Heir and Devisee Commission - Upper Canada, 1797 to 1854

About the records

The Heir and Devisee Commission was established to clarify the titles to lands in Upper Canada.

Library and Archives Canada holds most of the records of the first Commission (1797 to 1804) and some of the records of the second Commission (1805 to 1854).

Records can include:

  • affidavits
  • bonds
  • location certificates
  • powers of attorney
  • orders-in-council
  • copies of wills
  • mortgages
  • deeds of sale
  • testimonial letters

For more information about these records, see the archival description (Mikan 205142).

See Ontario land records for other sources.

How the records are arranged on the microfilm reels

The records are arranged by district, then by type of document (RG1 L5, volumes 1 to 104, microfilm H-1133 to H-1153). There is no index by name.

A detailed description of the content of each volume can be found at the start of each microfilm reel.

These microfilm reels are digitized and can be viewed free on our partner website Héritage.

List of districts, descriptions, volume numbers and microfilm numbers

Microfilm Volume Pages District Title or description of records Date
H-1133 1 1 to 46 not specified Index of location certificates issued by the Land Boards n.d. (pre-1804)
H-1133 2 1 to 110b Eastern Reports of the Commissioners, with the Surveyor General's reports and some Orders-in-Council 1803 to 1804
H-1133 3 5 to 28 Eastern Report of the Commissioners n.d. (1803?)
H-1133 4 1 to 185 Eastern Reports of the Commissioners, with the Surveyor General's reports 1797 to 1802
H-1133 5 1 to 107b Eastern Notices of claims, received but disallowed or unresolved, arranged alphabetically circa 1809 to 1841
H-1133 6 1 to 32a Eastern Location certificates submitted in support of claims, arranged alphabetically, surnames A to B to 1804
H-1134 6 33 to 133a Eastern Location certificates submitted in support of claims, arranged alphabetically, surnames C to K to 1804
H-1134 7 134 to 280c Eastern Location certificates submitted in support of claims, arranged alphabetically, surnames L to T to 1804
H-1134 8 281 to 325b Eastern Location certificates submitted in support of claims, arranged alphabetically, surnames U to Z to 1804
H-1135 9 326 to 391a Eastern Second series of certificates, arranged alphabetically to 1804
H-1135 10 392 to 452a Eastern Third series of certificates, arranged alphabetically to 1804
H-1135 11 1 to 190a Eastern Contemporary copies of location certificates (Edwardsburg, Augusta, Matilda) n.d. (1789)
H-1135 12 1 to 123 Johnstown Reports of the Commissioners, with the Surveyor General's reports 1800 to 1803
H-1135 13 1 to 225a Johnstown Notices of claims n.d. (1800 to 1803)
H-1135 14 1 to 47 Johnstown Orders-in-Council 1801 to 1804
H-1135 15 1 to 83a Johnstown Notices of claims 1804 to 1840?
H-1136 16 1 to 128 Johnstown Notices of claims 1804 to 1840?
H-1136 17 1 to 107a Johnstown Location certificates submitted in support of claims, arranged alphabetically, surnames A to D to 1804
H-1136 18 108 to 213 Johnstown Location certificates submitted in support of claims, arranged alphabetically, surnames E to F to 1804
H-1136 19 214 to 323a Johnstown Location certificates submitted in support of claims, arranged alphabetically, surnames G to H to 1804
H-1136 20 324 to 418a Johnstown Location certificates submitted in support of claims, arranged alphabetically, surnames K to M to 1804
H-1137 20 419 to 480a Johnstown Location certificates submitted in support of claims, arranged alphabetically, surnames M to P to 1804
H-1137 21 481 to 567b Johnstown Location certificates submitted in support of claims, arranged alphabetically, surnames Q to R to 1804
H-1137 22 568 to 663b Johnstown Location certificates submitted in support of claims, arranged alphabetically, surnames S to S to 1804
H-1137 23 664 to 694a Johnstown Location certificates submitted in support of claims, arranged alphabetically, surnames T to Y to 1804
H-1137 24 1 to 400 Midland Reports of the Commissioners, with the Surveyor General's reports 1797 to 1803
H-1138 24 401 to 524 Midland Reports of the Commissioners, with the Surveyor General's reports 1797 to 1803
H-1138 25 1 to 103 Midland Index of claimants 1790s
H-1138 25 1 to 67a Midland Orders-in-Council 1797 to 1803
H-1138 26 1 to 178 Midland Notices of claims with some reports of the Surveyor General and Provincial Secretary 1797 to 1804
H-1138 27 1 to 99a Midland Location certificates submitted in support of claims, surnames A and B to 1804
