Canada Census, 1901 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The census day for Canada was March 31st, 1901.

A number was assigned to a district, a letter to a sub-district and a number to a subdivision of a sub-district. Some sub-districts also have a number, i.e. "a(1)" means sub-district "a1" and "a1" means sub-district "a", subdivision "1". There are some printed forms that were in both English and French. The responses that the people gave to the enumerator were either in English or French.

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, there are few found 19th-century censuses that list names. They mostly contain statistical summaries.

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

The 1901 census also contains a buildings and lands schedule for each locality. This schedule gives a city street address or a farm land description—such as township and range, or township, concession, and lot number—for most families.

To see more information about the census, see Canada Census

Record Content
Census records may contain the following information:


 * Names of family members
 * Gender
 * Place of birth and approximate year of birth
 * Age
 * Marital status
 * Religion

How to Use the Record
To find your ancestor in the census, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of ancestor
 * Approximate year and place of residence

Search the Collection
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 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
When you have located your ancestor's record, the following may help aid you in your research:


 * Use the birthplace and birth year to search in the Canada Births and Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records) collection to search for family member's birth records.

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.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * 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 served in the same unit or a nearby unit.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?
If you are unable to find any information, the following may help you in your research:


 * Guessing your ancestor’s birth year to narrow down the search.
 * Looking at the last place where your ancestor was living in the previous census years.

Related Websites

 * 1901 Census of Canada Indexing Project
 * Census of Canada, 1901 on Library and Archives Canada
 * Canada Census Records Online from CensusFinder.com
 * Census Records in Canada from AllCensusRecords.com

Related Wiki Articles

 * Canada History Links
 * Canada Historic Maps
 * Canadian Censuses Online
 * Canada Census
 * How Canadian National Censuses Are Organized

Citations 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:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):