Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Surveying Department-Canada West
Other form(s) of name
Upper Canada Surveyors and Patents Branch
Canada (Province). Surveys Branch (1845-1867)
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
The Surveying Department-Canada West was established in 1845 as a branch within the Department of Crown Lands for the Province of Canada. This branch was formed in large part from the staff of the former Surveyor General's Office for Upper Canada, which had been abolished in 1845. A Surveying Department-Canada East was also established at this time.
The head of the Surveying Department- Canada West, was Andrew Russell, who held the title of Senior Surveyor and Draftsman.
In 1860, the name of the branch appears to have changed to the Upper Canada Surveyors and Patents Branch. At this time, Thomas Devine replaced Andrew Russell as the head of the branch, and assumed the title of Head of Surveys.
With Confederation in 1867, the branch was continued as the Surveys Branch of the Ontario Department of Crown Lands.
Places
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
The Surveying Department-Canada West was responsible for the surveying of the land of Canada West (Ontario) into townships, concessions and lots, for the purposes of promoting settlement and agriculture.
Address
Internal structures/genealogy
General context
Relationships area
Related entity
Identifier of related entity
Category of relationship
Type of relationship
Dates of relationship
Description of relationship
Related entity
Identifier of related entity
Category of relationship
Type of relationship
Dates of relationship
Description of relationship
Related entity
Identifier of related entity
Category of relationship
Type of relationship
Dates of relationship
Description of relationship
Access points area
Subject access points
Place access points
Epithet
Control area
Authority record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Annual Reports of the Department of Crown Lands, 1845-1867
Public Accounts
Canadian Almanac
Lambert, Richard. Renewing Nature's Wealth (1967)
Maintenance notes
Agency not found in Canadiana Name Authorities, 1996-12-24The name used in the heading was taken from the Annual Reports of the Crown Lands Department of the Province of Canada. Several different forms of the name, however, appear to have existed for this branch during this period.
Archivist(s):
S. McCLure, R. Anger