| Canadian 1881 National Census |
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Introduction
Step 1. Use an index.
Step 2. Obtain the census film.
Step 3. Search the census.
Step 4. Copy the information from the census.
Step 5. Analyze the information you found.
Step 6. Search all other censuses taken during your ancestor's lifetime.
Step 7. Verify and add to the census information.
Introduction
The 1881 national census of Canada lists every person in each household. The records are arranged by census district The 1881 national census includes the provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Northwest Territories, which included Alberta and Saskatchewan.
For more information about the 1881 national census of Canada, see Background.
It will be easiest to search the census if you know the county, electoral district, township, town, or village where your ancestor lived when the census was taken.
These 7 steps will help you find your ancestor in the 1881 census for Canada.
Use an index of the 1881 census for the entire province or for local areas to find your ancestor, relatives, and in-laws more quickly. Some provinces are not indexed for 1881.
For a partial listing of indexes to censuses and other records, see Major Indexes for Canada and Each Province.
If you did not find your ancestor's name in an index, see Tip 1.
If you did not find an index, see Tip 2.
Obtain the census film which has the county and town or township where your ancestor lived.
For addresses of archives and libraries that have census records and for links to Canadian Internet sites, see Where to Find It.
For information about how census boundaries may be different from official county or district boundaries, see Background.
Search the census for the town or township where your ancestor lived.
For a summary of the information contained in the 1881 census, see Tip 3.
For how to find the parents of your ancestor and get the most out of your census search, see Tip 4.
If you can't find your ancestor's name in the actual census, see Tip 5.
If you are not sure a person you found in the census is your ancestor, see Tip 6.
Make a photocopy of the census page(s) which have information about your ancestor and relatives. Be sure to copy the portion of the page that identifies the name of the census district, subdistrict, and division.
You may print a blank 1871 census form to carefully write down all the census information. (The 1871 form is used for the 1881 census because there are so few differences.) For a summary of the information contained in the 1881 census, see Tip 3.
Document the source of the information by writing the title, film number, and page number on the photocopy.
If you did not find your ancestor, repeat steps 2 and 3 for other places (identified in step 1) until you find your ancestor.
Ask yourself these questions to make effective use of what you have learned:
By comparing all the censuses that were taken during your ancestor's lifetime, you may find important additional information about your ancestor and family members.
For research Tips and more about finding your ancestor in every census, see How to Pull Facts (and Clues) from Canadian Censuses.
For each place your ancestor lived, search records on the list of record types to verify and add to the information you found in censuses.
For other sources to search in the places where your ancestor lived, see Tip 7.
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, electoral district, county, township, or town.
What You Are Looking For
What Information You Need
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Steps
Step 1. Use an index.
Return to top of page
Step 2. Obtain the census film.
Return to top of page
Step 3. Search the census.
Return to top of page
Step 4. Copy the information from the census.
Return to top of page
Step 5. Analyze the information you found.
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Step 6. Search all other censuses taken during your ancestor's lifetime.
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Step 7. Verify and add to the census information.
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[FamilySearchTM: Research Guidance
Version of Data: 10/8/2004]