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How to Search the Petition Index
The Prince Edward Island Petition Index is searchable by name, year, keyword, or topic. The results returned from each search will include the name of the petitioner(s), the date of the petition, a description of the petitioner’s request, and links to digitized images of the petition. Personal and family background, immigration history, and the Council’s decision, if mentioned, are also included in the database. |
Searching by Name
The names of all petitioners found in this collection have been included in the database. Petitions with more than one petitioner have been indexed by the name of the first petitioner and the other petitioners’ names appear in the “Other Petitioners” field. Names of other individuals mentioned in the petition (eg. former land owners, neighbours, witnesses, etc.) have also been indexed and appear in the “Other Names” field.
To search by name, enter the surname and given name(s) of the individual into the appropriate fields and select either the “Name of Petitioner” or “Any Name” search option. When searching by name, be sure to check all variations in spelling, as well as abbreviations, nicknames, and initials. Spelling was not standardized during the 18th and 19th century, and it is not uncommon to find two or three different spelling variations within a single petition. These spelling variations have been indicated in the “Note” field where applicable. The wildcard “*” can also be used in order to retrieve spelling variations. For example, a search for “m*donald” will return both “macdonald” and “mcdonald” in the search results. Users should also be aware that abbreviations, especially of given names, are found in many of the petitions. Click here for a list of common abbreviations and nicknames for given names.
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Searching by Year
The petitions have also been made searchable by year. To search using this option, enter the year into the search box. For example, a search for “1825” will result in 47 petitions being retrieved. Please note that the database can only be searched by exact year (eg. “1825”) or decade (eg. “182*”) and does not accept spans of years. A search for “1825-1830”, for instance, will result in an error message.
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Searching by Keyword
The PEI Petition Index allows keyword searching of the “Description of Request” and “Notes” fields. To search by keyword, enter up to three keywords in the search box. Please note that the database does not accept Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT). Instead, simply enter the search terms with a space between each term.
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Searching by Topic
Broad topics have been assigned to each petition. Users can choose to search the database by selecting a topic from the drop-down menu. Examples of topics include: accounts; assistance - financial, provisions, tools, etc.; contracts; land; loyalists; and widows and widowers.
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Other Things to Remember
- If you are not entering an exact term search, or if you want to broaden your search, the wildcard “*” can be used.
For example: Surname: m*donald
Given Name: arch*
This search will retrieve records for Archibald, Arch., or Archd. Macdonald, MacDonald, McDonald or Mcdonald
- Most of the land petitions in this collection deal with requests for land in Charlottetown, Georgetown, Princetown, and the surrounding “royalties”. When doing a keyword search for land requests in any of these areas, be sure to consider variations in spelling. For example, the following spelling variations for “Charlottetown” can be found in the Petition Index: Charlotteton, Charlotte Town, Charlotte-Town, Charlotton, Charlotte Township, and Charlotte Town Ship.
- Several petitions are accompanied by supporting documentation, such as certificates stating the availability of a particular Lot, licenses of occupation, and sketches and maps. If supporting material is available for a particular petition, this will be indicated in the “Note” field.
- Some petitions deal with disputed property. In these cases, users are urged to search under all parties’ names to ensure they find any related documents.
- Most of the petitions prior to 1837 are indexed in the Master Name Index located in the Public Archives and Records Office reading room.
- Please note that this database contains only those petitions that are found in Series 4 of the Executive Council fonds (Record Group 5) and does not represent a complete collection of petitions. Click here for information about other sources of petitions and related documentation.
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How to Read the Results of a Search
The results of a search will indicate the number of hits and produce a list of possible entries that match the search criteria. The results will appear in a list of up to 20 possible petitions with an option to view all hits. The results list will include the name of the first petitioner and the year of the petition. By clicking on one of the names in the results list, you will be taken to a new web page entitled “Individual Results” which will provide more detailed information about that particular petition, including a description of the petitioner’s request. Digitized images of the petition pages can be viewed by going to the “Images” section of the results table. To facilitate access, two file sizes have been provided. Click on the appropriate links, either “large” or “small”, to view the digitized petition pages. |
Printing from the PEI Petition Index
Search results can be printed from the "Individual Results" page by clicking on the Printer Friendly icon at the top of the screen. |
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