Manitoba Census

Canada Manitoba Census

The pre-1870 census returns of Manitoba (Red River Settlement) list the heads of households and some other information such as, age, religion, country of birth, married or widowed, number of sons and daughters, and agricultural data (for example, the number of livestock, the number of buildings, and the number of acres under cultivation). Almost all of these censuses were taken by the Hudson’s Bay Company.

The Hudson’s Bay Company Archives at http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/ has census returns for the years 1827, 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833, 1835, 1838, 1840, and 1843 which are indexed. A microfilm copy for the first two hundred years of this company, 1670–1870, is on deposit at the National Archives of Canada and at the Family History Library.

The Provincial Archives of Manitoba at http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/ has census returns for the years 1832, 1833, 1838, 1840, 1843, 1846–1847, 1849, and 1856 (incomplete). These are available on microfilm at the National Archives of Canada, the Family History Library, or at local Family History Centers.

The first census of Manitoba with names of each member of the household was taken in 1870. It includes name, age, birthplace, religion, and citizenship. There is a surname index to this census. Census returns for Manitoba with names of each member of the household were also taken in 1881, 1891, 1901, and 1911. These are available on microfilm at Library and Archives Canada, the Family History Library, Family History Centers, and at many provincial archives and larger public libraries. The 1885 and 1886 provincial censuses as well as the Canadian censuses from 1921 to the present are not available to the public, although catalogs and finding aids may be available.

Censuses beginning in 1881 are national censuses taken by the federal government. Most national censuses have been indexed. Indexes and links to them are listed at the Library and Archives Canada web site.

1891 Online Index

• The 1916 Census for Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta is now available at Library and Archives Canada. Go to their site to learn more.

Useful sources of free censuses that include Manitoba: [1] (1881) [2] (1891) [3] (1901, 1906, 1911)

Census Substitutes

Any documents that contain lists of people can serve as census substitutes. These lists are particularly important for those searching for ancestors who are not found on official census lists that are currently available for public viewing.

Inventory of Archival Material

An invaluable resource for those searching for census substitutes in Manitoba is the inventory that was prepared by three faculty members at Brandon University. With a grant from the Manitoba Heritage Foundation they identified archival records in public and private collections throughout Western Manitoba, Eastern Manitoba and the Eastern Interlake area. The results of their findings are published in four volumes. There are listings for 63 communities in Western Manitoba and 73 communities in Eastern Manitoba. The collections are arranged by the following categories:

• agriculture and associated organizations
• archives, libraries and museums
• businesses and business organizations
• community clubs
• community history books
• family records and private collections
• health care organizations 
• military organizations
• rural municipalities and local government districts
• towns, villages, municipal documents
• newspapers
• other publications
• school divisions
• schools
• service clubs and organizations
• sport/recreation clubs
• miscellaneous

Guides

• Coates, K.S. and J.C. Everitt, W.R. Morrison, Kempthorne, Roberta, editors. Inventory of Archival Material in Western Manitoba. 3 volumes. Brandon, Manitoba: Brandon University Press, 1987-1989.
  

• Everitt, J.C. and Roberta Kempthorne, editors.Inventory of Archival Material Volume IV. Eastern Manitoba. Brandon, Manitoba: Brandon University Press, 1991.

Assessment and Tax Rolls

Compiled on a local basis and generally still found in the local community. Many municipal records have been deposited in the Archives of Manitoba and are available on microfilm for loan and purchase. The rolls are useful to find who the land and property owners were along with the legal land description. The pre-1906 records help you to find census records. All years help you to use the records in the Land Titles Office. The Inventory of Archival Material in Western Manitoba and The Inventory of Archival Material in Eastern Manitoba has lists of which communities retain their assessment and tax rolls along with the years that survive.

School Registers

The lists of the schools and their school district numbers are found in the beginning of each copy ofInventory of Archival Material in Western or Inventory of Archival Material in Eastern Manitoba. Check the community list to see if any registers are retained in the community. The Archives of Manitoba has a list of the school district names and numbers. There is a microfilm copy of theManitoba Department of Education, Half-yearly Attendance Reports 1915-1980. These records provide the student’s name, grade, age and attendance as well as the teacher’s name and classification. Check the list of microfilm available for loan or purchase for details.

Voters Lists

Voters lists enable the researcher to learn where eligible voters were living when the lists were prepared. The lists only have the name, address and occupation. There are local, provincial and federal lists but not all are necessarily available for public viewing.

Municipal Elector Lists

Municipal elector lists may be found in the municipal office. The following lists are found on microfilm at the Archives of Manitoba and are available for purchase and loan.

• Blanchard Municipality, 1923-1970; 1980-1983
• Louise Municipality, 1923-1983
• Rosser Municipality, 1906- 983

Federal Voters Lists 1935-1979

The Federal Voters lists from 1935-1972 and the By-elections to 1979 are available on microfilm through interlibrary loan from the National Archives of Canada. Finding Aid RG 113-1.

Microfilm Registers of the Lists of Eligible Electors Beginning From the 18th General Election has the microfilm numbers. The book, Federal Voters Lists in Western Canada 1935-1979, lists the electoral districts for each election along with the microfilm number and the pages that each district is found on. The book also has an excellent history for how the enumeration was carried out over the years.

If you wish to find out what the boundaries were for each elector district from 1935-1979 you can do this at the Parliament of Canada website, under the Site Map look for House of Commons- historical. If an ancestor served as a member of parliament there will be biographical information and a picture.

National Registration

There was compulsory registration for all persons age 16 years and older from 1949-1946. The exceptions were active members of the armed forces, cloistered nuns, inmates of prisons, penitentiaries and asylums. All respondents were issued with an identification card. The questions on the registration form include: name, address, age, date of birth, country of birth of the person registering and that of his or her parents, conjugal condition, number and relationship of any dependents , nationality, racial origin, year of immigration and year of naturalization, languages spoken, education, general health, occupation, work experience with a special section on knowledge of farming and previous military service. Not all questions were always answered.

Copies of the forms still exist with Statistics Canada. Those who wish to obtain a copy of a registration need to complete an “Application and Authorization for a Search of Census and 1940 National Registration Records.” To obtain a copy:

Statistics Canada, Census Pension Searches Unit
B1E-34, Jean Talon Building
Tunney’s Pasture
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0T6
Telephone 1-800-263-1136
Email: infostat@statcan.ca There is a fee.

Guides

• Leitch, Susan R. “1940 National Registration.” Saskatchewan Genealogical Society 34 (March 2003.)
  

• Althea, Douglas. “World War II and National Registration-1940.” Here be Dragons, too! More navigational hazards for the Canadian family researcher. Toronto: Ontario Genealogical Society, 2000. Page 71-72.

Surveys

Throughout the history of Manitoba various organizations have developed questionnaires which can serve as census substitutes. An example of one such survey is:

United Farm Women of Manitoba

This survey was conducted in 1922 to learn about farm women’s lives in Manitoba. The questions range from information about the size of the farm and house, the amenities within the house, household accounts, hired help and the number of children at home.

Availability

The Survey of Farm Homes 1922 is found in the Archives of Manitoba as MG 10 E 1, Box 12.

Guide

• Findlay, Thelma Weslak. “United Farm Women of Manitoba.”Generations: The Journal of the Manitoba Genealogical Society 14 (June 1989).