Canadian Census Returns Available
It’s not surprising that genealogy teachers stress a great deal of importance on U.S. federal censuses since they’re the No. 1 tool for those researching ancestors between 1790 and 1920.
When covering censuses in my beginning genealogy classes, there’s a couple questions that nearly always arise: “But what about those of us who have Canadian ancestors? Are Canadian censuses available?” The answer is, “Yes!”
“Catalog of (Canadian) Census Returns on Microfilm, 1666-1881,” compiled in 1981 by Thomas Hillman, was published by the Canadian government through the Public Archives of Canada. The book, with its brief look at Canadian censuses, furnished the material for this column.
Part of the mandate of the Public Archives of Canada has been to accumulate Canadian records relating to the historical development of present-day Canada.
Most 19th-century census records, collected in their original form, are located in the Federal Archives Division with the Records of Statistics Canada, Record Group 31.
They have been microfilmed as a conservation measure and to facilitate their use. Additionally, the Public Archives, in an effort to complete its records, microfilmed census records from the provincial archives of Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and other locations.
Unfortunately, the 1871 census returns for Prince Edward Island have not survived, and only fragmentary returns for the 17th and 18th centuries for Newfoundland have been located.
For the purpose of census enumeration, provinces were divided into census districts and then sub-districts which corresponded with electoral districts.
As a general rule, census districts were synonymous with cities and counties, and sub-districts with towns, townships and city wards. Villages, smaller towns, parishes and seigneuries (French estates) were generally enumerated as part of the township they were located in. Districts were often reduced in size or disappeared entirely with the creation of new districts between censuses. Furthermore, some place names have changed.
Canada’s first census was undertaken in 1666 by Intendant Jean Talon who listed 3,215 inhabitants in Quebec. Talon is considered the father of modern census-taking in Canada. After the French regime, census taking became less frequent.
Censuses were taken in Lower Canada (later known as Quebec) in 1825 and 1831. But it wasn’t until 1842, following the Act of Union in 1841, that a provision was made to conduct a regular census in Upper Canada, as Ontario was formerly called.
In 1851, legislation authorized the 1852 census and established the pattern of conducting a census every 10 years, which has continued to the present. However, not until Confederation in 1867 did census-taking become a constitutional requirement, and in 1871, the first Dominion census was conducted.
More information on Canadian censuses will be continued in next week’s column.
Today’s Tip: “The What, Where & How of Passenger Lists,” by Wini M. Schiess is a new guide to help find your ancestors on a passenger list. Use of illustrations and step-by-step examples from the Family History Library catalog make this book a primer on the subject.
Schiess explains briefly how to use all the major immigration resources. Price for this 73-page, spiral bound book is $19.95, plus $3.50 postage, from the author at 3272 Grand View Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066.