H-1138 28 100 to 154a Midland Location certificates submitted in support of claims, surnames C to 1804
H-1139 28 155 to 193a Midland Location certificates submitted in support of claims, surnames D and E to 1804
H-1139 29 194 to 277b Midland Location certificates submitted in support of claims, surnames F and G to 1804
H-1139 30 278 to 347b Midland Location certificates submitted in support of claims, surnames H to K to 1804
H-1139 31 348 to 376b Midland Location certificates submitted in support of claims, surnames L to 1804
H-1139 32 377 to 441a Midland Location certificates submitted in support of claims, surnames M and N to 1804
H-1140 33 442 to 523b Midland Location certificates submitted in support of claims, surnames P to R to 1804
H-1140 34 524 to 620a Midland Location certificates submitted in support of claims, surnames S to V to 1804
H-1140 35 621 to 667b Midland Location certificates submitted in support of claims, surnames W to Y to 1804
H-1140 36 1 to 70a Midland Orders-in-Council 1801 to 1804
H-1140 37 1 to 62a Home Reports of the Commissioners 1802 to 1804
H-1141 37 63 to 68a Home Reports of the Commissioners 1802 to 1804
H-1141 38 69 to 110a Home Reports of the Commissioners 1804
H-1141 39 1 to 29a Home Copy of the Commission of 1816, notices of claims and a list of claimants, 1821 to 1823 circa 1804 to 1823
H-1141 40 1 to 15a Home Orders-in-Council 1791 to 1802
H-1141 41 16 to 70a Home Location certificates submitted in support of claims to 1804
H-1141 42 1 to 208a Home Notices of claims 1803 to 1837
H-1141 43 1 to 93d Western Reports of the Commissioners, with some Orders-in-Council for the issuance of Surveyor General's descriptions for land claims recommended (see also reports in volumes 95 and 96) 1798 to 1804
H-1141 43 1 to 54 Western Rough minutes of meetings, 1799 1798 to 1804
H-1141 44 1 to 49a Western Notices of claims, received but disallowed or unresolved, arranged alphabetically 1798 to 1840
H-1142 45 50 to 187a Western Notices of claims 1803
H-1142 46 1 to 95b Western Location certificates submitted in support of claims, arranged alphabetically to 1804
H-1142 47 1 to 33a London Notices of claims to 1804
H-1142 47 34 to 41b London Orders-in-Council 1803 and 1804
H-1142 47 42 to 59b London Notices of claims, received but disallowed or unresolved 1818 to 1841
H-1142 48 1 to 41 Niagara Reports of the Commissioners 1802 to 1804
H-1142 49 1 to 44a Niagara Notices of claims, received but disallowed or unresolved 1803 to 1819
H-1142 49 45 to 75a Niagara Notices claims allowed 1803 to 1819
H-1142 50 1 to 23a Gore Notices of claims, received but disallowed or unresolved 1815 to 1824
H-1142 51 1 to 66e Newcastle Reports and Orders-in-Council and notices of claims, received but disallowed or unresolved 1798 to 1835
H-1143 51 67 to 123a Newcastle Notices of claims allowed 1798 to 1835
H-1143 51 1 to 5 Bathurst Notice of a claim 1841
H-1143 52 1 to 92 not specified Surveyor General's descriptions of lands allotted in response to claims 1841
H-1143 53 93 to 203 not specified Surveyor General's descriptions of lands allotted in response to claims 1842
H-1143 54 204 to 708 not specified Surveyor General's descriptions, with annotation of Attorney General's fiats 1848 to 1850
H-1144 54 708a to 1415 not specified Surveyor General's descriptions, with annotation of Attorney General's fiats 1851 to 1854
H-1144 55 1 to 59 not specified Supporting documents for claims in Ancaster township 1794 to 1799
H-1144 56 60 to 132 not specified Supporting documents for claims in Blenheim township 1797
H-1144 57 133 to 156 not specified Supporting documents for claims in Beverley township 1796 and 1797
H-1144 58 157 to 211 not specified Supporting documents for claims in Burford township 1796 and 1797
H-1144 59 212 to 221 not specified Supporting documents for claims in Charlotteville 1797
H-1144 60 222 to 227 not specified Supporting documents for claims in Crowland township 1797
H-1144 61 228 to 229 not specified Supporting documents for claims in Ernestown mills, bond for a lease 1812
H-1144 62 230 to 280 not specified Supporting documents for claims in Etobicoke township, Gainsborough township and Grand River (see also volume 75) 1794 to 1797,
1828
H-1144 63 281 to 316 not specified Supporting documents for claims in Grimsby, and Humberton, Lansdown, Loughborough and Markham townships 1794 to 1798
H-1145 64 317 to 399 not specified Supporting documents for claims in Oxford-on-Thames township 1796 to 1799
H-1145 65 400 to 436 not specified Supporting documents for claims in Pelham, Rainham, Saltfleet, Southwold and Thorold townships 1795 to 1799
