Canada, Nova Scotia Census, 1861 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
Census schedules were taken on large sheets of paper with preprinted rows and columns. They are bound into volumes, arranged by county, then by township and enumeration district.

This census was taken in 1861.

The Census contains the 1861 census for the province of Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia census day was March 30, 1860. Census takers were asked to record information about all those who were in each household on the census day, as well as any who have died since that day. A census taker might have visited a house on a later date, but the information he collected was supposed to be about the people who were in the house on the census day. Enumeration was by census district.

Census districts were voting districts, not counties, although most have the same names as counties. For the most part, census districts were synonymous with cities and counties, and subdistricts were synonymous with towns, townships, and city wards. Villages, small towns, and parishes were generally enumerated as part of the township in which they were located. Census district and county boundaries were not always the same, and there were many variations from location to location.

Canadian census records were taken to enumerate the population for representation, taxation, and other purposes.

The accuracy of the census depended on the knowledge of the informant and the care of the enumerator. Realize that the information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or even by a neighbor. Some information may have been incorrect or deliberately falsified.

Citation for This Collection
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Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in the 1861 Nova Scotia Census are:


 * Name
 * Gender
 * Marital status
 * Race
 * Residence
 * Profession
 * Family members

How to Use the Record
This census records the birthplace for each person, along with his or her age, and other personal information. Since the census attempted to record all the people living in a household, it may identify individuals for whom other records simply do not exist.

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


 * Name of Ancestor
 * Approximate year of birth
 * Place of birth

Searching the Index
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.

Related Websites
Nova Scotia GenWeb Project

Related Wiki Articles

 * Canada Census
 * Nova Scotia
 * Nova Scotia Census

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
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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
"Nova Scotia Census, 1861," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 1 April 2011), Joseph J Brown; citing Census Records, digital folder 4,108,915; image 00163, Canada Board of Registration and Statistics, Public Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.