Dear Bette - Thanks for your help. I was awaiting a reply from the National Library to fill in any details left before I responded and Sarah Chatfield of the Canadian Genealogy Centre's response is copy/pasted here. I checked her suggestion and it is full of all sorts of information. In reply to your e-mail inquiry of 7 March concerning abbreviations found in the Western Land Grants database, I wish to advise you that the definition of legal subdivision can be found by following this URL: http://www.lobstick.com/PEACE%20COUNTRY%20LAND%20SETTLEMENT%20PROJECT/Complete%20Text%20All%20Links.htm (Section: Link 1: Glossary) The website provides this definition for the term Legal Subdivision: As a township was subdivided into sections and quarter-sections, so too could a quarter-section be subdivided into 16 subdivisions. This was usually the case with fractional quarters where homesteaders on adjoining quarters sought to purchase portions of land as fractional purchases. Identified on the database as "LSD". As for the other terms that we talked about on the phone, I haven't been able to find any definitions for N1/2, PTS or FR. I assume that N1/2 is referring to the north half of a section of land; PTS means the south part of a section of land and FR can either mean the front part of a section of land or that the land was a free grant. Earl At 12:53 AM 4/12/2005 -0700, you wrote: >Earle, >I'm not positive about this but I think >PTS -= parts >PTLS = parts of lots >FR = Front >PT = part >-- >Bette Kosmolak > > > > >-- >Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. >Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. >Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 266.9.1 - Release Date: 4/1/2005