Nova Scotia Land Grant Registers Online
I recently discovered a collection of old grant registers and record books online at Family Search. I discovered this collection by going to Search and then Catalog and searching by Nova Scotia as place. I then scrolled down the list and clicked the arrow to expand the Land and property section. It's worthwhile to have a browse as there are several different entries for land papers. The following instructions apply to Nova Scotia Crown land grant registers, 1732-1901; indexes, 1707-1999.
The documents include an index by county and grantee and copies of the original grant books and registers. The original petitions are not included.
Film 2314523 includes an A-Z index of grant registers 1707-1854, 1730-1854 and 1835-1873. In the thumbnail view, you will see some pages with large numerals. If you click the first page after the numeral you can get a better idea of what is included in that numerical section. For example, image 6 in the film shows the back spine of index book A-L. The grantees are indexed alphabetically by the first letter of their last name. So, for example, all the last names beginning with the letter A are in the same area but not alphabetized within the A listings. Once you have located your ancestor's name, you will see the number of acres, location and county, Book number or letter, and page number. Be aware that your ancestor may have numerous grants and they will not necessarily be listed together.
Note that there are 3 different indices on film 2314523 and they overlap in years. So it's a good idea to check all three, especially if you're having difficulty locating a record.
Watch carefully for books that are identified by letter rather than number as these seem to have been stamped or written in a lighter hand and can be hard to see. According to a note on Img 405, the double letter books such as AA have been incorporated into the numerical series beginning with book 11. So, if you check the other indices, you will likely find the alternate location of these records.
After you have found your ancestor's listing(s) in the index, locate the register book in the list of films. If a microfilm contains multiple record books, they are separated by large numerals visible in thumbnail view, e.g. Items 1,2, 3, etc. Each book begins with an index just for that book which enables you to double-check to make sure that your ancestor's record is the book. The pages are in numerical order and you can type numbers in the image field to jump quickly through a film rather than using the arrows to go page by page.
The documents include an index by county and grantee and copies of the original grant books and registers. The original petitions are not included.
Film 2314523 includes an A-Z index of grant registers 1707-1854, 1730-1854 and 1835-1873. In the thumbnail view, you will see some pages with large numerals. If you click the first page after the numeral you can get a better idea of what is included in that numerical section. For example, image 6 in the film shows the back spine of index book A-L. The grantees are indexed alphabetically by the first letter of their last name. So, for example, all the last names beginning with the letter A are in the same area but not alphabetized within the A listings. Once you have located your ancestor's name, you will see the number of acres, location and county, Book number or letter, and page number. Be aware that your ancestor may have numerous grants and they will not necessarily be listed together.
Note that there are 3 different indices on film 2314523 and they overlap in years. So it's a good idea to check all three, especially if you're having difficulty locating a record.
Watch carefully for books that are identified by letter rather than number as these seem to have been stamped or written in a lighter hand and can be hard to see. According to a note on Img 405, the double letter books such as AA have been incorporated into the numerical series beginning with book 11. So, if you check the other indices, you will likely find the alternate location of these records.
After you have found your ancestor's listing(s) in the index, locate the register book in the list of films. If a microfilm contains multiple record books, they are separated by large numerals visible in thumbnail view, e.g. Items 1,2, 3, etc. Each book begins with an index just for that book which enables you to double-check to make sure that your ancestor's record is the book. The pages are in numerical order and you can type numbers in the image field to jump quickly through a film rather than using the arrows to go page by page.