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Cape Breton land petitions and other material
1787-1864, predominant 1787-1843
1.7 m of textual records
This series of records was included in the 1885 catalogue of public records of Nova Scotia issued as part of the annual report of the Commissioner of Public Records. At that time the Cape Breton land papers were included in two unsorted boxes of material that were listed after the bound volumes of public records. They remained unsorted until 1938 when the annual report of the Public Archives of Nova Scotia noted that the calendar of Cape Breton land papers had been completed.
Series forms part of the Nova Scotia Commissioner of Crown Lands fonds and consists of primarily, petitions from Cape Breton residents seeking land grants from the crown and other related documents such as surveyors' reports, plans and correspondence. Series is arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by name of applicant. Reports of the Cape Breton surveyor general, or other local surveying officials, to the Provincial Secretary are found at the end of the series. The existence of a separate Commissioner of Crown Lands for Cape Breton reporting directly to the Provincial Secretary, and distinct from the Commissioner of Crown Lands for Nova Scotia, survived the demise of Cape Breton as a separate colony in 1820 and continued until 1847, when the Crown Land Department Act abolished the position of surveyor general of Cape Breton.
Notes
Variations in title:
The 1976 Public Archives of Nova Scotia Inventory of Manuscripts listed this series as RG 20 Series B.
Availability of other formats:
Available on microfilm.
Finding aids:
The non-calendared reports to the Provincial Secretary are arranged chronologically and follow the calendared material that ends in volume 15. These are also on microfilm which may be accessed through a reel list. see below
Related groups of records in different fonds:
The Land grant registration books series of the Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forests fonds records completed land grants and includes exact descriptions of the parcels granted. Most grants which resulted from these petitions will be recorded in these books.
| Microfilm Reel | Volume and document numbers | LDS Reel |
| 15788 | Calendar of Cape Breton Land Papers
Volume 1, #1 - #141 | 1378276 |
| 15789 | Volume 1, #142 to Volume 3, #447 | 1378277 |
| 15790 | Volume 3, #448 - Volume 4, #740 | 1378278 |
| 15791 | Volume 4, #741 - Volume 5, #1028 | 1378279 |
| 15792 | Volume 5, #1029 - Volume 6, #1226 | 1378339 |
| 15793 | Volumes 6a - 7, #1227a - #1266a; #1267 - #1450 | 1378340 |
| 15794 | Volume 7, #1451 - #1790 | 1378388 |
| 15795 | Volume 8, #1791 - Volume 9, #2050 | 1378389 |
| 15796 | Volume 9, #2051 - Volume 11, #2300 | 1378390 |
| 15797 | Volume 11, #2301 - Volume 12, #2560 | 1378391 |
| 15798 | Volume 12, #2561 - Volume 13, #2880 | 1378392 |
| 15799 | Volume 13, #2881 - Volume 14, #3200 | 1378393 |
| 15800 | Volume 14, #3201 - Volume 15, #3340, #3201 - #3298, followed by undated land papers #3330 - #3340, #3293- #3303, Miscellaneous papers, #3304 - #3329. [Volume not filmed in numerical order] | 1378470 |
| 15801 | Volume 16 and 17, uncalendared correspondence to Provincial Secretary, 1820-1864 | 1378470 |
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Print version