Canada, Prairie Provinces Census, 1916 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection will include records for 1916.

This census only includes the three prairie provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

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.

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

Record Content
Census records may contain the following information:


 * Full name of resident
 * Gender
 * Age
 * Marital Status
 * Ethnicity
 * Relationship to head of household
 * Place of birth
 * Approximate year of birth
 * Immigration Year
 * Military Service

How to Use the Record
To begin your search, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of ancestor
 * Approximate place and year 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.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * If you still cannot determine the district, search neighboring census districts for your locality.
 * These censuses list a large proportion of the population. Unfortunately, portions of some have been lost, and some geographical areas within the provinces were missed by the census takers.

Related Websites

 * Canada History Links
 * Canada Historic Maps
 * Library and Archives of Canada

Related Wiki Articles

 * Canada Census
 * Canadian Censuses Online

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):