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Aboriginal Peoples - Guide to the Records of the Government of Canada

Proactive Disclosure

Métis Scrip Records

These records are now available in Archives Search.

Commissions

North-West Half-Breed Commissions

Land Scrip
Receipts
Subject Files
Registers/Indexes

Registers/Indexes

Dept. of the Interior, RG 15, Series D II 8 m, North-West Half-Breeds and Original White Settlers, Registers and Indexes, 1877-1927, 4.5 m, vols. 1475 to 1555; microfilm reels C-11872 to C-11885.

[Claims Register for the North-West Half-Breed Commission]

Registers of Métis claimants who received scrip under Order-in-Council P.C. 821, 18 April, 1885. These are the registers referred to in Commissioner Street's report (see the hand-written statement, signed by Wm. Street on the inside front cover). Street's report is retained by Library and Archives Canada in RG 15, series D II 3, volume 178, file HB 1166. The registers are organized by claim number, with each entry providing information on the name of the claimant; his/her date of birth; martial status and spouses' name; the date of the application; the nature of the claim; and a summary statement on action taken by the Department. The latter will often indicate whether or not the claim was allowed; the place where the claim was received by the Commission; the date on which it was approved; the certificate number; the amount of the award, and the case file number (if such was created by the Department). To use these registers when the claim number is unknown, researchers should refer to one of the claims indexes (either RG 15, volume 1475 or volume 1533, described elsewhere), both of which are alphabetical listings of all the claimants referred to the North-West Half-Breed Commission under P.C. 821, 18 April, 1885. Researchers can use either index to find the claim number given to a particular application. This number can then be use to find the entry in one of the claims registers.

[North-West Half-Breed Commission, Alphabetical Indexes to the Claims Registers]

These indexes are referred to as "Book D" and "Book E" in the final report of the Commission (see the hand-written statement, signed by Wm. Street, on the inside front covers of each book). Street's report is now retained by Library and Archives Canada in RG 15, series D II 3, volume 178, file HB 1166. The indexes are alphabetical listings of all the claimants who appeared before the 1885 North-West Commission, chaired by W.P.R. Street. Both are organized according to the claimant's last name. Each entry in the index for volume 1533 gives only the applicant's claim number, that is, the number applied to each application on its presentation to the Secretary of the Commission. The applications were numbered consecutively from 1 to 1807. Researchers can use the claim number as a cross-reference in finding aid FA15-20 (the finding aid to the applications in RG 15, series D II 8b.

Each entry in volume 1475, on the other hand, gives the names of the claimant's parents; the claimant's date of birth; date when married and name of spouse; the claimant's claim number; and general remarks. The latter often includes references to case files when these were created by the Department as part of its administration of a particular claim. The case files are generally either filed in the "HB" central registry series (see the description for RG 15, series D II 3), or in the central registry of the Dominion Lands Branch (see the description for RG 15, series D II 1). Except in instances when a case file was created, the applications associated with each of the entries in this index are filed in RG 15, series D II 8b (see description elsewhere).

RG 15, vol. 1475, Aperture Card Book 58, reel C-11872
RG 15, vol. 1533, Aperture Card Book 116, reel C-11881

Half-Breed, North-West Territories, Order in Council 30 March, 1885

An index to Métis claims present to the North-West Half-Breed Commission. These claims were authorized by Order-in-Council, P.C. 688, 30 March, 1885. The index is organized alphabetically by the name of the claimant, with each entry proving information on the type of scrip and the amount awarded, the claimant's claim number (the number given by the Commissioners to each application), and the claimant's case file number (if such was created by the Department). In most cases, the Department placed the case files in the "HB" central registry series, which is now held by Library and Archives Canada in RG 15, series D II 3 (described elsewhere). The majority of the applications listed in this index are now to be found in RG 15, series D II 8b (described elsewhere). The index provides researchers with a convenient listing of all the Métis applicants who appeared before the 1885 North-West Commission.

RG 15, vol. 1534, Aperture Card Book 117, reel C-11881

General Index to Manitoba and North-West Territories Half-Breed and Original White Settlers, who have preferred claims under Act 33 Vic., Cap. 3, Section 31; Act 37 Vic., Cap. 20; and Orders in Council dated respectively the 30th March, eighteenth April, and 20th April, 1885

Despite the title, this volume would appear to be an alphabetical index of only those claimants who appeared before the North-West Commission (claimants under the Manitoba Supplementary Commission, P.C. 810, 20 April, 1885, seem to have been excluded). The index is organized alphabetically by the claimant's last name, with each entry noting the names of the claimant's father and mother; the claimant's date of birth; and sometimes his/her claim number (on some pages the claim number has been mistakenly entered under a column entitled "Affidavit Number"). In some cases, the index will also note a file number, which will relate to a case file in either the "HB" central registry (RG 15, series D II 3) or in the Dominion Lands Branch central registry (RG 15, series D II 1). For the most part, this volume duplicates information provided in similar indexes - i.e., RG 15, volume 1475 and RG 15, volume 1533 - and in most instances, the latter two volumes will be more useful to researchers since the entries generally contain more information on each claim.

RG 15, vol. 1509, Aperture Card Book 92, reel C-11878-79

[Alphabetical] Index, Heirs of Deceased Half-Breeds and "Original White Settlers", Manitoba Supplementary and North-West Claims

An alphabetical list of the heirs of deceased Métis and Original White Settlers who filed under the Manitoba Supplementary Commission (P.C. 810, 20 April, 1885) and the North-West Commission (P.C. 135, 28 January, 1885; P.C. 688, 30 March, 1885; and P.C. 821, 18 April, 1885). The index is organized by the name of the heir, with each entry providing the associated claim numbers. Researchers should note that the claim numbers which were entered into this index in 1886 and 1887 are preceded by the prefixes "86" and "87" (respectively). Claim numbers entered in 1885 have no prefix. Some of the applications associated with the 1886 and 1887 claims listed in this index are filed in the main applications series, that is RG 15, series D II 8b (described elsewhere). Others will be found in the central registry series of the Dominion Lands Branch, that is RG 15 series D II 1 (described elsewhere). It is not known at this time where the 1885 claims listed in this index might be filed.

RG 15, vol. 1483, Aperture Card Book 66, reel C-11874

Location Register of North-West Half-Breed Scrip

This register provides researchers with a summary of how land scrip issued by the North-West Half-Breed Commission was used. The register is organized by scrip number. Each entry gives the name of the allottee (the person to whom the scrip was issued); the name of patentee (the person who used the scrip to acquire a homestead); the legal description of the land acquired by the patentee; the size of the allotment; a departmental file reference number; the patent fiat number; the date on which the letters patent was issued; the liber and folio numbers of the letters patent; and general remarks. The liber and folio numbers of the letters patent identified in this register are retained by Library and Archives Canada in RG 15, series D III 10.

RG 15, vol. 1542, Aperture Card Book 125, reel C-11882-83

Register of Delivery of Manitoba and North-West Territory Scrip, Orders in Council of 30th March and 20th April, 1885 [and Subsequent Orders]

These registers document the delivery of scrip to claimants filing under the Manitoba Supplementary Commission, the North-West Half-Breed Commissions, the Alberta-Saskatchewan Commissions, and the Treaty 8, 10, and 5 Commissions, including all their adhesions. The registers are organized alphabetically according to the last name of the claimant. Each entry records the scrip number; the name and address of the person or agent to whom the scrip was issued; the date of scrip delivery; a brief description as to the authority (i.e., the Commission) under which the scrip was awarded; the amount and type of scrip issued; the application number (if applicable); the number and date of the receipt; the case file reference number; the certificate number; and a column for general remarks by departmental administrators. The registers are excellent sources for researchers to find documentation on a claimant's complete scrip record. They provide an alphabetical index to many of the records in RG 15 which have been filed under a numerical system. For example, the scrip certificates, scrip notes and scrip receipts are filed in RG 15 by the document number. The finding aids for these records either do not exist or consist of file lists organized under the numerical system. It can be a very tedious task to find such documents when the number is unknown. The registers described here will provide researchers with these numbers when only the claimant's name is known.

For deliveries made between July 1885 and December 1887 see:
RG 15, vol. 1518, Aperture Card Book 101, reel C-11879

For deliveries made between January 1888 and July 1899 see:
RG 15, vol. 1519, Aperture Card Book 102, reel C-11879-80

For deliveries made between August 1899 and 1928 see:
RG 15, vol. 1520, Aperture Card Book 103, reel C-11880

North-West Half-Breed Supplementary Commission

North-Westm Half-Breed Supplementary Claims, Authority Act 26 Vic., Cap. 17, Clause 81, Sub-Clause E, Orders in Council 30th March, 1885, eighteenth April, 1885, and 1st March, 1886

A register of Métis claimants who received scrip under Order-in-Council, P.C. 688, 30 March, 1885, and its subsequent amendments. The registers are organized by the declaration number (which is different from the claim number). For each entry, the register provides the name and address of the claimant (or applicant); a precis of the declaration (familial history, date of birth, martial status, names of heirs); the date of the declaration; a synopsis of the Department's administration of the application (whether the claim was allowed or disallowed, the certificate number, the date and place of the department's decision); and a cross reference to any case files which may have been created in the central registry system of the Dominion Lands Branch (and which are now kept in RG 15, series D II 1).

Date Index to Half-Breed Minor Claims (authorized by Orders in Council dated 30th March, 18th April and 20th April, 1885, respectively)

A general index compiled by the North-West Half-Breed Commissions from 1885 to 1888 and used by departmental officials in the issuing scrip to Métis minors. The day-by-day index served as the department's reminder of the day on which a Métis minor would reach the age of majority. Departmental regulations would only allow the issuing of scrip to Métis children once they had reached the age of 16. The index is organized by date, with each entry giving the name and reference number of the Métis minor.

RG 15, vol. 1523, Aperture Card Book 106, reel C-11880

Claims to share in North West Half Breed grant of Scrip preferred before the Agents of Dominion Land under Order in Council of 14 June, 1889

Order-in-Council, P.C. 1394, 14 June, 1889, authorized Dominion Lands Agents in the North-West Territories to accept scrip applications from Métis who resided in areas which had been ceded under Indian treaty. These volumes are indexes to the applications taken by the agents from 1889 to 1893. The records are organized by the name of the claimant, and provide under each entry, the names of the applicant's parents, the date of the applicant's birth, departmental reference numbers, and a summary of action taken by the branch. Volume 1524 is incomplete; it only contains the names of applicants with last names beginning with the letters A and B. Volume 1532 contains the names of all applicants, including those beginning with the letters A and B.

RG 15, vol. 1524, Aperture Card Book 107, reel C-11880
RG 15, vol. 1532, Aperture Card Book 115, reel C-11881

According to the register's frontispiece, this book is referred to as exhibit "D" in the report of Commissioners R. Goulet and N.O. Cote, dated 10 January 1888 (see: RG 15, vol. 554, file 166507, "Report on the work of the commissioners during the past summer"). It summarizes the work of the 1887 extension of the North-West Half-Breed Commission authorized by Order-in-Council, P.C. 898, 9 May, 1887. The register also includes supplementary claims accepted by Dominion Lands Agents under authority of Order-in-Council, P.C. 1394, 14 June, 1889, up to the official closing of the Commission as required by P.C. 630, 12 March, 1892. The register is organized alphabetically, according to the last name of the claimant. Each entry includes the names of the claimant's parents; his/her date of birth; his/her application status (as a Manitoba Métis resident, as a North-West Territories Métis resident, or as an Original White Settler); the amount and type of scrip awarded; the affidavit number; the case file reference number (if such was created); and a general statement as to whether or not the claim was allowed. The case files are found in the correspondence registry of the Dominion Lands Branch, RG 15, series D II 1.

RG 15, vol. 1504, Aperture Card Book 87, reel C-11877

[Alphabetical] Index, North-West Half-Breed Commission, 1886 and 1887, also Half-Breed Claimsup to 1898

The page headings in this index are entitled: "General Index to Manitoba and North-West Territories Half-Breeds and Original White Settlers, who have preferred claims under Act 33 Vic., Cap. 3, Section 31; Act 37 Vic., Cap. 20; and Orders in Council dated respectively the 30th March, 18th April, 20th April, 1885 and March 1st, 1886". The index is organized alphabetically according the last name of the claimant. Each entry records the names of the claimant's parents; the claimant's date of birth; whether the claimant was applying as a resident of Manitoba, the North-West Territories, or as an Original White Settler; the amount of the scrip awarded; the scrip delivery date (and in some cases the person to whom the scrip was delivered); the affidavit (application) number; and the case file number (if such was created by the department); and general remarks by departmental administrators. If the application was accepted by a Dominion Lands Agent under P.C.1394, 14 June, 1889, rather than one of the scrip commissioners then the register usually indicates just a case file number and no affidavit number.

RG 15, vol. 1508, Aperture Card Book 91, reel C-11878