1861 Canada Census

2,764,253 records

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1861 Canada Census

2,764,253 records

The 1861 census of Canada enumerated 3.1 million people living in Canada East (present-day Quebec), Canada West (present-day Ontario), Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Canada East, Canada West, and New Brunswick recorded the names of every inhabitant, while Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island only recorded the names of the heads of families. The census images are from Library and Archives Canada. The 1861 census of Canada enumerated 3.1 million people living in Canada East (present-day Quebec), Canada West (present-day Ontario), Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. As Canada did not officially become a country until 1867, the 1861 census was not a national census. Rather, each province conducted its own census, and did so at various times throughout the year. Canada East and Canada West began their census taking on January 14, 1861. The Nova Scotia census began on March 30th, and the New Brunswick census on August 15th. An exact census date is not known for Prince Edward Island. Since each province conducted their own census, each province had unique census forms. In Canada West, Canada East, and New Brunswick the census recorded information such as name, gender, age, marital status, birthplace, and religion. In Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, only the names of heads of families were recorded. Other individuals in the household were accounted for in age and gender categories. In Canada East questions were asked in either French or English. Please note that when the census schedules were originally microfilmed, they were not always filmed in proper page order. Page numbers may be inconsistent, or may not be present at all. In Canada East and Canada West, the census forms span multiple pages, and therefore multiple images. When researching in these provinces, be sure to click forward in the image viewer in order to see all images relating to a record.

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