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Census of Canada, 1881
About the Census
Column Headings and Interpretation
How the Census Was Collected
Though a census had been taken in 1871, the 1881 Census marked the first regularly scheduled collection of national statistics. Both enumerations were managed by Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Joseph-Charles Taché, a politician and civil servant who had been highly critical of pre-Confederation censuses. According to Taché, earlier censuses had collected information in an inconsistent manner that made summaries difficult, overemphasized local differences, and led to unreliable statistics that were rarely compiled or published.
In his role as deputy minister, Taché developed a census process that was frank and open and that made it possible for the public to use the national statistics sooner. A set of census questions focused on qualitative results gathered according to consistent standards that were developed through observational protocols; these results created data that was easier to analyze and upon which the government could reliably base decisions when the compiled results were made public. The 1871 Census was hailed as a breakthrough in the national collection of statistics, and consequently few changes were made for the collection of 1881 Census information.
J.C. Taché
Source
Schedule 1 was designed to enumerate the entire population of Canada by name. Every individual whose habitual home was within an enumerator's district as of April 4, 1881, was to be listed on the population schedule of that district. Regardless of the date when a particular family was actually enumerated, the population was to be counted as it existed on April 4, 1881. When members of the household were temporarily absent from their usual place of residence, they were enumerated under the de jure system, which placed people in the area where they usually lived or slept.
A census family was defined as a group of people legally domiciled under the same roof or who shared the same food. The following were all examples of a single census family: the occupants and employees of a boarding house (if that was their regular place of residence); a single person living alone; the family and domestic servants living in a house.
On an enumerator's folio (a sheet in the enumerator's book), the head of the household was listed first, followed by the other members; therefore, each household took up as many lines as there were people living in the household. The 1881 Census aimed to highlight generalities rather than specific occurrences; consequently, enumeration was expected to be systematic and fit individuals' information into categories that could be easily compiled and interpreted.
Indian scholars attending the Alert Bay Mission School
Source
The enumerators were instructed to provide the name of the province, the district, and the sub-district at the top of each census page; the enumerator's name was also provided at the beginning of each schedule. At the end of each day, the date was to be entered opposite the last name registered for that day of enumeration.
The other schedules collected information regarding deaths that had occurred in the last twelve months (Schedule 2); real estate, public institutions, and industrial establishments (Schedule 3); the use and productivity of owned land (Schedule 4); livestock and animal products (Schedule 5); the extraction of raw materials from forests (Schedule 6); the extraction of raw materials from mines (Schedule 8); and production related to shipping and fishing (Schedule 7).
Overall, the enumerators collected information for 4,278,327 individuals distributed as follows in Canada:
In 1881, it would have been almost impossible to make an enumeration of the Aboriginals over a great extent of the unorganized territory of Canada. This is why names of Aboriginals might not have been recorded for districts 187 and 192.
From Paper to Microfilm
The Valley Marble Works
Source
In 1955, the Dominion Bureau of Statistics sought authority from the Public Records Committee (PRC) to destroy the paper census schedules for the 1881 Census. After consultation, the PRC agreed to the destruction, on the condition that the population schedules be microfilmed. As a result, a microfilm copy is the only remaining archival holding of the population schedules from the 1881 Census. The microfilming of these records was not of consistent quality and not all images can be deciphered. Unfortunately, the destruction of the paper records means that there is no recourse when a record is unreadable.
Information was collected in the 1881 Census from Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, British Columbia and the North-West Territories (which at this time covered much of modern-day Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, northern Ontario, northern Quebec, Labrador, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut). Eight schedules with a total of 172 questions were used by enumerators to collect information from households and businesses across the country; however, only Schedule 1, a nominal return listing the people living in Canada by name, has survived. In this schedule can be found the age, sex, and marital status of individuals, the type of housing in which they lived, the occupations by which they made a living, as well as citizens' country of origin.
The reels include all completed Schedule 1 forms. On each microfilm reel, researchers will find a title page listing the year of the census (1881), the name of the province, the name and number of the district and sub-district, and the number of pages in the grouping.
Chinese man washing gold
Source
The digitized copies of the census schedules found on the Library and Archives Canada website were made by scanning the microfilms of the 1881 Census. Because the digitized versions are exact copies, a page that was illegible on microfilm is still illegible on a computer screen. The introductory pages from the microfilm that identify the year of the census, the name of the province, the name and number of the district and sub-district, and the number of pages are not accessible online since this information is included in the database.
These records and those of previous censuses are described in the Statistics Canada fonds (R92), formerly Record Group 31.
Column Headings and Interpretation
Column 1
Vessels (e.g., boat or ship) - The number indicates the consecutive vessel that the enumerator has encountered in which there is a household; therefore, the number will usually be a "1" unless there are numerous vessels in a row that are serving as homes.
