Newfoundland and Labrador Land and Property Records

Online

 * Administration books and miscellaneous probate records for the Central District, 1798-1937, Supreme Court (Central Circuit)
 * Land records, 1803-1990, Newfoundland. Crown Lands Department These records can be used at a Family History Center near you.
 * INDEXES OF MISSING VOLUMES LOST IN THE GREAT ST. JOHN'S FIRE OF 1892
 * In July 1892, the Registry of Crown Titles and Records experienced the devastating loss of 20 volumes of Crown grants, numerous maps, and other records, during the Great Fire of St. John's. While some documents were re-registered from duplicate copies held by individual land owners, a large number of grants are still missing.


 * Bonavista District Crown Land Grants, 1856-1929
 * Ferryland District Crown Land Grants, 1748-1926
 * Fortune Bay District Crown Land Grants, 1849-1927
 * St. John's Crown Land Grants, 1831-1848

FamilySearch Library

 * Land records, 1825-Feb. 1931; indexes, 1825-1938, Registrar of Deeds

Crown Lands Administration
Most records for Newfoundland are found in the provincial capital of St. John’s. The system of record keeping was not the same as the other provinces as Newfoundland was late joining the union, and so their records were not under the federal government jurisdiction prior to 1949. Over the years, the diverse nature of recording Crown Land Grants has left the surviving records spread out over a number of collections held in various government departments and locations. The main collection is housed at the Registry of Crown Titles and Records. They do allow some research on premises, but will not do it for you. They suggest you hire a researcher from the list provided by Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador.


 * Land Registries
 * This site contains detailed description of what is held at the Crown Land Administration office and at the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador. Documents date back to the 1830s although there are gaps as twenty volumes were lost in the fire of 1892.


 * Newfoundland and Labrador - Crown Lands Administration Division Department of Environment and Conservation P.O. Box 8700 Higgins Line, Howley Building St. John’s, Newfoundland A1B 4J6 Telephone: 709-729-3085

Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador

 * The Rooms, Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador 9 Bonaventure Avenue P.O. Box 1800, Station C St. John’s, Newfoundland A1C 5P9 Telephone: 709-757-8030 Email: [mailto:information@therooms.ca information@therooms.ca]


 * A register of crown grants after 1831 to 1931 is at The Rooms Provincial Archives. The entries for 1831 to 1880 have been indexed.
 * They do not have copies of the grant themselves.
 * They also have a Register of Deeds for 1845 to 1872, although there are many gaps in the coverage.
 * Other land records include a record book of Crown rents from 1821 to 1864 and various Plantation Papers from 1809 to 1854.

Registry of Deeds
The land deeds are filed annually and date from 1825. There is an alphabetical index for each year of both the purchaser and purchase’s surnames. There is also a miscellaneous collections of Wills from 1774. You may visit this facility to research but they will not do it for you. They will provide a list of researchers for hire on request.


 * Registrar of Deeds Service NL Commercial Registrations Division P.O. Box 8700 St. John’s, Newfoundland A1B 4J6 Telephone: 709-729-3302