The records concerning land granting and ownership in old Ontario (1791–1867)
are of varying quality. Those dealing with property before patenting are often
episodic and incomplete, and are consequently ill-suited for systematic study. Those
relating to property after patenting are far more comprehensive. For the latter,
researchers have typically consulted the Abstract Indexes to Deeds, but these do not
always contain all the information they promise. In such instances researchers
might be better advised to consult the relatively little-known Copy Books.
