Canada Census, 1881 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Canada

What is in This Collection?
The second national Canadian census was conducted on April 4, 1881. Census schedules were taken on large sheets of paper with pre-printed rows and columns. The census contains the following nine schedules arranged within sub-districts: 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.
 * 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, 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

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.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
 * Full name
 * Gender
 * Age
 * Approximate birth year and birth place
 * Marital status
 * Occupation
 * Head of Household
 * Religion
 * Ethnic origin
 * Town, village, township, or sub-district of residence

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The name of a relative or date of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the information to find other records such as birth, christening, marriage, land and death records
 * Use the information to find additional family members
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name, especially French versions
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names
 * Search in the FamilySearch Library Catalog

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Canada.
 * Canada Record Finder
 * Canada Research Tips and Strategies

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Doris Bourrie. Researching Canadian census records. 2nd ed. Toronto, Ontario : Heritage Productions, 2003. FHL 971 X27b 2003
 * Dave Obee ; Jutta Missal, ed., Counting Canada : a genealogical guide to the Canadian census Victoria, British Columbia : D. Obee, c2012. FHL 971 X27o

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Censo de Canadá, 1881 (Registros históricos de FamilySearch)Canadá, Censo, 1881 (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)