Column 2
Shanties ("… all dwellings of a temporary character, such as lumbering shanties, public work shanties, fisherman's shanties, Indian wigwams…") - The number indicates the consecutive shanty that the enumerator has encountered in which there is a household; therefore, the number will usually be a "1" unless there are numerous shanties in a row that are serving as homes.
Column 3
Houses in Construction - The number indicates the consecutive house in construction that the enumerator has encountered; therefore, the number will usually be a "1" unless there are numerous houses in a row that are under construction.
Column 4
Houses Uninhabited-The number indicates the consecutive uninhabited house that the enumerator has encountered; therefore, the number will usually be a "1" unless there are numerous houses in a row that are uninhabited.
Column 5
Houses Inhabited-The number indicates the consecutive inhabited house that the enumerator has encountered. Several families may inhabit the same house, but it is nevertheless considered one house; conversely, a separate house was counted wherever there was a separate entrance outside.
Column 6
Families-The number indicates the consecutive family, or household, that the enumerator has encountered.
Column 7
All living family members listed-Surname, first name.
Column 8
Sex
Column 9
Age-The number indicates age at last birthday.
Column 10
Born within last 12 months-Month of birth for all infants born between 4 April1880 and 4 April 1881.
Column 11
Country or Province of Birth-If born outside of Canada, a country was entered; if born in Canada, a province was entered.
Column 12
Religion-The enumerator was exhorted to "be very careful to enter the information given by the person questioned, with precision." Short forms were used when a title was too long to be recorded in full.
Column 13
Origin-The country indicates the ethnic background of the person being questioned which might be different from their country of birth. "Indian" refers to enumerated individuals descended from Aboriginal Peoples of Canada.
Column 14
Profession, Occupation, or Trade-If an individual had more than one profession, occupation, or trade, it was up to that person to decide whether he or she wanted more than one of these listed. Sons following in the profession or occupation of their father were to have the same description as their father entered into the census. Individuals studying a profession or trade were to be noted as students of that profession or trade. Individuals in college were to be entered as students; however, school children were not to be entered as students. For those who had no other occupation aside from a share of the household work, a symbol for nothing-to-be-recorded was entered.
Column 15
Married or Widowed-A dash indicates that the individual had never been married.
Column 16
Instructions: Going to School-A "1" indicates that the individual was attending school.
Column 17
Infirmities: Deaf and Dumb.
Column 18
Infirmities: Blind
Column 19
Infirmities: Unsound Mind-This category was "intended to include all those unfortunates who are plainly deprived of reason." Enumerators were not to make an attempt to distinguish what type of malady caused the individual's condition.
Column 20
Dates of Operation and Remarks-Comments were to be made only in very special cases. At the end of the day, this is where the enumerator entered the day's date.
Common Abbreviations
Gender
M
Male
F
Female
Marital Status
M
Married
W
Widowed
Provinces
O
Ontario
Q
Quebec
NS
Nova Scotia
NB
New Brunswick
PEI
Prince Edward Island
BC
British Columbia
M
Manitoba
NW
North-West Territories (modern-day Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, northern Ontario, northern Quebec, Labrador, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut)
Religion
Only a brief list of short-form examples were given to enumerators, compared to the large number of denominations represented in the tabulated census results.
C. Presb.
Canada Presbyterian Church
R. Presb.
Reformed Presbyterian
W. Meth.
Wesleyan Methodist
Meth. N.C.
Methodist New Connection
I. Meth. E.
Independent Methodist Episcopal
F.W.C. Bapt.
Free-Will Christian Baptist
Adventist
Baptist
Bible Christian Methodist Brethren
Congregational
Church of Canada Methodist Church of England
Church of Scotland Presbyterian
Disciple
Episcopal Methodist
Episcopal Reformed Mennonite/Tunker
Jewish
Lutheran
Other Methodist
Other Presbyterian
Pagan
Primitive Methodist
Protestant
Quaker
Roman Catholic
Unitarian
Universalistic
Other Denomination
No Religion
None Given
Other
Fractions are used for age of children less than 12 months old
- written whenever NO is the answer or there is nothing to be recorded
1 equivalent to writing YES
" for ditto
do for ditto
Further Research
For more detailed information regarding the collection of the 1881 Census and how responses to each question were to be entered, please consult the monograph from which this guide was written:
Canada-Department of Agriculture (Census Branch). Manual Containing the "Census Act" and the Instructions to Officers Employed in the Taking of the Second Census in Canada, 1881. Ottawa: Dept. of Agriculture, Census Branch, 1881. Paper Copy: Amicus #7204103. Microform Copy: Amicus #24771146.
