Canada Census, 1881 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The first national Canadian census was conducted on the day of April 4, 1881.

Census schedules were taken on large sheets of paper with preprinted rows and columns. The schedules were organized by province and then by census districts and subdistricts.

The census contains the following nine schedules arranged within subdistricts:


 * Nominal return of the living
 * Nominal return of the deaths within last twelve months
 * Return of public institutions, real estate, vehicles, and implements *Return of cultivated land, field products, and plants and fruits
 * Livestock, animal products, home-made fabrics, and furs
 * Return of industrial establishments
 * Return of products of the forest
 * Return of shipping and fisheries
 * Return of mineral products

Following the Constitution Act in 1867, census taking became a federal mandate. The first census was set for 1871 and every ten years thereafter. Therefore, the second national Canadian census was conducted in 1881. Enumeration was by census district, except for Prince Edward Island, which was enumerated by lot number. Census districts were voting districts, not counties, although most have the same names as counties. For the most part, census districts were synonymous with cities and counties, while subdistricts were synonymous with towns, townships, and city wards. Villages, small towns, and parishes were generally enumerated as part of the township in which they were located. Census district and county boundaries were not always the same.

The national government of Canada has taken censuses every ten years since 1871 and every five years since 1971. The 1871 census covers the four original provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. The first coast-to-coast census was taken in 1881. Newfoundland was not part of Canada until 1949. For Newfoundland few 19th-century censuses that list names have been found. They mostly contain statistical summaries.

These censuses list a large proportion of the population. Unfortunately, portions of some have been lost, and some geographical areas within the provinces were missed by the census takers.

Since the boundaries varied from census to census, it is not easy to tell which census district an eastern Canadian township or western Canadian village was in. Contemporary maps of the census districts have been lost or destroyed.

Fifteen partial censuses of New France and nine of Acadia were taken between 1666 and 1754. Find microfilm numbers of Acadian censuses and book call numbers of published transcriptions in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

Citation for This Collection
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Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Important genealogical information in the census includes:




 * Full name
 * Age (can be used to calculate an approximate birth year)
 * Sex
 * Born within the last 12 months
 * Birthplace
 * Religion
 * Ethnic origin
 * Occupation
 * Married or widowed
 * Town, village, township, or subdistrict of residence

How to Use the Records
Since the census attempted to record all the people living in a household, it may identify individuals for whom other records do not exist.

Beginning Your Search
To begin your search, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Ancestor's name
 * Birth place
 * Approximate birth year

Searching the Index
Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

Using the Information
Canadian census records are the best source for quickly identifying a family group and their residence. Use the residence, birthplace, and age given in the census for each person to search other record types.

Unable to Find Information?
If you haven't found any information about your ancestor, please consider the following tips to help further your research:


 * Search available indexes before using the census records. As indexes may be incomplete or incorrect, if you have reason to believe your ancestor should have been in the census, search the census even if your ancestor is not in the index.

Related Websites
Library and Archives Canada

Free online images are available at this site. Use the information found in this FamilySearch index collection to search for the image online.

Related Wiki Articles

 * Canada
 * Canada Census

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Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Canada Census, 1881." index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 4 April 2012), Janet Clark, age 38; citing Census Records, FHL microfilm 1,375,799; Public Archives of Canada, Ottowa, Ontario. FHL microfilm, 125 reels. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.