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Most
people use a Canadian Census at some point when researching their
family tree. We sometimes use the age on a census to take a guess
at a family members birth date. Or, just to try to confirm that
the age of the person is in the range we are looking for to
confirm a family member. Occasionally we look at the age given for
a family member and then check the next census 10 years later,
only to find there is 11 years, or 9 years, difference in the age
of the person. Why is this? Was the census taken before, or after,
the person's birthday?
Jean Lawson has supplied some information
to help solve these mysteries. We have added a few other dates
obtained from the National Archives web page on Census
Records.
The dates traditionally given below
for each census is the "official enumeration date". The
actual enumeration could have taken weeks or months to complete.
However, enumerators were instructed to record the information on
the census returns as it existed on the official enumeration date.
1825 Census
The 1825 Census of Lower Canada (Quebec) was taken from June 20 to
September 20, 1825.
1831 Census
The 1831 Census of Lower Canada (Quebec) was taken from June 1 to
October 1, 1831.
1851 Census
The 1851 Census was taken January 12, 1852. The age given on the
census is the age for the NEXT BIRTHDAY (1852), not the age of the
person in 1851. There are columns for deaths during 1851, cause of
death, male or female. An Agricultural Census is available for
some sections.
1861 Census
The 1861Census was taken January 14, 1861. The age given is the age
on their next birthday. Check the whole county in the Agricultural
Census, as some of the pages are out of order.
1871 Census
The 1871 Census was taken April 2, 1871. The age given is the age
on their next birthday. Check at the end of each
section for deaths during the year. There are 8 schedules
following the main page in each enumeration district.
1881 Census
The 1881 Census was taken April 4, 1881. The age given is the age
on their last birthday. There is no agricultural
census.
1891 Census
The 1891 Census was taken April 6, 1891. The age given is the age
on their last birthday. There is no agricultural
census.
1901 Census
The 1901 Census was taken March 31, 1901. The age given is the age
on their last birthday. This is the only census
that contains actual dates of birth, which may or may not be
correct. It contains the year of immigration. The relationship to
the head of household is also listed.
Information contributed by
Jean Lawson, Genealogist.
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