Canada, Dominion. An Indian Land Sale Grant Document, District Of Manitoulin, Ontario, 1918

Inside panel with the embossed red paper seal of King George V at the upper left, signature of the Deputy Governor at the top, inscribed "CANADA. / George the Fifth, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas KING, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India. / To all to whom these Presents shall come -- GREETING : / Whereas the Lands hereinafter described as part and parcel of those set upon for the use of the Ojibwa and Ottawa Indians of Manitoulin Island AND WHEREAS WE have thought fit to authorize the sale and disposal of tha Lands hereinafter mentioned, in order that the proceeds may be applied to the benefit, support and advantage of the said Indians, in such a manner as We shall be pleased to direct from time to time : AND WHEREAS Richard Coe, of Big Lake, the District of Manitoulin, in the Province of Ontario, in Our Dominion of Canada, Farmer hath contracted and agreed to and with Our Superintendent General of Indian Affairs, duly authorized by Us in this behalf, for the absolute purchase at and for the price and sum of Twelve Dollars and Twenty-five Cents of lawful money of Canada, of the Lands and Tenements hereinafter mentioned and described, of which We are seized in right of Our Crown. / Now Know Ye that in consideration of the said sum of Twelve Dollars and Twenty-five Cents by him, the said Richard Coe, to Our said Superintendent General of Indian Affairs in hand well and truly paid to Our use at or before the sealing of these Our Letters Patent, We by these Presents, do grant, sell, alien, convey and assure unto the said Richard Coe, his heirs, and assigns forever ; all that Parcel or Tract of Land, situate, lying and being in the Township of Sandfield, in the District of Manitoulin, in the Province of Ontario / Containing by admeasurement Forty-nine Acres be the same more or less / Composed of Lot Number Five, in the Sixth Concession, in the aforesaid Township of Sandfield. / To have and to hold the said parcel of Tract of Land hereby granted, conveyed and assured unto the said Richard Coe, his heirs, and Assigns forever : SAVING, EXCEPTING AND RESERVING, NEVERTHELESS, unto Us, Out Heirs and Successors, the free use, passage and enjoyment of, in, over and upon all navigable waters that shall or may or hereafter found on or under, or be flowing through or upon any part of the said Parcel of Trust of Land hereby granted as aforesaid. / GIVEN under the Great Seal of Canada :-- Witness, JAMES FUIDGE CROWDY, Esquire, Member of Our Royal Victorian Order, Deputy of Our Right Trusty and Right Entirely-beloved Cousin and Counsellor, Victor Christian William, Duke of Devonshire, Marquess of Harrington, Earl of Devonshire, Earl of Burlington, Baron Cavendish of Hardwicke, Baron Cavendish of Keighley ; Knight of Our Most Noble Order of the Garter ; One of Our Most Honourable Privy Council ; Knight Grand Cross of Our Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George ; Knight Grand Cross of Our Royal Victorian Order ; Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief of Our Dominion of Canada. / At OTTAWA, this Nineteenth day of January, in the year of Our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and Eighteen, and in the Eighth year of Our Reign / Ref. No. 18/29. / Sale No. 4360. / BY COMMAND,", with the signature of the Under-Secretary of State and the signature of "Duncan (Campbell) Scott", Deputy of the Superintendent General of Indian Affairs, and initialled by the Registrar of Indian Lands Patents, inscribed "Recorded in the Department of Indian Affairs the 22nd Jany 1918. / Liber 43 Folio 314" and signed by the Registrar of Indian Lands Patents in the left hand margin. Outside panel inscribed "INDIAN LAND SALE GRANT TO Richard Coe, Township of Sandfield, 49 Acres / Dated Jany 19th 1918." The document is printed in black ink, with the personalized and dated entries in handwritten black ink, on an off-white paper stock, measuring 260 mm (w) x 442 mm (h) when fully opened and 155 mm (w) x 280 mm (h) when folded, exhibiting light edge wear, separation along the seams and scattered soiling and watermarks overall, the image of the seal, along with the large handwritten "Containing" and "Composed" having offset on the right side from storage. Fine.

Footnote: Crown land patents are legal instruments issued when a territory in the Crown’s possession, such as a First Nations reserve, is divided and sold to a private individual or corporation. In Canada, First Nations reserves are considered to be federal Crown lands because they are owned by and are in trust to the Crown. The Library and Archives Canada holds a number of the Indian land sale patents issued since 1763, though most of these records are still held in provincial archives. Until 1845, the provincial secretaries for Upper and Lower Canada issued Indian land patents under the province’s Great Seal. Following the 1840 Act of Union between Upper and Lower Canada, the Office of the Registrar General was established for the united Province of Canada, assuming the responsibilities formerly held by the provincial secretaries. By the time of Confederation in 1867, the provinces had become responsible for most Crown land sales, with the exception of lands held in trust for First Nations reserves, which fell under the authority of the federal government. The newly created federal Office of the Registrar General became responsible for issuing Indian land patents across Canada. By 1886, this responsibility had been transferred to the Department of Indian Affairs, which retained the function until 1951. Since then, Indian land patents have been the responsibility of the Registrar General of Canada, though it should be noted that the last Indian land patent was issued in 1990.

Richard Coe was born on October 2, 1875 in Altona County, Ontario, the son of Joseph Coe (1816 - June 25, 1892) and Harriet Ann Corby (March 15, 1847 - September 14, 1911). He was the seventh of eleven children born to the couple. He was 35 years old when he married the 16 year old Ada May Porteous (born April 5, 1895, Sandfield Township, Manitoulin Island, Ontario) on October 17, 1911 in Big Lake, Sandfield Township, Manitoulin Island, Ontario. The couple had four children: Joseph Alexander Coe (January 10, 1913 - June 6, 1979, age 66); Verna Rose Coe (May 19, 1915 - July 25, 2016, age 101); Elizabeth Pauline Coe (April 16, 1917 - unknown); and Marie Florence Coe (1920 - April 19, 1998, age 78). Richard Coe was issued this Indian Land Sale Grant for Lot 5, Concession 6, on January 19, 1918. It is on record that twenty-two years previous, his mother, Harriet Coe, applied for an extension of time to pay arrears on Lot 9, Concession 10, Sandfield Township, on March 14, 1896. Richard Coe died on May 21, 1960, at the age of 84 and is buried in Hilly Grove Cemetery, Assiginack Township, Manitoulin Island, Ontario.