Canada, Manitoba Census Indexes, 1831-1870 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Manitoba Index du recensement

Record Description
This collection includes records from the years 1831-1870.

The records include card indexes to census records from the years 1831-1856 taken by the Hudson’s Bay Company, and the 1870 provincial census of Manitoba.

The censuses for 1827-1856 were taken by the Hudson Bay Company. The 1870 provincial census was taken under the direction of Canada's Department of Agriculture.

The first census of Manitoba with names of each member of the household was taken in 1870. There is a surname index to this census. Census returns for Manitoba with names of each member of the household were also taken in 1881, 1891, 1901, and 1911.

The pre-1870 census returns of Manitoba (Red River Settlement) list the heads of households and some other information such as, age, religion, country of birth, married or widowed, number of sons and daughters, and agricultural data (for example, the number of livestock, the number of buildings, and the number of acres under cultivation). Almost all of these censuses were taken by the Hudson’s Bay Company.

For a list of records by alphabet and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Record Content
The census records in this collection may contain the following information:


 * Place and date of birth
 * Name of spouse
 * Relationship to the head of household
 * Age at the time of census
 * Household number and page number
 * Citizenship

How to Use the Record
This section provides information on how to search the collection, what to do with information once found, and what to do if no record is found.

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, some identifying information such as the approximate year and place of residence.

Search the Collection
To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the "Index Year" category ⇒Select the “Surname Range" category which takes you to the images

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

Using the Information
Carefully examine all the information on the index card, this will give you more information to add to your family records.

For example:


 * You can use the age to calculate an approximate birth date.
 * Find out where your ancestor was born, which will help you in locating the vital record for that individual.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in French. For help with reading the records, see the following wiki article:

French Wordlist

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Try searching through the birth registers, that will aid you in finding the birthplace, name of the ancestor recorded, and the residence of the ancestor as well.
 * If you can't find your ancestors in this collection, try searching through the Canadian Census collections.

Related Websites

 * Archives of Manitoba
 * Archives of Hudson’s Bay

Related Wiki Articles

 * Canada History Links
 * Canada Historic Maps
 * Manitoba Census
 * Canadian Censuses Online

Citation for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection citation:

Image citation: