Automated Genealogy hosts several projects to index Canadian censuses. Over the last several years Library and Archives Canada has digitized their microfilms of the original census forms for several of the Canadian censuses and Automated Genealogy has organized volunteers to produce indices to the people enumerated in these censuses. Each project uses simple web forms to allow volunteers to transcribe census data from the images into a database, with the entered data being immediately available on the site. Following transcription further volunteers proofread and make corrections. Anyone with an internet connection can participate as a transcriber, proofreader, or just by submitting corrections as they use the site. The status of each census project varies depending on how long it has been active.
1901 Census
The 1901 Census was the first census that LAC released images for
and the first one we indexed. Transcription has been completed and
we are approximately 60% through proofreading.
1911 Census
Transcription is over 99% complete with all provinces except BC being complete.
Proofreading is in progress.
1906 Census
The 1906 Census was a special census of the three prairie provinces
of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Transcription is essentially
complete, proofreading has not yet started.
1851 Census
Census were planned for 1851 for the then separate colonies of
Canada (current day Ontario and Quebec), New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
The census of Canada was delayed until early 1852 so it is variously
refered to as the 1851 or 1852 Census.
Indexing of the 1852 census was started in August 2007.
Indexing of the 1851 Census of New Brunswick
was started in June 2007 and is over half done.
Indexing of the 1851 Census of Nova Scotia, which is a
head-of-household-only census, has not yet begun.
An interesting feature of the site is the ability to link various records associated with a person together. This is done through the Link Centre. Projects are underway to link records from several sources as well as between the censuses. If this project were to be fully realized a researcher would be able to look up any person in Canada (from the era that census data is publicly accessible for) and find all the person's census records, birth, marriage, and death records, as well as photographs, newspaper stories, and other online data. It is a very ambitious project but many hands make light work and we already have almost one million linked records! Help us put together the pieces of our shared genealogical puzzle by linking records for people you have researched!
The linking projects include: