Land Petitions

Many early settlers, both military and civilian, submitted petitions to the Governor in order to obtain Crown land.

Research at Library and Archives Canada

Quebec and Lower Canada, 1764-1841 (RG 1 L3L)

This series contains the following types of documents:

• petitions for grants or leases of land or for commutation of tenure;
• reports from the Surveyor General or the Attorney General;
• submissions to the Land Committee;
• administrative records;
• certificates and other documentation submitted in support of individual requests; and
• copies of committee minutes.

Petitions submitted in Lower Canada (Quebec) tend to be group petitions where a letter is drafted and a number of people sign their name; therefore, a name may appear only once within a long section of pages.

The index for the Lower Canada series provides name, date and page number and also contains references to the proceedings of the Gaspé Land Commissioners (RG 1 L7). After consulting the index, refer to the list of microfilm reel numbers for the actual records.

List of Microfilm Reel Numbers for Index
List of Microfilm Reel Numbers for Records

Upper Canada (Ontario) and the United Province of Canada, 1791-1867 (RG 1 L3)

This series contains the following types of documents:

• petitions for grants or leases of land;
• reports from the Surveyor General or the Attorney General;
• certificates and other documentation submitted in support of individual requests;
• some Canada Company lists; and
• some lists of settlers by place.

Land Petition, Upper Canada, 1806. Library and Archives Canada, RG 1 L3, vol. 426, R8/26, reel C-2741.

Petitions submitted in Upper Canada (Ontario) are for the most part individual petitions, which often contain information about the petitioner and his or her family. Loyalists and discharged soldiers often mentioned the regiment in which they served. Sons and daughters of Loyalists gave their father's name. Civilian petitioners sometimes indicated their country or place of origin.

The index for the Upper Canada Collection includes references to two series.

• Entries from the Land Books (RG 1 L1) indicate name, date, land book and page number.
• Entries for land petitions (RG 1 L3) give name, place, date, bundle and petition number (e.g., B12/43 indicates bundle B12, petition number 43).

After consulting the index, refer to the list of microfilm reel numbers for the actual records.

List of Microfilm Reel Numbers for Index
List of Microfilm Reel Numbers for the Land Books
Lists of Microfilm Reel Numbers for the Land Petitions

Research in Provincial Sources

The provincial archives in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick hold collections of land petitions for those provinces.

Related Topics

• Loyalists
• Military