H-1145 66 437 to 491 not specified Supporting documents for claims in Townsend, Vaughan, Wainfleet and Wolford townships 1797 to 1801
H-1145 67 492 to 503 not specified Supporting documents for claims inYonge Street and York 1789,
1802, 1803
H-1145 68 0 to 152a not specified Certificates regarding the performance of settlement duties, surnames A to F to 1804
H-1145 69 152b to 295a not specified Certificates regarding the performance of settlement duties, surnames G to Robertson to 1804
H-1145 70 295b to 449a not specified Certificates regarding the performance of settlement duties, surnames Robinson to W to 1804
H-1145 72 449b to 475a not specified Certificates regarding the performance of settlement duties, second series, arranged by township to 1804
H-1145 71 0 to 44a not specified Certificates regarding the performance of settlement duties, third series, arranged alphabetically to 1804
H-1145 73 0 to 28a not specified Certificates attesting to good character of claimants 1781 to 1817
H-1146 74 1 to 370 not specified Certificates of Loyalist claimants, arranged alphabetically 1777 to 1816
H-1146 75 1 to 68 not specified Certificates and depositions regarding exchanges and surrenders 1788 to 1804,
1820, 1856
H-1146 76 1 to 265 Niagara/
Home		 Certificates and Orders from the Land Boards and other authorities giving entitlement to lands, arranged alphabetically for each district 1789 to 1801
H-1146 77 1 to 31 Home Assignments of title to lands by certificate or deposition 1800 to 1804
H-1146 78 1 to 127 not specified Assignment of title to lands by agreement, bond, deed of sale, mortgage or other conveyance 1788 to 1835
H-1147 78 128 to 258 not specified Assignment of title to lands by agreement, bond, deed of sale, mortgage or other conveyance 1788 to 1835
H-1147 79 259 to 348 not specified Receipts acknowledging sales of lands and titles thereto 1798 to 1815
H-1147 79A 349 to 716 not specified Orders-in-Council 1803 and 1804
H-1147 80 1 to 400 not specified Register A: entrybook of Commissioners Reports, with an index 1797 to 1802
H-1148 81 1 to 275 not specified Register B: entrybook of Commissioners' Reports, with an index 1802 and 1803
H-1148 82 1 to 159 not specified Register C: entrybook of Commissioners' Reports, with an index 1803 and 1804
H-1148 83 1 to 133 not specified Register D: entrybook of Commissioners' Reports, including the Surveyor General's reports 1805 to 1822
H-1149 84 1 to 273 not specified Register E: entrybook of Commissioners' Reports 1823 to 1835
H-1149 85 1 to 74 not specified Index to Register E 1823 to 1835
H-1149 86 1 to 315 not specified Register F: entrybook of Commissioners' Reports, with an index 1836 to 1845
H-1150 87 1 to 177 not specified Register G: entrybook of Commissioners' Reports 1836 to 1845
H-1150 88 1 to 85 not specified Register of Notices of Claims, arranged alphabetically (see also volume 99) 1826 to 1828
H-1150 89 1 to 228 not specified Minute Book of the Commissioners, with an index 1837 to 1847
H-1151 90 1 to 184 not specified Register of claims allowed, “A”, entered chronologically, by district 1797 to 1804
H-1151 91 1 to 116 not specified Index of claimants in Registers A-B-C (see volumes 90 and 93) not specified
H-1151 92 1 to 133 not specified Index of original nominees in Registers A-B (see volumes 90 and 93) not specified
H-1151 93 1 to 41 not specified Register of claims allowed “B” 1805 to 1823
H-1151 94 1 to 400 not specified Index of original nominees in Register C (Register of claims allowed C not found) not specified
H-1151 95 not specified Western Report of the Commissioners 1803
H-1151 96 not specified Western Report of the Commissioners 1799
H-1151 97 4 parchments not specified Commissions appointing members of the Heir and Devisee Commission 1805, 1812,
1818
H-1151 98 1 to 120 not specified Reports of the Commissioners, submitted to the Executive Council 1805 to 1808
H-1152 99 1 to 53 not specified Schedule of claims 1816 to 1823,
circa 1830
H-1152 100 54 to 62 not specified Register of disposition of claims 1833 to 1836
H-1152 101 1 to 192 not specified Reports of the Commissioners 1808 to 1829
H-1152 102 193 to 388 not specified Reports of the Commissioners 1830 to 1840
H-1152 103 389 to 536 not specified Reports of the Commissioners 1841 to 1850
H-1153 103 537 to 638 not specified Reports of the Commissioners 1841 to 1850
H-1153 104 639 to 821 not specified Reports of the Commissioners 1851 to 1854
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