Métis Scrip Records

Commissions

Treaty 10 Commission

Scrip Certificates

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

Scrip certificates numbered G1 to G279 and H1 to H235 were issued by Commissioner J.A. McKenna to Métis claimants who were entitled to partake in the distribution of scrip. McKenna's Commission appears to have been the last which used this type of document. After his initial tour through the Treaty 10 region, scrip certificates were not issued in the second and third years of the Commission. Both Borthwick and McLean simply collected applications from Métis claimants and passed them to Departmental officials in Ottawa.

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 is organized by registration number and gives the RG 15 volume number where the original document is now retained. Unfortunately, it does not identify individuals to whom the certificates were issued.

To find the certificate which was issued to a particular claimant under the Treaty 10 Commission, researchers have two choices. They can consult either finding aid FA15-21, parts 1-15, or the delivery register (RG 15, volume 1520, described elsewhere). Finding aid 15-21 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 registration number of the scrip certificate issued by the Commission. The delivery register also provides a complete summary on an individual's application, including the registration number.

If the certificate can not be found in this series, it is always possible that a copy can be found in the applicant's case file, providing such was created by departmental officials. The case files were placed in the central registry of the Dominion Lands Branch, which is now retained by Library and Archives Canada in RG 15, series D II 1 (described elsewhere). To find the case file number, researchers should either refer to the Commission's alphabetical register (RG 15, volumes 1515 or 1516, described elsewhere) or to the delivery register (RG 15, volume 1520, described elsewhere).