Canada, Ontario, Census, 1861
Population census of Ontario in 1861. Ontario was not yet part of the Dominion of Canada, but was called Canada West. Includes agricultural censuses at the end of each county or township. Arranged by census district (generally by county). Within each county, arrangement is usually alphabetical by name of township. Cities, towns and villages are often enumerated separately from the townships in which they are located.
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Canada, Ontario, Census, 1861
Source: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Canada,_Ontario,_Census,_1861_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records
What is in This Collection?
This census was taken on January 14, 1861 and applied to the residents as of the previous night (January 13, 1861).
Census schedules were taken on large sheets of paper with pre-printed rows and columns. They are bound into volumes, arranged by county, then by township and enumeration district. The Census contains the 1861 census for the province of Ontario. At this time Ontario was not yet part of the Dominion of Canada but was called Canada West. The census taker took the information on the census day starting January 14, 1861. Census takers were asked to record information about all those who were in each household on the census day. A census taker might have visited a house on a later date, but the information he collected was supposed to be about the people who were in the house on the census day.
Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.
What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
- Name of resident
- Gender
- Age
- Marital status
- Religion
- Place of birth
- Approximate year of birth
- Place of residence
Collection Content
Inventory
For a list of all the titles included in this Historical Records publication see Canada, Ontario Census, 1861 - Inventory
Collection Details
Language
English
Location of Original Records
Public Archives, Toronto
"Canada, Ontario, Census, 1861." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 16 October 2025. Citing Board of Registration and Statistics. Public Archives, Toronto.
