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

Title in the Language of the Record
Manitoba Index du recensement

Record Description
This collection contains card indexes to census records from the years 1831-1856, 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. It includes name, age, birthplace, religion, and citizenship. 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.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org. It may include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in the Census Indexes may include 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

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


 * Ancestor's name
 * Residence of the ancestor
 * Name and age of spouse/child
 * Place of birth

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.
 * If listed, you can find the occupation of the individual thus allowing you to look into employment, school or military records.

Searching the Images
To search the collection, select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page, ⇒Select the “Index Year” ⇒Select the “Surname Range” which will take you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Try searching through the birth registers, that will aid you in finding the birthplace and the name of the ancestor recorded, and will aid you in finding the residence of the ancestor as well.
 * If you can't find your ancestors in this collection, try searching through the Canadian census collection. That will help you find the page number as well as some family members.

Related Websites

 * Archives of Manitoba
 * Archives of Hudson’s Bay

Related Wiki Articles

 * Manitoba Census
 * Canadian Censuses Online

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. 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.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
“Argentina, Buenos Aires, Catholic Church Records, 1635-1981,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 28 February, 2012), La Plata &gt; San Ponciano &gt; Matrimonios 1884-1886 &gt; image 71 of 389 images, Artemio Avendano and Clemtina Peralta, 1884; citing Parroquia de San Ponciano en la Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Matrimonios. San Ponciano, La Plata.