1921 Canada Census

This census is now available free to browse on Ancestry.ca. So if you know where your ancestors lived, happy hunting.

The entire collection is supposed to be indexed and available for searching by the end of the year.

 

The problem with that Census is that some post-census bean-counter with limited intelligence has written in INK over important data that was originally recorded by the enumerator in pencil, thereby rendering some of that data difficult-to-impossible to read. The occupation and workplace columns suffer a great deal from this, at least in the more than 20 pages of Nova Scotia records which I have gone through. In addition, the ages of the people on the reports have also been subjected to parentheses placed by (presumably) the same bean-counter, obscuring at least one of the numbers in that important column in a number of cases. Unfortunately, there is no cure for stupidity!

 

Was on Ancestry.ca tonight, and they indicated that the 1921 Census will be available INDEXED, in 8 days.
Ron

 

Hurray! I can hardly wait. My ancestors were scattered throughout Canada, and they made major moves between 1911-1921 so I couldn't find ANYONE in the 1921.

I wonder if there's any chance the 1921 is going to be added to Lost Cousins???

 

Only problem might be as how the difficult to read entries (as Robertb mentioned) are interpreted and added in the index. I've seem a few that Ancestry's volunteers will definitely have problems with, and I understood only because the names were relatives of mine. We'll have to ask Peter if he plans to include this census on his Lost Cousins data base.

 

Ancestry doesn't use volunteers. They have paid transcriptionists in India.

 

That explains a lot. By this I mean no criticism of the transcriptionist, but there are errors where I think 'Surely they must have realised...'. But presumably, place names, personal names, etc. mean nothing and BaMsley, Yorkshire is as plausible as BaRNsley.

 

Yup...there was an issue a few years ago where everyone with the abbreviation IN for state became from India - when it should have been Indiana. After that, they admitted the transcription is done overseas.

The one plus to Ancestry is that you can submit notes of correction, of course. FamilySearch doesn't have this option and there are some real doozies of errors on their indexes.

But an index does help in figuring out towns and such. Township 34 in Alberta doesn't much help me without a map of the townships, but they get the enumeration maps from Stats Canada, so Ancestry can identify which town that is.

 

Just logged on Ancestry.ca today, and the 1921 Indexed Canadian Census is now available, although I haven't tried it out yet.

 

Interesting. Its part up and part down. The census images are viewable but not attachable because family trees are down, and the transcriptions are sometimes awful, but I've already found my great grandparents on there in Stocks, Alberta!

 

I was able to attach the only entry I tried to my tree, but what I found frustrating was that I was unable to make any corrections. My mother's maiden name was incorrect, but couldn't correct as yet. maybe in a day or so?

 

I'm suspecting everyone's trying to get on right now. You're probably right, a day or so. They'll probably do a splashy release at some point too.

 

Just tried a few minutes ago, and corrections now work. Problem must have been at initial start-up

 

I was very disappointed in my first look at the Ancestry 1921 Canada census transcription release, the image quality is awful and I encountered the same problem as previously mentioned with a census official going crazy with his blue pencil. Certainly for now I'm content to visit the public library to trawl through the few Canadian relatives I have to trace on my own account rather than spend money on an Ancestry subscription. It makes me realise again how much I appreciate the Drouin records which have already answered so many of my BMD questions relating to my Canadian roots.

 

Just a heads up that until January 27th BMD records are also free at Ancestry ( obviously they are feeling generous for a few days as there are free Australian records and a special UK offer available for the same time period). How far forward you'll be able to go varies considerably by province but the Drouin records are part of the free records and cover the period 1670-1946 ( see my separate posting about them) . In Ontario you'll be able to search births 1869 -1913, marriages 1801-1928, and deaths 1869-1938 in the province and 1939-1947 overseas. The records are often remarkably detailed by British standards and in addition there are other non- Canadian records thrown in as part of the offer.

 

My first viewing came up with Walonion Thames, England as place of birth. As this was the first time I had come across my Canadian immigrant's spouse, I was none the wiser. It turned out to be Walton on Thames; not bad really given the handwriting.

 

I was hoping the 1921 census would help me find more about my father's cousin but so far I have not been able to locate him although in 1916 he is living with my father's family and I have found him in the Henderson directory in Calgary during that time. I made several corrections to the census including my great uncle listed as D W J Charlton instead of Dr W J Charlton. I actually thought it was out sourced to China. Good thing we are used to interpreting the errors!

 

The Canadian 1921 census records at Ancestry are currently available for free only if you have a Canadian I.P. address