Land Petitions:
Nova Scotia petitions 1769-1799 ~ Cape Breton Island petitions 1787-1843
How Do I Use the Database?
The database is searchable by surname and/or by county. The information returned from each search includes the names of everyone listed in the petition (frequently several people came together to submit jointly), plus the location and size of the requested land. Family details, immigration history and goals for lot improvement, if mentioned, have also been captured in the database.
Notations regarding the government approval process are also included, as well as references to the existence of related documents in the original file – surveyors' reports, plot plans, official correspondence, etc. But remember! – the database DOES NOT include any information contained in these related documents.
Some Things to Remember
The information in this database has been carefully transcribed from index cards prepared many years ago to summarize the contents of individual petitions. All basic information (names, biographical details, immigration history, etc.) contained in the originals has been thoroughly and accurately transcribed. We certainly encourage you to visit NSARM in person to look at the original documents – but it's VERY unlikely that you'll find any further biographical details in the originals, beyond what's already been captured on the index cards and is now available here in the database.
For mainland Nova Scotia, we've made the database searchable by the fourteen counties into which the province (excluding Cape Breton Island) is now divided. These counties did not necessarily exist at the time the petitions were drafted, and therefore the search returns may yield peculiar information. Searching under Yarmouth County, for example, may produce petitions asking for land described as lying within Queens or Shelburne Counties. Petitions for land in the Parrsboro area are retrieved by searching within Cumberland County – but the land will be described as lying in Kings County. And land said to be in Sydney County refers instead to land now located within Guysborough or Antigonish Counties. Click here for a map and more information regarding Nova Scotia's modern county divisions.
For Cape Breton Island, county divisions weren't introduced until the 1830s or later – so we've made the Cape Breton petitions searchable simply under 'Cape Breton'. Many of the actual locations are obscure – like us, you'll need a good map to figure out where they are! Click here for a map and more information regarding Nova Scotia's modern county divisions.
As a bonus for researchers interested in New Brunswick – the territory encompassed by that province was part of Nova Scotia until late 1784. All the early petitions for land in what is now New Brunswick before October 1784 are therefore filed with those for mainland Nova Scotia – and are available in the database by selecting 'New Brunswick' in the drop-down box.
Finally, just because the person you're looking for isn't named in this database doesn't mean that he/she didn't receive land from the government. Their names may instead appear in the other related documents referred to above – documents which have not been included in this database.
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