Using the OLRI in Ontario Land Research

This past weekend, the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society presented "A Celebration for the OLRI". The recordings of that event are now available to watch on their page "A Celebration for the OLRI: Recordings" and, if you have tried to do any land research in Ontario, I strongly recommend that you watch the videos to pick up some really good tips and tricks. In my own 25 minute talk, "OLRI to the Rescue", I gave two examples where I used the Ontario Land Records Index to find in a specific collection that is found digitized on FamilySearch.

However, I know that some folks prefer reading how to do something instead of watching and re-watching a presentation multiple times, so here is another example of how we can connect the various Ontario land records together that are available online for free.

This is part of what came to me via an email and it was just enough of a challenge for me that I thought it deserved a blog post. Please keep in mind that I will often just point you to the collections and my "Finding on the Ground" series of blog posts. So, please don't inundate me with requests for assistance or else I will have to start charging for the help I've freely given over the years.

"I want to find the original patent documents. I have looked in the Land Petitions of Upper Canada, 1763-1865 on LAC for him but have not found his entry. I used variations of his names, and also searched everyone who patented land in Sullivan, but he is still not coming up. 

Do you have any advice on where to find his patent info? This is my first foray into this record set."

They also provided the image from the Abstract Register found on FamilySearch. I really liked that since the image provided key details I could use to confirm what I was seeing in the other records.

Registrar of Deeds for Grey County (Ontario), Abstract register for Sullivan Township, vol. 1, p. 2, Division 2, Lot No. 3, Concession 1, patent entry for Edward Elliott dated 10 Jul 1849, "Abstract index books, ca. 1832-1958," imaged, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSVG-GSNL-8 : accessed 21 Jan 2026), image group number (IGN) 8129790 > image 8 of 550.

My first assumption, and we all know that assumptions are not a good thing, is that they are not looking for the land patent records but the petition records since they mention searching the Land Petitions of Upper Canada found on the Library and Archives Canada site. If they are looking for the patent paperwork, they would have to visit the Archives of Ontario in Toronto to go through the microfilms since they aren't digitized.

What do we know from the abstract register entry?

We see that Edward Elliott was granted letters patent on 10 Jul 1849 for Lot 3 located in the 2nd Division on Concession 1 in the Township of Sullivan.

Using the Ontario Land Records Index, OLRI, found digitized on the Internet Archive we can browse digitized fiche either by the township index or nominal index. If I have a location I will generally start with that since the person who received the letters patent might not have been the person who was originally allotted the lot.

Once I get into either the Nominal Index or Township Index collection, I will always re-sort the fiche sheets by the "Title" since the default is by weekly views and I don't really care which fiche were looked the most. By re-sorting the list of fiche I can quickly find that "OLRI Township Index: Fiche 60 Stephen-Sydenham" should have Sullivan Township.

Then it's just looking through the digitized images of the fiche to find the image with Sullivan Township, Concession 1, Lot 3, Division 2.

Ontario Land Records Index, Township Index, Sullivan Township, p. 2221, imaged, Internet Archive, (https://archive.org/details/olri_township-index_060_stephen-sydenham/page/n185/mode/2up : accessed 21 Jan 2026), Township Index > Fiche 60 Stephen-Sydenham > image 186 of 270; citing the Archives of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario.

We can see that the fourth entry from the bottom has the following details:

• Township/Town/City: Sullivan
• Lot: 3 in 2 Div
• Concession: 1
• Date ID: 8
• Issue Date: 18490413 [13 Apr 1849]
• Trans Type: FG
• Type FG: AA
• Name of Locatee: Elliot Edward [last name followed by the first name]
• Archival Reference: RG 1 CI3 Series Vol. 149, page 14

To decipher some of those codes we need to take a look at the OLRI Fields and Codes finding aid (the French version is here).

