Census of Canada, 1901

Schedule 2

• Interpreting the Results
• The Questions
  • Places of Habitation
  • Houses and Institutions
  • Real Estate
  • Churches and Schools

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Interpreting the Results

As with Schedule 1, at the top of each page, the province, district number and name, sub-district number, polling sub-division number, location of polling sub-district number (city, town, village, township or parish), page number and the name of the enumerator were to be listed. In some situations, this did not occur and the enumerator filled in this information only on the first page, and on all subsequent pages simply indicated the page number.

Each line of the census was numbered and each building/institution to be enumerated received one line. Again, all entries were handwritten in English or French. The information was recorded by the enumerator as given by the "head" of the household or institution. Please note that there are no names used on Schedule 2 - the line number ties the information to Schedule 1, where the individual is identified.

In Schedule 2 the same standardized input was expected of enumerators:

• Items to be counted as one were to be indicated by either a downward stroke () or the figure "1." Items to be counted as zero were to be indicated by a dash (-) or a blank spot.
  
  
• The months of the year were to be indicated by the first syllable of each, for example, "Jan." for January, "Sept." for September, etc. May, June and July, were to be written in full.
  
  
• The names of provinces and territories were to be abbreviated as follows:
  
  
  • B.C. - British Columbia
  • Man. - Manitoba
  • N.B. - New Brunswick
  • N.S. - Nova Scotia
  • O. - Ontario
  • P.E.I. - Prince Edward Island
  • Q. - Québec
  • U. - Ungava
  • Alb. - Alberta
  • Assa. - Assiniboia
  • Ath. - Athabasca
  • F. - Franklin
  • K. - Keewatin
  • Mack. - Mackenzie
  • Sask. - Saskatchewan
  • Yuk. - Yukon

In addition to these official abbreviations, the following abbreviations for geographic location have been found scattered throughout the census:⁽¹⁷⁾

• • B.C. - Bas-Canada (i.e., Québec), instead of British Columbia
  • C.E. - Canada East/Canada Est (i.e., Québec)
  • C.W. - Canada West (i.e., Ontario)
  • H.C. - Haut-Canada (i.e., Ontario)
  • L.C. - Lower Canada (i.e., Québec)
  • U.C. - Upper Canada (i.e., Ontario)
  • N.B. - North Britain (i.e., Scotland), instead of New Brunswick

For census enumeration, provinces were divided into census districts, which in turn were divided into sub-districts. Census districts generally corresponded with electoral districts, cities and counties, although census districts and county boundaries did not always coincide (and districts could even disappear from one census to the next). Sub-districts approximated towns, townships and city wards. Villages and small towns were usually enumerated as part of the township or parish of which they were part.

Researchers should refer to electoral atlases for the period 1895 and later for exact information about the enumeration areas. Descriptions of census districts can also be found in the published census reports.

To some degree, Schedule 2 was a continuation of Schedule 1, as the first entries referred to the line and page number of the owner in Schedule 1. This reference was usually (but not always) to the head of the family, household or institution. Churches, Sunday Schools and Public Schools were not necessarily referenced to a line or page in Schedule 1.

The Questions

Column 3 of the Schedule was to contain a description of every house or institution. The descriptions were to be so accurate that the buildings could be located on a map.

If the name of the municipality, township or parish was the same as in the heading of the schedule, it did not need to be repeated under "a."

In many parts of Quebec, the lots in town and country were described consecutively by cadastral numbers, without reference to range or concession. In Ontario, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories, farms were numbered by lot and concession or range.

In cities and towns, places were generally identified by street and number.

Each entry, whatever it was, was to be pre-fixed by the letter "a," "b," "c" or "d," in order that the type of description could be clearly understood. Thus, "b con. 4 lot 6" or "b 60" was a description related to "range or concession and lot, or cadastral number," and "c 14 James" was a "street and house number."

For the census, house was defined as "any structure which provides shelter for a human being." The responses were to be indicated in the appropriate column (i.e., in construction, vacant, inhabited) for the house.

In the appropriate "in construction," "vacant" or "inhabited" column, the material of which the house was constructed was to be indicated by the first letter of the material, i.e., "w" for wood, "b" for brick, "s" for stone and "c" for composite (a rough cast or a house constructed of two or more materials). The number of houses on the lot or place of habitation was also to be entered in the appropriate column. The number (i.e., the number of houses) was to be placed over the initial letter for the material. For example, 1/b in the "in construction" column would indicate that one brick house was being constructed on a lot; 2/c in the "inhabited" column would indicate two houses of composite materials were inhabited on one lot.

Vacant houses which were unfit for habitation were not to be recorded.

For the census, Institution was defined as a "household (which) includes such establishments as hospitals, asylums, poor houses, prisons, penitentiaries, schools of learning, barracks, etc., ... but will also include buildings in which there are no households, occupants or even caretakers, such as churches and schools." The special or legal name of each institution was to be given, as well as the number of buildings of which it was comprised.

If the house or institution was occupied by more than one family, the number was to be indicated as a fraction, in the same column as the number of rooms. The upper number was to be the number of rooms and the lower the number of families. Thus, if there were two families in a house of six rooms, the number of rooms for each family would have been entered as 6/2; if there was only one room for two families the number would have been entered as ½.

The Number of Inmates in Institution was to include the number of inhabitants of the building, excluding officers/employees.

These columns relate to real estate owned or leased by an individual. The lands and buildings were not confined to the location in which the person lived, but included all lands, buildings and manufacturing establishments which the person held across Canada.

The grand total of acres was to include any town or village lots, farm lots, etc., whether occupied or not and whether cultivated or not.

The capacity of a square or oblong silo in cubic feet was to be calculated by multiplying the length by the breadth and the product by the height, as measured in lineal feet; or if round, by multiplying the square of the diameter by .7854 and by the height.

The location of every church and school was to be described and the information was to be obtained from the responsible clergyman, priest or minister. The name of the religious denomination, number of communicants/church members and the seating capacity were also to be gathered from these individuals.

The superintendents of Sunday Schools were to provide the information required on these organizations. If the school was not under the control of one specific religious denomination, it could be entered as a "union school," and the churches interested could be indicated by their initials or some other form of abbreviation. The number of officers and teachers were to be the total number employed in the school, and the number of scholars the "total whose names were entered as in attendance during the three months ending March 31, 1901."

See the religious abbreviations under Schedule 1, "Citizenship, Nationality and Religion."

The records of schools (both public and private) was to be obtained from the head teacher or principal of each school. The number of rooms was to indicate the number used by the students as class rooms or study rooms, excluding store rooms, lounges or any other type of rooms not used for classes. "The number of students was to be the total who are shown by the school register as having been in attendance during the three months ending March 31, 1901".

Notes

17 Tom Hillman, Catalogue of Census Returns on Microfilm, 1901 (Ottawa: 1993), p. xiii.