Ontario, Canada, 1871 Census Records

This data set contains information on approximately 375,000 individuals from the Province of Ontario who were recorded in the April 1871 enumeration of the population of Canada. More than just an index, here you'll gain easy access to all of the information available on the actual census page. The census recorded heads of household as well as individuals who had different last names than the head of household (for example, a servant or mother-in-law). If you find your ancestor among the individuals included, you'll generally learn:

• Full name
• Gender
• Age
• Country or province of birth
• District, sub-district, and division of residence
• Religious affiliation
• Ethnicity
• Occupation
• Approximate birth year
• Whether or not they were a head of household
• Microfilm roll number and page number on which you can find a copy of the original record

More About this Data Set

Below is additional information to help you make best use of this data set.

Name — When a surname or given name was missing on the original census record, three question marks were recorded in place of that name. Question marks or dashes were used to denote missing letters within a name. And, a question mark after a name indicates that the spelling was unclear.

Age — Individuals whose ages were listed as less than one year are listed as "<1."

Birthplace — This is generally the name of a Canadian province or a foreign country or region. For the most part, an individual's birthplace is clearly spelled out. When an individual was listed as having more than one birthplace, however, you're likely to find one of the abbreviations listed below.

For example, a person whose birthplace is listed as "O or Quebec" was either from Ontario or Quebec. Also, in some cases an ethnicity is listed instead of a country. For example, you may see "English" instead of "England" or "German" instead of "Germany." It is unclear if the person was born in the associated country or born in Canada to a person of that ethnic origin.

If you wish to use this information to search for the birth record of a foreign-born individual, please remember that some of the foreign locations recorded in the 1871 census may no longer exist or may have changed boundaries.

Ethnic Origin — A person's ethnicity corresponds to the ethnicity of that person's father. While the majority of entries are clearly spelled out, in rare cases you may find abbreviations such as "E," "F," "G," "I," and "S." It is most likely that these stand for English, French, German, Irish, and Scottish, respectively.

Religious Affiliation — In rare cases, an individual's religious affiliation may be noted as an abbreviation. Below is a key to known abbreviations that you may find:

AA	African Association Baptist
AD	Adventist
AP	American Presbyterian
AT	Atheist
B	Unknown
BA	Baptist
BB	Bible Believer
BC	Bible Christian
BE	British Episcopal Methodist
BR	Brethren
CB	Christian Brethren
CC	Christian Conference Bapt.
CD	Christadelphian
CE	Church of England, Anglican
CI	Church of Ireland
CM	Calvinistic Methodist
CN	Christian
CO	Congregationalist
CP	Canada Presbyterian/C. Presbyterian
CS	Church of Scotland/Kirk/Scotch Presbyterian, etc.
CX	Church of Christ
DE	Deist
DI	Disciple (of Christ)
EA	Evangelical Association
EM	Episcopal Methodist/Methodist Episcopal
EP	Episcopal(ian)
EU	Evangelical Union
EV	Evangelical
FK	Free Kirk/ Free Presbyterian, etc.
FT	Free Thinker (of England)
FW	Free Will Baptist/Free Christian
GB	Regular Baptist/Reformed Baptist
IF	Infidel
IL	Illegible
IM	I. Meth. E.
IN	Independent
IP	Irish Presbyterian
IR	Irvingite/Catholic Apostolic
JM	J. Meth. E.
JU	Jew
KB	Close Communion Baptist
LD	Latter Day Saint
LU	Lutheran/Evangelical Lutheran
MC	I. Meth. C.
MD	Mohammedan/Muslim/Mahometan
ME	Methodist
MI	Methodist I.
MO	Mormon
MN	Mennonite
MS	Messiah
MV	Moravian
NC	New Connexion Methodist
NG	Not Given
NP	N. Presbyterian
NR	No Religion
OB	Other Baptist
OM	Other Methodist
OP	Other Presbyterian
PA	Pagan
PB	Plymouth Brethren
PE	Est. Presbyterian
PM	Primitive Methodist
PR	Protestant
PS	Presbyterian
PU	Puritan
QU	Quaker/Friends
RB	Reformed Baptist
RC	Roman Catholic
RM	R. Methodist
RP	Reformed Presbyterian
SD	Seventh Day Adventist
SP	Spiritualist
SW	Swedenborgian/New Jerusalem
TU	Tunker
UB	United Brethren
UN	Union Baptist
UP	United Presbyterian/ U. Kirk Presbyterian
UT	Unitarian
UV	Universalist
VM	Evangelical Methodist
WM	Wesleyan Methodist
WP	W. Presbyterian
XC	C. C. Baptist

Sub-district — This is the sub-district in which an individual resided. Sub-districts usually correspond to townships, towns, villages, and city wards. In some cases, a sub-district contained more than one town or village, so the individual may have lived in any of those locations.

National Archives of Canada Microfilm Roll Number and Page — This information will help you locate a microfilm copy of the original record, which may contain more information. A page number that is listed as "D" indicates that the individual did not appear in the regular schedule, but instead was listed on the schedule that recorded deaths that had taken place within the last twelve months. When looking at the microfilm rolls, you will find death schedules directly after the regular schedules in each sub-district or division.