The "Date ID" of 8 means that it was issued via an Order-in-Council. That means we should probably be able to find the petition in the Upper Canada Land Petitions on the Library and Archives Canada site. The "Trans Type" of "FG" tells us that it was a "Free Grant" but administrative fees may have been charged. And the "Type FG" of "AA" means that it was "Gratuitous—free grants to individuals who were (a) judged destitute by a government board and/or (b) had all their administrative fees waived."

We also get the old Archives of Ontario reference details. Many, but not all, of those files have been digitized and placed online on FamilySearch in their "Land records, ca. 1792-1876" collection. In the past, I used to dread having to use this collection since, before the digitization of the OLRI and also the Full Text Search feature on FamilySearch, I had to first find the name indexes for the various sets of volumes, then the register pages, and hopefully finally the images of the fiats or warrants. It sometimes took hours of browsing the images to find that one nugget.

To find out if the reference is on FamilySearch, have to go to the Archives of Ontario in Toronto, or request an interlibrary loan of a microfilm we can look in the OLRI Archival References document (French version) to see if there is an entry in the "FamilySearch DGS" column for that series and volume.

Just a heads up, that "CI3" is not "See One Three" but "See Eye Three".

In that OLRI Archival References document for RG 1 C-I-3 Volume 149, we learn that it is:

• found on the Archives of Ontario microfilm MS 693 Reel 153,
• the new reference in the archive is RG 1-155-2-1,
• found on FamilySearch microfilm number 1376110;
• found on FamilySearch DGS (Image Group Number) 8126225.

Awesome, we can view it from home! 

In the FamilySearch "Land records, ca. 1792-1876" collection created by the Crown Lands Department of Ontario we see that Image Group Number (DGS) 8126225 is described as "Fiats - A.A. (v. 148-149) bundle 401-646, 1851-1869, ca. 1846-ca. 1870 (includes index to 367-646)". In this case, we have to scroll through the images a fair bit before we get to the start of the volume described as "R.G. 1, C-I-3, VOL. 149 REGISTER FIATS - A.A., FIATS 367-646". For this register, they included a name index so we have to scroll past them to get to the register pages to locate page 14 of the register.

Crown Lands Department (Ontario), RG 1, C-I-3, Vol. 149, Register for Fiats - AA, p. 14, “Land records, ca. 1792-1876,” imaged, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSVK-TCBV-L : accessed 21 Jan 2026), image group number (IGN) 8126225 > image 676 of 938; citing Archives of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario.

Edward Elliot is the first name for the entries in Sullivan Township and all the location details match what was found in the Abstract Register and in the OLRI. In the column before the number 1211 for the Description number is the date of the Order-in-Council which is 13 Apr 1849. That's the "Issue Date" in the OLRI. However, what is interesting (at least to me) is that there are a number of names associated with number 384 in the first column, the Fiat Number. So it would appear that maybe one petition was made on behalf of a number of folks. So that might explain why we couldn't find a petition under Edward Elliot's name.

When it comes to the fiat and warrant books held by the Archives of Ontario and found digitized on FamilySearch, we need to realize that the indexes and registers come after the volumes they reference.

For those "A.A." fiats that are mentioned in volume 149 we will need to look in volumes before and the correct digitized microfilm that has fiat in question. In this case, it is the microfilm described as "Warrants, etc., (v. 147-148) bundle 101-400, 1820-1851" on FamilySearch which is on Image Group Number (DGS) 8346087.

It didn't take me too long to find the start of Fiat 384 A.A. on image 1100 of 1160:

Crown Lands Department (Ontario), RG 1, C-I-3, Vol. 148, Warrants, Fiats Bundle 301-400, Fiat 384 A.A., “Land records, ca. 1792-1876,” imaged, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSTB-2S81-Q : accessed 21 Jan 2026), image group number (IGN) 8346087 > image 1100 of 1160; citing Archives of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario.

There we see that it was approved by an Order-in-Council on 13 Apr 1849 and it was for "Alexander McLaren & others". When I did a search for any Alexander McLarens in the Library and Archives Canada "Land Petitions of Upper Canada, 1763-1865" database, I didn't find any from 1849.

