Collection search - Spence, Samuel; address: Sandy Bay, Westbourne; born: 1853 along Grand Coteau; father: Baptiste Spence (Métis); mother: Josephte (Indian); married: 1880 at Portage la Prairie to Catherine Mousseau; children living: Maria, Isabella and Marie Anne; scrip for $240.00; claim no. 1492

Scrip was a certificate issued by the Department of the Interior which indicated the right of the holder to receive payment later in the form of money or land. The federal government distributed scrip to the Métis in exchange for their land rights, as a method of extinguishing their Aboriginal title to the land. The federal government also used scrip to distribute land to white settlers, including Original White Settlers, soldiers, and police who fought in the North West Resistance of 1885 (or North West Rebellion of 1885).