

It really helps to know where your ancestor received his/her land before doing a "Where's Waldo" on a patent plan. Sometimes the margin notes in the petitions say what land (county, concession, lot) was granted but not always. So in many cases you have to refer to the Land Books or Minute Books of the Land Boards (abolished in 1794) or Executive Council Office. The land books of the earlier Land Board (RG 1 L4) are also digitized and indexed up to about 1804 though mostly before 1794, but the Land Books/Minute Books of the Executive Council are still just on microfilm.

Sometimes you can also learn the specific concession and lot from a census record, county directory, or county atlas. Of course, in these cases there is no guarantee that your ancestor was the first individual owner of that land. But it is not too hard to browse the digitized patent plan when you know the township, concession and lot.

So from my previous research with the digitized Land Petitions at the Library and Archives of Canada website and then research in the Land Books/Minute Books microfilms at the Archives of Ontario, I searched the Digitized Patent Plans for the townships I needed.

John Dunham
York Twp, Conc. I, Water Lot B
Archives of Ontario

For some of my various ancestors I had already taken the research from documents to modern-day maps to have a real understanding of where my ancestor lived. But for one of them that I had not done so yet I learned something interesting.

According to a Index to Land Patents by District entry, one of my John Dunham guys (not certain which one at this time) was granted or bought from the government: 1 acre in York County, York Township, Concession I, Water Lot B opposite town lot no. 6. At that time this was on Peter Street (formerly King Street) between Frederick and Caroline Streets. (Note that this particular Patent Plan was one of the blurriest I came across when looking at the plans. I have tweaked/brightened this detail in PhotoShop a little.)

The Same Land Today
(Streets Have New Names)
Google

Today, this same 1 acre is now part of Toronto on Front Street East between Frederick and Lower Sherbourne Streets and it appears part of the Toronto Public Library St. Lawrence branch sits on that very site. Yes, street names can change over the years. Check out the Front Street or King Street page on Wikipedia for more details of the name changes through history.

Unfortunately at the time we were at the Archives of Ontario doing this land research, we could not find the microfilm of the land book containing this specific patent. If we had found it we might have been able to determine which of my John Dunham guys was involved with this patent. So that aspect remains on my To-Do Research List for the Archives of Ontario.

To understand the Land Records in Ontario, read The Archives of Ontario Research Guide 215: From Grant to Patent: A Guide to Early Land Settlement records, ca. 1790 - ca. 1850 found in Word or PDF format on the Research Guides and Tools page of the Archives of Ontario website. If any of the links above return an expired session, just click on start new session. Most of these pages can be reached by going to MCGS Home page and then going to the Accessing Our Collection page and scrolling to the pages mentioned.

Finally besides the Land Petitions, the Library and Archives of Canada's Genealogy and History page contains links to a variety of its record collections that have been digitized.

Now to get back to the part of my genealogy that I had planned to work on this week.

©2016 All Rights Reserved, goneresearching. All text and photos in this post are copyrighted & owned by me (goneresearching) unless indicated otherwise. No republication (commercial or non-commercial) without prior permission. You may share (tell others) of this blog as long as you give credit and link to this site (not by downloading or copying any post). Thank you.

Ontario Land Settlement Surveys from The Thomas Talbot Fonds Digitized by Elgin County Archives

It looks like another bright shiny object (BSO) has come to my attention. Though it really looks like it has the potential to be a big rabbit hole to get lost in if you have a lot of ancestors in this particular area and time period.

Thomas Talbot Fonds Digitized
Elgin County Archives

Over at Olive Tree Genealogy today, I discovered that part of what is on my To-Do List for a return trip to the Archives of Ontario has been digitized and is now available online. Yeah!

The Elgin County Archives, as part of  the Archives of Ontario's Digitization Loan Program, has digitized from the Archives of Ontario The Thomas Talbot Fonds F 501.

Besides individuals petitioning for a grant of Crown Land to eventually earn a patent to that land, there were land promoters who leased or sold land for settlement. The Archives of Ontario Research Guide 215: From Grant to Patent: A Guide to Early Land Settlement records, ca. 1790 - ca. 1850 tells us about a half million acres of land in southwestern Ontario between 1802 and 1837 were entrusted to the control of Col. Thomas Talbot. Though a large portion of the "Talbot Tract" remained unimproved by 1837 when the government took over, Talbot settled about "6,000 families in present-day counties of Norfolk, Elgin, Middlesex, Kent and Essex" in the province of Ontario.

These original records were initially non-governmental records. So for certain areas if your people were in Ontario very early and you haven't found a petition/grant/patent in the governmental records, they may have gotten their land through Talbot, The Canada Company or Peter Robinson. (At this time, I am not sure if there were other land promoters.) These non-governmental records were later obtained by the government.

There is a description of the Thomas Talbot fonds F501 on the Archives of Ontario website. It consists of 45 large maps with names (F 501-1) and one lease book (F 501-2) for just ten townships. The Olive Tree Genealogy blog post (link above) gives some good background information about Talbot and there is good background information atop the chart on the Talbot digitization project page (link above) on the Elgin County Archives website. Don't forget to read the fonds description at the Archives of Ontario.

So I promised myself I would only snoop around to learn about this digitization project and not "go down the rabbit hole." So far, so good.

I learned of Talbot back when at the Archives of Ontario in 2012 and we were researching a lot of early land records. I hadn't been able to find a possible relative in the land petition papers or books. Researching the county's history brought to light that early on for that area of Essex that individuals got land through Talbot. Unfortunately, the Talbot papers were offsite and I'd have to wait until another visit or hire a researcher to learn what might be there.

George Rider 1837 Conc. 4, Lot 13
Archives of Ontario

What did I learn from these digitized records today? Since the lease book does not cover the township where my possible relative settled, the information from the map simply places him in Essex County, West Tilbury township Concession 4, Lot 13 (that I knew already) with "George Rider 1837."

Though this helps put him in a certain place at a certain time earlier than what I had already, I had really been hoping for something more like what can be found in some of those land petitions.

So how did I find George? Currently, almost all of the Talbot maps are not indexed. Indexing is a future part of the project. So at present you need to browse the images. I knew George's concession and lot location from other research. Sometimes this can be learned from the census or a city directory or when you find a later land sale. I know George eventually moved to a nearby township so I'll next check the map for that township. (Yes, I know that concession and lot also. I just don't know if George got that land from Talbot, bought it or if it was the property of his wife's first husband.)

Today's peek was not a total loss. I did discover another digitization project that is new to me and is also related to land. I hope to share that one tomorrow. Hopefully I don't succumb to that rabbit hole.

©2016, goneresearching. All text and photos in this post are copyrighted & owned by me (goneresearching) unless indicated otherwise. No republication (commercial or non-commercial) without prior permission. You may share (tell others) of this blog as long as you give credit and link to this site (not by downloading or copying any post). Thank you.