Manitoba Scrip

Land scrip refers to a certificate entitling the holder to obtain a certain portion of the public land either by entry or the payment of a portion of the price. This volume refers to certificates awarded to Métis (half-Native American, half-European) and original white inhabitants of Manitoba and their children, as of July 15, 1870. (Most of the whites had migrated from French Canada, Scotland, or England.) Scrip certificates of 160 acres or $160 were awarded to qualifying heads of household, and 240 acres or $240 to eligible children. In all, nearly $280,000 in money scrip was awarded to qualifying Métis. The purpose of the Scrip policy, which extended over several decades, was to eliminate whatever remaining claims Canadian Native Americans might make on the land. Because of the detailed application process required for the award of scrip, there is an enormous amount of genealogical information pertaining to the thousands of qualified applications. For example, in this volume each applicant's date and place of birth, husband's name, and names and race or national origin of parents. It is arranged alphabetically by the surname of the applicant.