New database and images for 1881 Canada census now online

Geoff Rasmussen

07 Aug 2008

This just in from Library and Archives Canada:

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is pleased to announce the launch of a new online database, Census of Canada, 1881. Through this online database researchers can access digitized images of original census returns featuring the name, age, country or province of birth, nationality, religion, and occupation of Canada’s residents at the time of the 1881 Census. This includes notable figures such as Sir John A. Macdonald, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Timothy Eaton, and Alexander Graham Bell.

The database is available at:
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/census-1881/index-e.html

The 1881 Census marked the first regularly scheduled collection of national statistics in Canada. Information was collected for Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, British Columbia and the North-West Territories (which at the time covered much of modern-day Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, northern Ontario, northern Quebec, Labrador, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut).

Library and Archives Canada gratefully acknowledges the contribution of Statistics Canada and FamilySearch, without which this project would not have been possible. The index to the 1881 Census was created by FamilySearch. Library and Archives Canada linked the FamilySearch index to the digital images of the original census. The index and linked images will also be searchable for free through FamilySearch.org.

Comments (4)

With two windows open, if you search the index through FamilySearch (see http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=census/search_census.asp) to locate the person you are looking for and then click on the “household” link in the upper right-hand corner, you will see the “family”. Once you determine that it is your people, you can then (in the other window) locate the image on the Library and Archives Canada (see http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/census-1881/001049-100.01-e.php) as referenced on FamilySearch (hopefully they will get these linked at some point). So the short version of this is: use both websites simultaneously. 🙂

How to do we make corrections to our Family names?
Both my Great Grandparents last names have been transcribed wrong. One was questionable, but the other was perfectly legible on the original census, but wrong on the Family search site.

It is unfortunate that all the members of a household cannot be viewed together.
This makes it difficult for those researching family history as the names of the siblings or spouse are the major clues.

Has anyone been able to see the PDF/JPEG images? I was very excited about the images becoming available for the 1881 Canadian census but the links for both in the record I was looking for are broken (404).

G
GenQueen

16 years ago

With two windows open, if you search the index through FamilySearch (see http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=census/search_census.asp) to locate the person you are looking for and then click on the “household” link in the upper right-hand corner, you will see the “family”. Once you determine that it is your people, you can then (in the other window) locate the image on the Library and Archives Canada (see http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/census-1881/001049-100.01-e.php) as referenced on FamilySearch (hopefully they will get these linked at some point). So the short version of this is: use both websites simultaneously. 🙂
P
Pat

16 years ago

How to do we make corrections to our Family names?
Both my Great Grandparents last names have been transcribed wrong. One was questionable, but the other was perfectly legible on the original census, but wrong on the Family search site.
B
Betty

16 years ago

It is unfortunate that all the members of a household cannot be viewed together.
This makes it difficult for those researching family history as the names of the siblings or spouse are the major clues.
E
Erin

16 years ago

Has anyone been able to see the PDF/JPEG images? I was very excited about the images becoming available for the 1881 Canadian census but the links for both in the record I was looking for are broken (404).