(Learn about Christina later in the blog)
June 1, 2023, was the release of the 1931 Canadian Census, and despite all the preparation that Library and Archives Canada said they did, it wasn’t prepared for the number of searches on their system, and the launch turned into a bust.
Thankfully you can search the 1931 Census of Canada images on Ancestry, and all that’s required to use this record set is to set up a FREE account, no credit card required.
At this point, you can only search the images because the records aren’t indexed yet.
One thing that I was amazed about last year was that in 9 days, Ancestry was able to index the 1950 US Census, and that was for over 150 million people. So when I first wrote about the 1931 Canada Census on May 11th, I was speculating that because our population was much smaller, we could have this census completed in just a few days, so I’m hopeful it’s soon.
So let’s talk about some of the amazing technology that is taking place to make this happen.
Last year Ancestry used its state-of-the-art HWR (Hand Writing Recognition) on the 1950 US Census. This was the first census it was used for, and because they had built such a powerhouse and proven model, they could trial run that model on the 1921 Canadian Census to prep its use on the 1931 census. The 1931 Canada Census is the second major record set HWR was to be used on. One of the unique challenges is that this census includes English and French handwriting. But Ancestry had used the HWR technology for French records, which was a huge bonus.
Watch this video to learn how Ancestry’s HWR was used in the 1950 US Census. Click the image to watch.
Click to go to YouTube
When the census is ready, we’ll be able to search by
- Name
- Relationship to head of house
- Birthplace
- Sex/Marital Status/Age
Other features that will be rolled out over the summer months are;
- Hints
- Limited Record Tour
- Limited StoryScout
But even if it takes a while before the census is searchable, there are some people you just can’t wait to learn about.
Many of my family live in Edmonton, which is a large enumeration district called Edmonton East. So if you have something similar, you’ll need to know which district and sub-district they might have lived in. I found it helpful to search the 1921 Canadian Census, and as long as that’s where the family stayed put, then you might be in luck. But I decided to just wait on Edmonton for now.
(Photo credit: Ron Shannon)
One person I did want to search for was my Great Aunt, Christina Shannon. She had been admitted into the Brockville Mental Asylum when she was seventeen, and I’d found her in the 1901, 1911, and 1921 census, and to the best of my knowledge, she remained in the institute until her death.
Christina was relatively easy to find. All I had to do was choose Ontario, then the district Leeds then 066 Ontario Hospital. Then it was just a matter of searching the twenty-one pages until I found her on page fourteen, line twelve.
Christina is 47 years of age and is listed as an inmate. She was born in Ontario with both parents from Ontario (although I believe her mother was born in the USA). Christina is listed as Irish, her religion is United, and she is shown as unable to read or write.
I’ve always had a soft spot for Christina because the medical record I got many years ago didn’t give many details about why she was there, but one notation made me wonder if something traumatic had happened. Unless there is another document I’ve yet to find, I probably will never know.
But for now, I’ll wait another 10 years, and if all goes well, I’ll learn a little more about her when the 1941 Canada Census come out.
P.S. After writing this blog, I sent an inquiry to Ontario Vital Records to see if I could have a search done for Christina’s death certificate and what would be required for me to receive it, if possible. I’ll let you know what I learn.
Was the medical record from Ontario Archives? I was allowed to look at the records they had for one of my great-aunts who was in the Orillia Asylum. It was disappointing, to say the least, at how little information they had for my relative. I suspect that she likely suffered from a mental incapacity from birth. She lived with her parents til her mother died and was then placed in the asylum far away from home (near Sarnia). However, I, too, will likely never know. I’m glad that we remember them though.
Yes the medical record was from the Ontario Archive and it was only a few pages which I agree was disappointing given the amount of time my great aunt was in the institution. I’m glad that we as genealogist remember them because they will not be forgotten if we continue to say their names.