The MHSA has been involved in some transcription work for both Canada and Russia.
Background to Censuses in Canada
Census records in Canada have been collected by the federal government systematically since 1851, on an every decade basis. After a time, the data grew so valuable, that the decision was to collect it more frequently – on a five-year basis. Originally established by act of Parliament, census records capture information for the federal government in order to implement democractic representation by population. The core part of a census is simply documenting the count of eligible voters by geographic distribution.
Over the years, in Canada, the census has moved from a simple tool to one that collects a great deal of information that when summarized, assists in public policy & program planning, distribution of grants, etc. And, when the records become of a certain age, the originals become available to the public as valuable genealogical sources of family connections and life details. The publically-available Canadian census records that are helpful to “Russian” Mennonites were collected in 1881, 1891, 1901, 1906 & 1911. Subsequent records are still closed for privacy reasons.
Occasionally, local or specific censuses are also collected, as is the case of the 1880 Village Census of the Mennonite West Reserve published in a book of the same name (available for purchase from the MHSA).
1881
Information was collected from residents of Canada as of 4 Apr 1881.
Having found a “hit” in the index, the researcher can go to larger libraries and view the handwritten records on microfilm. Names of households members and their ages for Mennonite communities of southern Manitoba have also been published in a chapter of the Bergthal Gemeinde Buch available for purchase from the MHSA.
- FamilySearch (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)
- online searchable index
- no images
- free
- Selected public library branches in Canada
- microfilm copies of census images
- photocopying charges
- Bergthal Gemeinde Buch for sale (MHSA)
- published index
1891
Information was collected from residents of Canada as of 6 Apr 1891.
- Saskatchewan Genealogy Society
- published indexes
- Saskatchewan, Assiniboia West, Assiniboia East, Alberta
- $$
- Library & Archives Canada
- online searchable index
- online images of census pages
- free
- Ancestry.ca
- online searchable index
- online images of census pages
- $$
- subscription access at MHSA, LDS (Mormon) family history centres, and some public libraries
1901
Information was collected from residents of Canada as of 31 Mar 1901.
- Alberta Genealogy Society
- published indexes (available to consult at MHSA)
- partial online searchable index
- Assiniboia West, Assiniboia East, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Unorganized Territory of Athabasca
- $$
- Automated Genealogy
- online searchable indexes
- Library & Archives Canada
- online searchable index
- online images of census pages
- free
- Mennonites.ca links to transcriptions for Mennonite-concentrated communities
- Ancestry.com
- online searchable indexs
- online images of census pages
- $$
- subscription access at MHSA & LDS (Mormon) family history centres
1906
Information was collected from residents of Canada as of 1 Jun 1891.
- MHSA
- selected portions of census for Mennonite communities
- transcribed pages
- free
- Library & Archives Canada
- online searchable index
- online census images
- free
- Automated Genealogy
- online searchable index
- online census images
- free
- Ancestry.com (subscription required)
- online searchable index
- online census images
- $$
- subscription access at MHSA, LDS (Mormon) family history centres and some Canadian public library branches
1911
Information was collected from residents of Canada as of 1 Jun 1891.
- MHSA
- selected portions of census for Mennonite communities
- transcribed pages
- free
- Automated Genealogy
- online searchable index
- online census images
- free
- Library & Archives Canada
- online searchable index
- online census images
- free
- Ancestry.ca
- online searchable index
- online census images
- $$
- subscription access at MHSA, LDS (Mormon) family history centres and some Canadian public library branches
1916
- Indexes and images unavailable at this time (Feb 2009)