Census of Canada, 1871

Search Help

• Database
• Search Screen
• How to Interpret the Results
• How to Obtain Copies
• Credits
• Census Districts and Sub-Districts [XLS 423 KB]
• Other Resources

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Database

This research tool provides access to 3,485,761 references to the Census of Canada, 1871. Ancestry.ca (www.ancestry.ca) indexed the names of individuals appearing in the census. The records have been digitized and are searchable by name.

Note that these references were extracted from Schedule 1 only, Nominal Return of the Living. To view other schedules, please consult the Census of Canada, 1871 through our online Microform Digitization tool.

The database entries reflect the original language used in the documents. This information was not translated.

Important note: Given that some of the names are very difficult to read, some information in the database may be incorrect and/or incomplete. In your search, consider using slight variations on the spelling of the name or using the * wildcard, e.g. B*t*st* for Bathurst. Errors and corrections can be reported to Genealogy Services by clicking on Suggest a correction on the item display page.

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Search Screen

The search screen allows you to search by name of person or by place. The 1871 Census was enumerated by census districts and sub-districts, and the records were compiled accordingly. Therefore, knowledge of the districts and sub-districts is of great value in locating either an individual or a geographic location. To provide assistance with district names and sub-district descriptions, a list of census districts and sub-districts [XLS 423 KB] is provided.

The search screen allows you to search by

This multi-field search screen offers a larger number of variables on which you can search the database, all of which can be used in combination.  To use the fields in combination you should note that the default Operator is "AND."  Note that you can also search by name only.

The Province field is a dropdown list allowing you to retrieve all the returns for a specific province. This field can also be used in combination with the district and sub-district fields.

District Name is the official name given to the census district by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics. In most cases, Districts correspond to counties and cities.

A District Number was assigned to each census district by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics for administrative purposes. A district number can be used to quickly retrieve a previous result by using it in combination with a province.

Sub-District Names were assigned to areas within each census district. The names of Sub-Districts usually correspond with place names within a county or city, such as a city ward, a town or village, a township or a parish.

A Sub-District Number was also assigned by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics for administrative purposes and the numbers are only unique within a census district. Again, a sub-district Number can be used to quickly retrieve a previous result by using it in combination with a district name or number.

Please note that the division number was not included when the index was created by Ancestry.ca.

Should you wish to consult all the schedules of the census, consult the Census of Canada, 1871 through our online Microform Digitization tool.

For some cities, some wards or suburban areas were enumerated in the surrounding county/district. For example, parts of present-day Ottawa were enumerated in Carleton County and Russell County. Thus, be careful not to overly limit your search when looking for a particular city.

For all locations, you can use the list of census districts and sub-districts [XLS 423 KB] to find district and sub-district names and numbers. You can then search with this information which will produce more specific results. If you are uncertain of the sub-district name, try searching by district name or number only. This will help you find all sub-districts regardless of spelling variations of place names.

The Keyword search field allows you to search any of the above fields alone or in combination.

When you have entered your search terms, click on "Submit." The number of hits found will be shown at the top of the results screen.

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How to Interpret the Results

Your search results will be posted as a results summary list from which you will be able to obtain more detailed descriptions.

Results Summary List

The results summary list contains the following fields:
Name (Surname and given name(s))
Age
Province
District Name
Sub-District Name

You can export the results to a portable storage device or to your computer.

Click on the underlined name of the person of interest to you to access the detailed description.

Detailed Description

The detailed description contains the following fields:

Name
Sex
Age
Place of Birth
Religion
Marital Status
Province
District Name
District Number
Sub-District Name
Sub-District Number
Page
Line Number
Reference

You can view the images of the actual census pages in PDF or JPEG format. Click on the appropriate link to see a digitized image of the page of interest to you.

To open a PDF file, you must have Acrobat Reader. If you do not yet have it installed on your computer, you can download the free Acrobat Reader software available from Adobe Systems Incorporated (http://get.adobe.com/reader/). If you have trouble installing or using Acrobat Reader, visit the Adobe Acrobat Reader support page (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/help/011-300-e.html#a).

When you open a PDF or JPEG image, the image will be displayed inside the current browser window.

Each database reference links to one image, which contains two consecutive census pages. You cannot move to previous or following images. You can access adjacent images by returning to the search screen and searching that sub-district. Alternatively, you can use the microform digitization version, which allows you to search the records page by page as you would on a microfilm reel.

You can print the images or save the images on your own computer.

To print a copy of a scanned image in JPEG format, right click on the image, select copy, then paste to your word processing software, using the Edit: Paste Special Feature: Device Independent Bitmap. Alternatively, paste to your Desktop and open with the Office Picture Manager to crop and print.

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How to Obtain Copies

You can print the images or save them on your computer. Use the following access link for other options, such as borrowing microfilm.

How to Access Library and Archives Canada Records

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Credits

Library and Archives Canada gratefully acknowledges the contribution of Ancestry.ca (www.ancestry.ca) without which this project would not have been possible.

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Other Resources

The Ontario Genealogical Society produced an index to the names of all heads-of-household and strays in the 1871 census returns for the Province of Ontario. That database is available online on the Library and Archives Canada website: Federal Census of 1871 (Ontario Index).

The 1871 census for all names in all four provinces can also be searched by name at FamilySearch [www.familysearch.org]

Other census records exist for other years. Consult Census and Enumerations to obtain more information about these records.