Thursday, May 30, 2013

Upper Canada: Land Board Minutes and Records, 1765-1804. - October 22, 1788


Documents relating to the granting of lands to Loyalists in the Province of Quebec (includes present day Quebec and Ontario).

Transcriber: Edward Kipp
January 2011
Source: Library and Archives Canada

RG1 L4 Vol. 2. Upper Canada: Land Board Minutes and Records, 1765-1804. LAC mf C-14026. PP. 203-206.

[P. 1]
Wednesday 22nd October 1788

Present
His Excellency The Right Honorable Lord Dorchester
The Honorable William Smith Esquire, Chief Justice

Hugh Finlay                             George Pownall
Thomas Dunn                           Henry Caldwell
Ewd Harrison                           William Grant
John Collins                             Francis Baby
Adam Mabane                         Chas De La Naudiere
J G C DeLery                           Le Comte Dupré, Esquires

His Lordship ordered to be read the 41st Article of His Majesty’s Instructions in favour of the Corps, late the 84th Regiment, in the Words following, Viz

[Margin]  Granting Lands to the Corps, late the 84th Regt

“And Whereas upon the raising and Establishing the Corps Late the 84th Regt of foot, We did promise and declare that the Officers and privates of the same Corps should when reduced be entitled to, and receive grants for certain allotments of Lands in proportion to their respective ranks therein, it is our will & pleasure that you do in manner as herein before directed Grant Warrants of allotment and survey to such of the Officers and privates of the said late 84th Regiment of foot, non reduced, who shall be willing to settle and become Inhabitants of our province of Quebec and shall apply for the same for such quantities of Land as the shall be respectively entitled to, in consequence of our said promise and declaration contained in our Instructions to our Governors of New York and North Carolina, dated the 3d April 1775. That is to say

To

[P.2]
To Field Officers                                   5,000 Acres
To Captains                                           3,000
To Subalterns                                        2,000
To Non Commissioned Officers              200
To Privates                                                 50

And that the surveys be made and Grants for the same delivered to them respectively free of expence as herein before is directed, provided nevertheless that every Commissioned and Non Commissioned Officer or private belonging to the said late 84th Regt of foot, who shall claim and apply for Lands in our province of Quebec as aforesaid, shall declare upon oath that no land has been obtained by him in any of our other provinces in America under our Royal declaration as a aforesaid.”

Read also a Petition from Sir John Johnson Baronet, and a memorial of Lieutenant Colonel Butler, and others, as follows. Viz.

“To His Excellency the Right Honorable Guy Lord Dorchester Captain General and Governor in Chief of the Colonies of Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and their dependencies, Vice Admiral of the same General and Commander in Chief of all His Majesty forces in the said Colonies and the Island of Newfoundland  & etc. & etc. & etc.”

Sir John Johnson Baronet}
“The Memorial of Sir John Johnson Bart Lieut Colonel Commander of His Majesty’s late provincial regiment called the King’s Royal Regiment of New York.

Humbly Sheweth,
That your Memorialist and the Officers of his said Regt very early earned their Loyalty and attachment to His Majesty’s person and Government, and that having served faithfully & Zealously & shared equally in the dangers and fatigues from the commencement to the conclusion of the late unhappy war; they humbly submit
their

[P.3]
their pretentions to your Lordships consideration and although they cannot claim a right, they hope they may be considered to have equally mounted the same bounty and indulgence that is granted to the Officers of the late 84th Regiment by his Majesty’s instruction to your Lordship dated the 23d of August 1788.”

“Your Memorialist therefore in behalf of the Officers of his Regiment prays that the same proportion of Land may be Granted to them that is ordered by the aforesaid Instructions for the Officers of the said 84th Regt and your Memorialist as in Duty bound will ever pray & etc. & etc. & etc.”

Montreal 23d Sept 1788     [signed] John Johnson

Lieut Col. Butler}

“To His Excellency the Right Honorable Guy Lord Dorchester Captain General and Governor in Chief of the province of Quebec & etc. & etc. & etc.
The Memorial of Lieutt Colonel John Butler and the Officers of the late Corps of Rangers and Indian Department at Niagara.

Humbly Sheweth,

That your Lordship’s Memorialists having left their families and properties, at the commencement of the late troubles in America and served faithfully during the War and now settled at Niagara, do humbly beg that your Lordship will be pleased to consider their services, and allow the Officers & Non Commissioned officers such additional Quantity of Lands, as the 84th Regiment has received. And Your Memorialists as in Duty bound shall ever pray.”
Signed   John Butler, Lieut, Coll
              Peter Tenbrook, Captain
              Andrew Bradt, Captain
              Jacob Ball, Lieut.
              Th Ball, Lieut.

 [P.4]
Order on the foregoing Petitions}
The opinion of the Board being desired by his lordship, the Council concurred with his Lordship in granting the prayer of the petition and Memorial in favour of all such Officers as have improved the Lands already granted to them as reduced officers since the peace of 1783.

And it is referred to the Surveyor General or Deputy Surveyor General to make returns of the locations of the petitioners; and He is directed to give them certificates thereof under his hand as further testimonials of the faith of Government for issuing the patents pursuant to His Majestys instructions if they shall apply for their several locations in the course of one year to be completed from the first day of May next.

But it is to be understood that Deductions are to be made of all such tracts as have been already granted to any of the Objects of this Order, that upon the whole they may receive equivalents with the Corps of the 84th Regiment.

Signed   William C C

[P.5]
22nd October 1788. Order of His Excellency Lord Dorchester in Council. No. 10. Hesse.

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