Land records for Upper and Lower Canada, 1763 to 1865

Use this guide to navigate Library and Archives Canada’s collection of land petitions and boards for Upper and Lower Canada (now known as Ontario and Quebec). Land petitions were requests from settlers asking the government for a grant of land. Land boards reviewed these requests, managed land distribution, and approved or denied ownership.

Search for names of settlers who submitted petitions, along with related documents such as certificates, endorsements, and records from land boards.

• This link searches the entire collection. If you want to search a specific collection, consult the information below.

On this page

• Search tips
• About the records
• Access the records

Search tips

• Try searching by last name only; some entries only list an initial instead of a full first name.
  • Try spelling variations of the name; entries reflect the spelling as it appears in the original files.
  • Use the wildcard character (*)—for example, Fran* for Frank, Francis or François.
• For group petitions, enter a subject in the All these words field, for example, name of a township or town, militia, land, school, church, etc.
• If you’re looking for First Nations records, you can use keywords such as a specific band name or historical terms like “Indian.”
• Some images are attached to Collection search; others must be consulted on microfilm.
  • You may need to browse microfilm to locate a specific name. Entries identify the first and last page numbers for a file, not the exact page where a name appears.
• Ontario and Quebec changed names over time:
  • Ontario (formerly Upper Canada) was part of Quebec (formerly Lower Canada) before 1791.
  • Quebec and Ontario were part of the United Province of Canada from 1841 to 1867.

About the records

Land petitions of Lower Canada, 1764 to 1841

In the Province of Quebec, land distribution was originally based on the seigneurial system, which was used from 1627 to 1854. Beginning in 1763, Quebec was divided into counties, which were further divided into townships or municipalités de paroisses. New lands were also granted under the township system. References to both these systems appear in the records.

The records of the Executive Council Office of the Province of Lower Canada (RG 1 L3L) include petitions and administrative records related to land distribution in Lower Canada, as well as material from the New France and Province of Quebec regimes.

Each petition includes the original paperwork submitted by the petitioner, along with administrative records added by the various government offices that reviewed the petition. Some small maps, particularly those set within documents, remain with the petitions.

This collection provides access to more than 95,000 references to individuals:

• Volumes 1–28: minute books and loose minutes of the Land Committee of the Executive Council, 1766-1836
  • Volumes 1–9 have been indexed and added to the database.
• Volumes 29–209: petitions for grants or leases of land, or commutations from seigneurial tenure, 1637–1842
  • Volumes 29–209 on microfilm reels C-2504 to C-2571 have been digitized and addedwith 95,000 names indexed.
• Volume 210: miscellaneous administrative records, 1743–1842

Land petitions of Upper Canada, 1763 to 1865

This collection contains petitions for grants or leases of land and other administrative records for Upper Canada.

For a petition to be approved, the applicant had to clearly establish their identify and justify any special entitlement. Petitions often include:

• discharge certificates
• letters of introduction from prominent individuals in Britain
• reports by the Surveyor General or the Attorney General on technical and legal matters
• some lists of settlers by region
• stories about services, losses and suffering during the American Revolutionary War or the War of 1812

In many cases, supporting documents were returned to the applicant and are therefore not included with the land petition.

The files reference about 82,000 individuals who lived in what is now Ontario between 1763 and 1865, with most records dating from 1783 to 1841:

• Land submissions to the Executive Council (RG 1 L3)
  • The index was created from the list of names at the beginning of each bundle of petitions, not from the card index or the actual petitions. The index cards have been microfilmed (reels C-10810 to C-10836 and H-1976 to H-1978) and can be accessed on our partner website, Héritage.
  • The documents have been digitized and are available online at Upper Canada Land Petitions—Mass-digitized archives. Make sure to note the microfilm reel, volume, bundle and page numbers to locate the relevant digitized images.
• Upper Canada Sundries (RG 5 A1)
  • References for land petitions were taken from the finding aid, and a name index was created on cards. The information from these cards was added to the database and can be searched by name.
  • The records for the Upper Canada Sundries have also been digitized and are available on our partner website, Héritage.

Land Boards of Upper Canada, 1765 to 1804

The Land Boards of Upper Canada were established in 1789 to settle the four districts that would become Upper Canada (now Ontario) in 1791: Hesse, Nassau, Lunenburg, and Mecklenburg.

The records include minutes, reports, correspondence, instructions or regulations for the operation of the Land Boards, schedules of locations and of lands granted, and oaths of allegiance.

The Minutes and records of the Land Boards accumulated by the Executive Council Office (RG1-L4) reference about 16,400 individuals. Most of the records date from 1789 to 1794, although some earlier records are included, along with some dating as late as 1804.

Names in the records have been indexed. For names that appear frequently—such as Land Board members—only the volume number is given, not specific pages. Some entries were also indexed under subjects, including:

• Hesse, District of
• Indian Lands
• Land Board
• Land Granting
• Land boards

The records have been microfilmed and are available online at Héritage.

Some reports, copies of minutes and other records submitted by the Land Boards to the Executive Council can be found in other series of archival documents:

• Land minute books of the Executive Council (RG 1 L1)
• Land submissions to the Executive Council (RG 1 L3)

Access the records

Digitized records

If you find a record of interest, a digital image may be available. Some images are attached to Collection search, while others must be consulted separately on microfilm. Consult “About the Records” for more information.

Records that are not digitized

For records that are not digitized, you will need to consult them in person. If you cannot visit us in person, you may want to order copies or hire a researcher.