Censuses
A census–an official government enumeration of the people residing in a city, town, village, county, district, or an urban or rural area–can provide a wealth of information about a person. Details in a census may include name, sex, family relationship, marital status, age, birthplace, immigration and naturalization information, ethnic origin, religion, occupation, and education. A census reveals the characteristics of a population or area at a particular period in time, allowing the researcher to discover the historical, social, and genealogical features of people and places.

Censuses were first conducted in what is now Canada in the seventeenth century. These–and subsequent censuses conducted up to the year 1851–were scattered and selective in regard to the time periods in which they were conducted and the areas enumerated. These very early censuses generally listed only the head of the household, his/her age and occupation, the number of family members, and perhaps the person’s birthplace and religion and a few other facts.

The first comprehensive censuses conducted in Canada were the 1851 and 1861 censuses of Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec). These censuses provide a listing and information for each person in a household. They consist of an agricultural and a personal schedule. The agricultural schedule presents information on crops and land. The personal schedule includes...

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