Census Records - Indigenous & Métis
General
Census returns can provide a variety of information about your family. Almost every national census has a column to indicate some aspect of racial origin: exceptions are 1851 and 1891. This can be helpful for Indigenous research, though the indications in that column are not always correct; e.g. when the head of the family was “white”, but his wife was not, often the entire family’s heritage would be classified as “white”. Census information will determine the geographical location that could lead to a Band/Nation name.
When searching online census records for indigenous peoples, since “Indian” is often used as a racial descriptor in the “Racial Origins” column, you can do a broad search using location and “Indian” in either the Keyword or Race search boxes available in some databases.
Online
Canadian censuses are available to search online for the years 1851-1921, plus 1926 for the prairie provinces. Below is a list of free websites where you can find Canadian Census records.
- Library & Archives Canada:
- Information centre for all Canadian censuses (1640-1926) and links to searchable databases.
- Provides an excellent on-line Guide.
- For terminology pertaining to Indigenous people, select your census year of interest from the list on the left and then scroll down to the Racial Origins or Citizenship/Nationality sections for that census.
- FamilySearch.org: The 1921 Census is not available on this site.
- Ancestry Library Edition (available at all branches of Surrey Libraries)
- Automated Genealogy: 1901, 1906, 1911 and partial 1851 census available
- 1666-1891 Census:
- There are several copies of a Finding Aid called Catalogue of Census Returns on Microfilm 1666-1891, This book is organized by province, and then town or county with the matching microfilm numbers noted for each location. (Note only some of these are available online; the earlier censuses are only available on microfilm.) The early censuses took place in eastern Canada. Some are simply agricultural returns, others are head-of-household counts, and some are nominal that include information about the family as well. These early censuses may be of interest to Metis researchers with a French line looking to pursue that side of their family back to Quebec.
- Prairie Census 1906, 1916, 1926
- These are special census records released for the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
- 1901-1921 Census:
- These Census records are mostly available online, but the Cloverdale Family History Branch does hold some extracts in print. Please ask a Family History staff person for assistance.
- 1877 Census of British Columbia Indian Reserves
- Library and Archives Canada holds a digitized microfilm of a census of BC Indian Reserves in 1877, entitled Report of the British Columbia Reserve Commission with Census Reports. The census portion begins on page 53 of the document. It is not keyword searchable, but is browsable.
Microfilm
Our Family History Department has some items in print which can help you identify the correct microfilm for your ancestor. You need to know the location – town, county, province to your best knowledge. Generally, most census records are available online, but the Department has a large collection of Canadian Census microfilms.
Cloverdale branch owns Microfilm number T-6554 covering the 1901 Native census returns for several provinces, including Alberta. The Indian Agencies enumerated on this microfilm include; Blackfoot (Niitsitapi, Kainai, Siksika, Piikani), Edmonton, Hobbema, Lac LaBiche, Saddle Lake, Sarcee (Tsuu t'ina) and Whitefish Lake.
For the Prairie census of 1916, there is a binder marked “1916 Census,” located on the census book shelves near the print directories, which summarizes the census districts and sub-districts by name. To find the corresponding microfilm number for a certain location, see the list in the binder of film numbers and areas covered on each reel.
Census Indexes: If you prefer to view census records in print, rather than online or on microfilm, the Family History Department has some finding aids and census extracts. To find a census in print, please check our library catalogue with the keyword search “Canadian Census”. Some examples:
Maine, Lorne W. 1984. Index to 1881 Census of Manitoba with Extensions & East Rupert’s Land. Vancouver: L.W. Maine. Library call number – 929.37127 MAI 1984
Morin, Gail. 2016. Census of the Turtle Mountain Reservation. Belcourt, N.Dakota. Library call number – 929.3784 MOR 2016