Canada Census, 1851 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The records in this collection include the 1851 census for Québec and Ontario (united as the "Province of Canada") and the independent provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Colonial, provincial, and local governments all conducted censuses in 1851. The official census day was in January 1852. Detailed family information is in the surviving personal schedules of the censuses of Quebec and Ontario. Less detailed censuses were taken of the Maritime Provinces in the same years, 1851 and 1861. The completed forms were sent to the Board of Registration and Statistics and later to the Department of Agriculture.

Returns for many counties are incomplete. The counties missing census returns are:


 * Shefford and Stanstead counties (Québec);
 * Russell and Simcoe counties (Ontario);
 * Gloucester, Kent, and Queens Counties (New Brunswick) as well as the City of Saint John (New Brunswick)
 * All counties of Nova Scotia except Halifax and Kings.

Canadian census records are the best source to use for quickly identifying a family group and residence. The census lists other persons living in the same household and may identify individuals for whom other records do not exist.

Census returns are recorded on large sheets of paper that are divided into rows and columns. The schedules were arranged by province and then further divided into census districts and sub districts. Census districts were voting districts, not counties, although most have the same names as counties. For the most part, census districts were named the same as cities and counties, and sub-districts were named the same as towns, townships, and city wards. Villages, small towns, and parishes were generally enumerated as part of the township in which they were located.

Record Content
Census records may contain the following information:


 * Full name
 * Gender
 * Age
 * Approximate year of birth
 * Place of birth
 * Province and district of residence

Search the Collection
To search this collection by name: 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.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * 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.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same unit or a nearby unit.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

Using the Information
When you have found the information that you are looking for, the following may help you further your research:


 * Use the birth place and birth year for each individual you find in the census to search for a birth record in the Canada Births and Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records) collection.
 * Use the birth year of your ancestor to search for later census records.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Canada History Links
 * Canada Historic Maps
 * Canada Census, 1851

Related Wiki Articles

 * Canada
 * Canada Census

Citations for 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):