Métis Scrip Records

Commissions

Alberta/Assiniboia and Saskatchewan/Manitoba Commissions

Scrip Certificates

Dept. of the Interior, RG 15, Series D II 8e, Certificates for Scrip, 1885-1906, 3.15 m, vols. 1373 to 1386.

Certificates (numbers C1 to C1200; D1 to D2870; E1 to E3200; F1 to F1466) issued by the Commissioners to Métis who were entitled to partake in the distribution of scrip. The certificates give the place and date of issue, name of the recipient, the amount and nature of the scrip, and the name of the Commissioner. The records are organized by the certificate registration number. Finding aid FA15-23 serves as a general index to these records. It gives the RG 15 volume number that contains the original document but it does not identify the individuals to whom the certificates were issued.

To find the certificate issued to a particular claimant under the Alberta-Saskatchewan Commission when the registration number is unknown, researchers should consult finding aid FA15-21. The latter was originally intended to provide access to individual applications in RG 15, series D II 8c (see elsewhere), but it also summarizes the information available on each application form, including the number of the scrip certificate issued by the Commission. Once the certificate registration number is known, researchers can then refer to finding aid 15-23 to find the volume number in RG 15 where the original document is stored.

If the scrip certificate is not found in this series, it is always possible that a copy was placed in the applicant's case file, if such was created by the department. The case files were placed in the central registry of the Dominion Lands Branch, and are now retained by Library and Archives Canada as RG 15, series D II 1 (described elsewhere). If a case file was created for a particular claim, the file number will be indicated in the delivery registers (RG 15, volumes 1519 or 1520, described elsewhere).