1931 Canadian Census

Photo by Jason Hafso on Unsplash

​By now you have heard that the 1931 Canadian Census has been digitized and is available to search. Indexing is still happening so you will need to do a little homework before searching for your ancestor. Let’s look.

To learn more about the 1931 Census and release information, you can view it here:  The 1931 Census is now online! - Canada.ca. https://www.canada.ca/en/library-archives/news/2023/06/the-1931-census-is-now-online.html  There are numerous questions asked in the 1931 census including whether someone owned a radio. Sadly, the agricultural, merchandizing and service establishments and institutions were not kept.
 
To find your ancestor, you will need to know: 1. Province 2. District 3. Subdistrict. I looked for a relative in Saskatchewan and prepared by identifying that information in the 1921 Canadian Census. You can then go to this location to research for your person.
 
Duly prepared, I thought it would be easy to find my relative. Sadly, the subdistrict was not included in the search list. Assuming that it was combined with another subdistrict, I tried a view on either side but no luck. I also revisited the township and range numbers. At the beginning of each subdistrict digital copy, there is a summary page noting the subdistrict number as well as the township and range numbers. Unfortunately, as of this writing, I still have not found him. Since he was a farmer and owned a homestead, he would have been unlikely to move. I suspect that the area he lived in was perhaps included in another district or was missed either in the original documents or the digitization. I will still explore these records to see if I can find him some other way. The indexing is to be completed by Fall of 2023 so that will be another way for me to look for this gentleman.
 
Before I gave up on the nonindexed census, I decided to see if there were any voting lists or other items on Ancestry that might help me find my relative. The 1940 Voting List showed his address as Swift Current. However, I do not have a subdistrict number so I might need to slog through all this entire section of the census. Wish me luck!
 
If you have some Canadian ancestors to find in the 1931 Census, I hope this gives you a great start. Of course, it would be easier once the index is available but what is the fun in that?!! Happy Searching!