Yet it was the next image that had the clue I was looking for.

Crown Lands Department (Ontario), RG 1, C-I-3, Vol. 148, Warrants, Fiats Bundle 301-400, Fiat 384 A.A., “Land records, ca. 1792-1876,” imaged, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSTB-2S81-Q : accessed 21 Jan 2026), image group number (IGN) 8346087 > image 1101 of 1160; citing Archives of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario.

There it stated, "Confirming Locations Owen Sound Settlement Garrafraxa Rd".

The rest of the pages from that fiat included all the names for this settlement.

When I went back to LAC "Land Petitions of Upper Canada, 1763-1865" database and searched for "Owen Sound" as an exact phrase and the date 1849 I got one entry:

• Year: 1849
• Place of registration: Owen Sound
• Reference: RG 1 L3, Volume 396A
• Bundle: O 5
• Petition: 13
• Microfilm: C-2487
• Hierarchical level: File
• Type of material: Textual material
• Found in: Genealogy / Land / Land Petitions of Upper Canada, 1763 to 1865
• Item ID number: 51910

I could use the "Upper Canada Land Petitions - Microform digitization" on the LAC site, but I also know that FamilySearch has a number of these microfilms digitized in their "Petitions for land grants and leases, 1791-1867" collection and, honestly, I prefer the navigation tools on FamilySearch over that archived microform system on the Library and Archives Canada site if I can access the digitized microfilm from home. Fortunately for me, microfilm C-2487 is available on FamilySearch in Image Group Number (DGS) 8630347 and is accessible without braving the cold to visit my closest FamilySearch Affiliate or using the LAC site.

To say it was underwhelming when it came to details was an understatement since all we got were two pages with little detail except that yes, it was approved in council on 13 Apr 1849.

Upper Canada Land Petitions, “O”, Bundle 5, 1848-1850, RG 1 L3, vol. 396(a), petition 13, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3H4-MSPG-K : accessed 21 Jan 2026), image group number (IGN) 8630347 > image 670 of 1282; citing Library and Archives Canada, microfilm C-2487.

Upper Canada Land Petitions, “O”, Bundle 5, 1848-1850, RG 1 L3, vol. 396(a), petition 13a, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3H4-MSP8-9 : accessed 21 Jan 2026), image group number (IGN) 8630347 > image 671 of 1282; citing Library and Archives Canada, microfilm C-2487.

I even checked the Upper Canada Land Books for the minutes of the meeting on 13 Apr 1849 but they didn't have much more.

Upper Canada Land Books, Book E, p 697, Minutes of 13 Apr 1849 meeting, imaged, CRKN Héritage, (https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_c108/697 : accessed 21 Jan 2026), microfilm C-108 > image 697 of 1056; citing Library and Archives Canada.

We can't forget to check the Township Papers collection from the Archives of Ontario that can be found on FamilySearch in two separate collections with the same name:

• Township papers, ca. 1783-1870's: Abinger  - Haldiman
• Township papers, ca. 1783-1870's: Hallowell - Zorra

To find the correct digitized film on FamilySearch, I always visit Jane MacNamara's "Where the story takes me..." and check her "Ontario Township Papers: How to find them" post to save me a bunch of frustration. In short order I found that I probably should be able to find any documents for that lot in Sullivan Township on Image Group Number (DGS) 8347285.

With a little bit of effort I found the file for Lot 3 on Concession 1. Within the file starting at image 386 of 1019 on the digitized microfilm I came across a copy of the grant document issued to Edward Elliot.

Crown Lands Department (Ontario), RG 1 Township Papers, Sullivan, Lot 2, Con. 1 to Lot 30, Con. 6, Sullivan Township, Concession 1, Lot 3, Grant issued to Edward Elliott, imaged, “Township papers, ca. 1783-1870's”, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSY9-GCR4 : accessed 16 Jan 2026), image group number (IGN) 8347285 > image 387 of 1019; citing Archives of Ontario.

That's actually a pretty neat find and does sort of answer the original question, even if by accident! 

Except for the entry in the Abstract Register, all of these discoveries came about due to using the Ontario Land Records Index that we know find in digitized format on the Internet Archive. In total, it probably took me about an hour to locate all of these digitized documents — all without leaving the comfort of my home and braving the cold winter weather in Ottawa.

So, when looking for the documents concerning settlement of land in Ontario, especially when it comes to the folks who received the letters patent from the government, don't forget to check the digitized fiche of the Ontario Land Records Index to help you locate the warrants and fiats.

An Itch Needing Scratching - UE and The Unity of the Empire

Have you ever had a genealogical itch that you just needed to scratch but ultimately led you on an interesting research adventure? That's what happened when I got curious about the source of the UE post-nominal letters that some descendants of United Empire Loyalists choose to add after their name.

A number of years ago, I had applied to the United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada, UELAC, to get formal recognition that I was a descendant of Lieutenant Caleb Howe of the Queens Rangers who fought on the side of the Crown during the American War of Independence of 1775 to 1783. I undertook that task for two reasons. The first was that my great-grandfather, Joseph Edwin Howe, in 1939 had been certified as being of "United Empire Loyalist Descent" by UELAC and I wanted to do the proof myself since the standards for the evidence needed have changed over time. The other reason is that in 2012, when I did my application, I was in the relative early stages of my genealogy research and wanted external validation that I might actually be a competent researcher.

Over the years, my interest in genealogy research has moved beyond just the records we so often use in our efforts to understanding the source of why those records might exist in both the legal and historical sense. And that brings us to those "UE" post-nominal letters.

On the UELAC site on their Membership in the UELAC page they state:

Being a proved Loyalist descendant confers no special status in Canadian or other society, but many members use the post-nominal letters “UE” after their name, in consequence of Lord Dorchester’s Order in Council in 1789, conferring recognition of the service of the Loyalists in defense of “The Unity of Empire.” 

Just what really came out of Lord Dorchester's Order in Council in 1789?

On the UELAC's History of the UELAC page they state:

November 9, 1789: Lord Dorchester’s Proclamation conferred the “Mark Of Honour” on the United Empire Loyalists

The link to Lord Dorchester's Proclamation on that page points to a transcription of a document which includes the following:

"...on their coming of full Age and that it was his wifh to put a Mark of Honour upon families who had adhered to the Unity of Empire,.."

along with the following note after the transcription:

Accompanying the resolution to London to be presented to the king, was attached a "Form of
militia roll for the western districts to discriminate the families before mentioned" which included the following....
"N.B. Those Loyalists who have adhered to the unity of the Empire, and joined the Royal Standard before the Treaty of Separation in the year 1783, and all their children and their descendants by either sex, are to be distinguished by the following capitals, affixed to their names: U.E. alluding to their great principle the unity of the Empire."

I don't know about you, transcriptions are nice but I generally really want to view the actual documents to see if there might be additional clues or details not included.

Fairly quickly I found the proclamation document on Canadiana as the item described as "At the Council Chamber at Quebec, Monday 9th. November 1789." and on BAnQ as "At the Council Chamber at Quebec, Monday 9th. November, 1789".

With the proclamation being from the "Council Chamber" at Quebec, I also looked in the Upper Canada Land Books found on the Canadian Research Knowledge Network Héritage site since I knew from past experience that those books may hold the minutes. Without too much effort I came across the minutes from the Monday 9th November 1789 meeting on Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-100 starting at image 730 of 1034.

Now it got a bit more interesting. That proclamation document published by S. Neilson was only one item of business from that meeting. Here is the section from the minutes with the margin title of "Sons & Daughters of UE Loyalists":

Selections from Quebec Land Books A and B, 1787-1791, p 110, Minutes from 9 Nov 1789; imaged, CRKN Héritage (https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_c100/732 : accessed 8 Jan 2026); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-100.

