Canada, Prince Edward Island Census, 1861 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Canada Prince Edward Island

What is in this Collection?
These records include a population census of Prince Edward Island that was recorded in 1861. Prince Edward Island was not yet part of the Dominion of Canada. The records also includes agricultural censuses at the end of each county or township.

Census schedules were taken on large sheets of paper with pre-printed rows and columns. They are bound into volumes, arranged by county, then by township and enumeration district.

Census takers were asked to record information about all those who were in each household on the census day. A census taker might have visited a house on a later date, but the information he collected was supposed to be about the people who were in the house on the census day. Enumeration was by census district. 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, and sub districts 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 and there were many variations from location to location.

Canadian census records were taken to enumerate the population for representation, taxation, and other purposes.

Please Note that the accuracy of the census depended on the knowledge of the informant and the care of the enumerator. Realize that the information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or even by a neighbor.

Sample Images
Census records may contain the following information:


 * Name of head of household
 * Number and age of individuals in household
 * Birthplace
 * Age
 * Race
 * Religion
 * Residence
 * Profession of head of household

How Do I Search the Collection?
Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page.

As you are searching, it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

I Found Who I was Looking for, Now What?

 * Using the birth information given, it may be useful to try to find a baptism record in the FamilySearch Prince Edward Island Baptism Card Index Collection.
 * Take note of other family members and try searching other collections for them as well as the direct line ancestor.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, Now What?

 * Don't forget to try searching the collection using spelling variations on the name spelling or

Citing This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image. Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):