Land Records

Land Patents for Crown Land (1795-1825 & 1826-1850)

A patent was a confirmation of land ownership granted to a settler after he or she had fulfilled all obligations with respect to the land—that is, the settler has cleared the land, put up a certain number of buildings, completed road work, etc. If the settler received the land as a free land grant, there would have been no patent. 

Patents were not issued at the time of the grant; they were issued after the settlement agreement was complete. The process could take years to complete; do not limit your search too narrowly.

The patents are available on microfilm at the Archives of Ontario in Toronto.

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