Q: Does anyone know how far in advance of a census 'publication' the information was collected? For instance, if my ancestor's age on a census is listed as 50 yrs.,does this mean he is 50 at the year of the census, or is he 50 at the year the information was collected?
A: Information was usually collected between March and June of the year stated on the census (1851/1852, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, and 1901) and the ages given were generally how old the individual was between March and June of said year or the age they would be on their next birthday
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Q: How can I determine the Census District, and Sub-district of a particular street address in Toronto in the 1901 Census?
A: The streets for 1901 census especially in Toronto are challenging, but not impossible...to this end, I have printed from Weldon Library (University of Western Ontario), the maps in the "Electoral Atlas of Canada" for major cities, which show exactly the districts of Toronto, for example and their boundaries.
The difficulties are two-fold: 1a). Many streets no longer exist, so the use of the City Directory in the Regional Room (2nd floor) first will give a cross street for the number you need. (For example, 369 Richmond is between the streets of King and Dundas, on the west side) This info can then be looked up on a current map, and if it exists, just move to the same region on the Electoral map and look for the intersection, etc.
If the street you have is newer than the 1901 Atlas maps, then you need to be a bit creative - again, go back to the directory and use the alpha by name part to get the then current address and try to locate it with its nearest cross street on the Atlas map.(in other words, find where they lived then by looking up their name) 1b). If you have no address, use the directory first, obviously.
The greatest challenge is in the Toronto East versus York East and it has been my experience that MUCH is in York east....or perhaps that's just where most of mine have been. 2a). It is important to do one thing, esp. for large cities - print the matching map from the Atlas and put a pin on the map where you section of film begins. Go a few turns and put another pin onto the map and you will begin to see a pattern emerging.
It is supposedly a clockwise block and then the next block, also clockwise, and each should begin in the north west corner of the block and proceed east, south, west and north back to the starting corner. The census taker should then walk east along the block face to the next new block and continue in the same way - east, south, west, north etc. until he has done every block If you are following the progression, you can see the pattern, usually.
Remember to read only the addresses and if your "address" isn't in the list, skip the names that go with those addresses. (It is set up always a couple pages of addresses followed by several pages of the names that reside there and repeating.) 2b) Match the street to the ward and select the film that lists that ward (in the directory of census films) I sometimes use the 1871 and 1881 references to find the lesser units, but I always use the 1901 ref for the bigger cities. I hope this helps.
I will gladly teach anyone who comes to the Family History Centre (London, Ontario) during my Tues. morning shifts how to do this and the maps I have printed off for major centres are all there. We have only the 1923 directory, so if their street isn't listed in it, we may be stuck. (From Forebears Research & Associates )
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Q: I am missing relatives that are nowhere and am now wondering if, when they did the census from 1851 on did they do census in the Mental Asylums, if so where are they located. I am looking mainly for the Middlesex Ontario area
A: Yes, mental asylums were enumerated but not under the same schedule as the personal census. Schedule A was the personal census, Schedule B was the agricultural census. Institutions were enumerated under a different schedule - to find this schedule consult the microfilm itself as only Schedules A and B were made available online at Library & Archives Canada. Note that prior to 1851 and from 1881 onward not all schedules were microfilmed.
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Q: I am searching for my g-g-aunt and think I found her in the 1871 census listed at Rockwood Lunatic Asylum. Is there anyplace I can write to find out if it is her and any info on her?
A: If this is a provincial hospital, the records are held in the Ontario Archives on Grenville St., Toronto. If it is a private facility, then I believe the records were not required to be kept much beyond 20 years, if that.
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Q: I am trying to find a family on the 1851 and 1861 censuses. The parents were married in 1849 in St. Paul's RC Church in Toronto but I don't know the ward or township of that church and it might lead me to the township of the family. How can I find St. Paul's location?
A: [From Pat Jeffs] St Paul's RC Church was in St David's Ward. The 1851 census for Toronto was lost, so the only possibility is 1861
[From Susan] There is a website called ontarioroots.com that has a transcription of the tax rolls for Toronto for 1853. It was created because of the lack of an 1851 census. All heads of households are listed, whether home owners or tenants. To to the site and look on the left for "tax rolls". There's a search engine.
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Q: I found someone in the 1871 census index and I want more information on this person. Now what?
A: Don't assume that what you see in the index is all there is - this index only shows heads of households and strays, so to get the rest of the family's names, you are going to have to order the microfilm. This is worth the extra time and effort! It will tell you the names and ages of every family member, as well as place of birth, religion, occupation, and other information too. See if you can order it by Inter-Library loan through your local library or Family History Center.
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Q: I have an 1881 census record for my Ontario ancestors which lists as its census place Olden, Addington, Ontario. But it sure looks to me like Olden Twp is in Frontenac county. Was there an Olden village, perhaps? Were lines redrawn sometime after 1881? Any help you can give me in this matter will be appreciated (PS It also says Distrcit 118, Sub-district 1, Page # 18...if that helps any.)
A: In the 1871, 1881, and 1891 census Addington was an enumeration district. It has no bearing on geographic county locations. Olden Township is geographically within Frontenac County.
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Q: Is it possible to zero in on the village where people lived in a census year? Is there a detailed map with the location of various census sub-district numbers ie) in Manvers Township in the 1901 census there are 7 sub-districts. It would be great to know whether a fmaily lived in Pontepool or Bethany & where they went to church or are buried.
A: [From Anonymous] Yes it is. When you find your relative in a particular sub-district (on Schedule 1), make a note of the page and line number for the household number. Then go to the Collections Canada website and find Schedule 2 for the same sub-district and look up that page and line number. It will give you the location of the household - for Manvers, it appears to be concession and lot numbers and not town names, but it should give you a better idea of where they lived. collectionscanada.ca does give some hints - sub-district c-5 is Bethany, c-6 is Fleetwood & Franklin, c-7 is Janetville.
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Q: Is there a way to convert an entry from the 1881 Census of Canada to a street address. I have found members of my family in the 1881 Census in District 105, Sub-Dist A, Div 2, Page 26, Household #125. I cannot find anything more and would like to find a street address in Ottawa for the entries.
A: Have you consulted an Ottawa city directory? This would give an address and allow you to track the family between each census.
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