1911 Canadian census revision confusion

By History-Hunter on Sat, 10/22/2022 - 11:08

Forums

I've come across an amendment situation that I've never seen before in the Canadian Census records and I'm not quite sure how to treat it.

The page image shows an enumeration district of 1, but the page is stamped to indicate the enumeration district was 45. The initial page of the book has an image-time-note showing the subdistrict (not the enumeration district) was 45 and it has been catalogued by the Library and Archives Canada as subdistrict 45. If one uses what is on the image, one cannot locate the record.

In the following citation, I've tried my best to objectively capture the image data, while allowing one to locate the record. However; it still leaves me somewhat unsettled as to whether this is the correct way to handle this situation. The only comfort, from and analysis perspective, is that the location of Shawville Village is well-known.

1911 Census of Canada, Pontiac district (185), Quebec, Canada, population census, Shawville Village subdistrict (24), enumeration district 1 [stamped as enumeration district 45], page 12, line 33–36, Richard Wilson (age 59) household; imaged, Library and Archives Canada (https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1911 : downloaded 20 July 2022); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm T-20439. For unexplained reasons; this record was indexed as subdistrict 45, rather than 24, and the enumeration district field was not included in the 1911 Census of Canada indexing.

Submitted byEEon Sun, 10/23/2022 - 10:39

Ah, yes, H-H, that dual numbering of pages or districts exists with many national censuses. EE has examples for the U.S. and Wales, but not Canada. I suspect you're taking your advice from EE 6.8 Censuses: "Penned numbers vs. stamped numbers."  You've handled the situation well.

Thank you. I was, indeed, taking the advice of EE 6.8.

So far, I've seen two instances of this in the 1911 Canadian census. I only wish I knew the reason for the renumbering. Perhaps I'll be able to figure this out during the analysis phase.

H-H, if you figure it out, let us know.

Here in the states, the several sets of numbers usually result when

  • The original enumerator numbered his/her pages;
  • The supervisor (at, say, state level), renumbered as he assembled what he was to send to Washington;
  • The Census Bureau may have reorganized/renumbered; and
  • Finally, when the loose sheets were assembled in books, the stamped numbers were added to span the whole book.