But on image 677 of 1034 I noticed that they wrote, "A Copy of all the Minutes of Council, concerning the Waste Lands of the Crown lying in the province of Upper Canada, transcribed from the Land Books A and B, in the Council Office at Quebec...". So this is also just a copy.

After a bit more digging I found that book A should be on Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-94. It too is digitized on Héritage described as "State minute books of the Executive Council of Lower Canada". Those minutes are found starting on page 316 (image 990 of 1037) with the "Sons and Daughters of Loyalists" section starting on page 321 (image 993 of 1037).

State minute books of the Executive Council of Lower Canada, Minute Book A, p 321, Minutes from 9 Nov 1789; imaged, CRKN Héritage (https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_c94/993 : accessed 8 Jan 2026); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-94.

State minute books of the Executive Council of Lower Canada, Minute Book A, p 322, Minutes from 9 Nov 1789; imaged, CRKN Héritage (https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_c94/993 : accessed 8 Jan 2026); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-94.

I've found that each version is slightly different from the other in terms of spelling or what has been written in the margin but nothing that takes away from what I originally came across on the UELAC site.

At least I know know where that proclamation came from.

But what about the note found after the transcription of Lord Dorchester's proclamation?

I didn't see anything along those lines in the published proclamation, the Upper Canada Land Books, or the State minute books of the Executive Council of Lower Canada. That had me really puzzled.

What is curious and also frustrating is that the UELAC site didn't really cite their source.

So I turned to the ever helpful "Loyalist in depth study" Facebook group for guidance. There Brenda Dougall Merriman, the author of the ever useful "United Empire Loyalists, A Guide to Tracing Loyalist Ancestors in Upper Canada" pointed me to her footnotes from that book. There the key footnote was concerning a dispatch from Lord Dorchester to William Wyndham Grenville sent on 27 May 1793 that is found in "Colonial Office 42, Vol. 67, pages 367-373 (Library and Archives Canada microfilm B-47)".

Since I live in Ottawa and have a LAC user card, it was fairly simple to drop by Library and Archives Canada and access that microfilm from the open access microfilm shelves.

Fairly quickly I found the dispatch in question from CO 42/67 except there was nothing in the letter concerning that note I was trying to hunt down.

But I then saw an interesting word at the end of the letter to W. W. Grenville after Lord Dorchester signed his name. That word was "Schedule". Could there be something more that Lord Dorchester included after his letter?

There on the next page on the microfilm I saw the title "Schedule of Inclosures" with 15 items listed including:

8. Order of the Governor in Council of the 9th Novem 1789 for allocating lands to the Sons & Daughters of such Loyalists, as have adhered to the Unity of the Empire, and jointed the Royal Standard before the Treaty of separation in 1783, and for putting a mark of honor upon their families.

9. Form of a Militia Roll for the Western Districts to discriminate the families of the loyalists before mentioned.

Ummm, the item 9 matched the description given by UELAC. This looks really promising!

As I moved through the various inclosures, I came across that proclamation document I had found on Canadiana and BAnQ. But it was the next item that grabbed my attention. There on page number written 407 and stamped 204 was that elusive form:

CO 42/67, p 407, stamped 204, Dispatch #25 from Lord Dorchester to William Wyndham Grenville sent on 27 May 1793, schedule 9, Company of Militia form; citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm B-47.

On the form we see in the column for Names that elusive statement:

N. B. Thoſe Loyaliſts who have adhered to the Unity of the Empire, and joined the Royal Standard before the Treaty of ſeparation in the year 1783, and all their Children and their Deſcendants by either ſex, are to be diſtinguiſhed by the following Capitals, affixed to their names:

U. E. 
Alluding to their great principle
The Unity of the Empire.

I now had the answer to the question of where that additional note came from that was mentioned on the UELAC site. Honestly, I could not have found it without the kind assistance of Brenda Dougall Merriman and her book.

Finally this itch has disappeared. Of course, there are others that I periodically need to scratch but they will hopefully be dealt with sometime in the not so distant future.