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Title

Arrangement structure

Series part of

Executive Council Office of the Province of Upper Canada fonds [textual record] (R10875-0-8-E)

Date(s)

1791-1897, predominant 1791-1848

Place of creation

Ontario

Extent

Language of material

English

Scope and content

Series consists of two distinct types of documents: deeds for grants and leases of land, surrendered to or impounded by the Executive Council of Upper Canada for a variety of reasons; and the technical descriptions of unclaimed grants and leases. Preparation of the description of a lot by the Surveyor General was an essential step in production of the letters patent. In the normal course of events, the description of a grant was prepared by the Surveyor General and sent to the Provincial Secretary, who engrossed the patent deed according to the detailed description of the grant provided. Letters patent (or deeds) for grants or leases of land were surrendered to or impounded by the Executive Council when discovered to be flawed or for other just causes. It appears that descriptions relating to surrendered or unclaimed grants and leases were retained by the Clerk of the Executive Council. These letters patent and the descriptions have each been arranged by township (and approximately chronological within that), within two parallel sub-groups of records in this series. Included within the series are schedules of impounded deeds, 1796-1811, and some correspondence relating to the Land Boards and copies of petitions received, 1792-1793. One volume of records, heretofore linked to a different series within the former RG 1, has been added to this series as it contains miscellaneous leases, ca. 1801-1834, surrendered/submitted to the Crown. Although the records in this series date primarily from the Province of Upper Canada period, there are a number which date from the 1840s and 1850s and, indeed, the card index to the series shows references as recent as 1897.

Conditions of access

Terms of use

As many of the deeds are written on parchment of unusually large dimensions and have been folded, photography is the only feasible means of copying.

Finding aid

Textual records The CAB RG 1 Shelf List (see RG 1, L2 section) is a typed volume-level description which indicates type of record (surrendered deeds or descriptions) contained in each volume, and township name. The CAB RG 1 Shelf List (see RG 1, L7 section) provides a description of the contents of a single volume (formerly RG 1, L7, vol. 91). CAB RG 1 Shelf List 90 (Paper)

Textual records Finding Aid MSS1803, a card index by personal name and by township, provides the principal means of access to the records in this series. Little is known of the standards used in the compilation of this card index. Examination prior to filming showed it to be roughly 85% accurate and complete, but totally lacking in cross-references (e.g., between maiden and married names of women). In the absence of page numbers in the records, the index cards identify only the volume in which a record is found, in the style "L 2/53" for vol. 53. MSS1803 90 (Paper)

Textual records The index cards which make up Finding Aid MSS1803, prefaced by a copy of the Shelf List, have been microfilmed (reels C-11961 to C-11963). The CAB RG 1 Shelf List (see RG 1, L2 section) includes a microfilm content list for these reels which indicates the range of personal and township names appearing on each reel (e.g., reel C-11962: from Lyon, William B. to Youngs, Mary (Fykes); and Adelaide Township to Nelson Township, 1804). MSS1803 90 (Paper)

Additional information

Source

Private

MIKAN no.

205137