Born on St Patrick's Day: Happy 115th Mary

They say that its good luck to be Irish, and that the luckiest of all are those who are born on St Patrick's Day. No doubt this is what was said the day that my great grandmother was born. However, her life was not necessarily filled with the good luck that the superstition had predicted. As much as she had a hard life, her life was also an "ordinary" one of a young British immigrant to Canada. Despite that, the simple life she led in youth was filled with fun. She embrace the changing times, new found freedoms, and innovations. Its the heirlooms from that chapter of her life that fascinate me the most because they show aside to her that none of my relatives knew - a woman who was happy. So today, I am going to share the side of her that one of those heirlooms tells. I have a small black autograph book that was hers.  At almost 100 years old, the book binding has all but disintegrated yet the leather cover is in near pristine condition and the partially bound pages are al...
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New Release: The 1931 Canadian Census

 The 92 year privacy restriction has expired, and that means that (as of June 1 2023) the 1931 Canadian census is available to the public!

Set in the middle of the Great Depression, the 1931 census offers a unique perspective about how people were living during that era. According to Library and Archives Canada, this census is unique from its predecessors in that it delves into not only where people lived, but also how they lived. This difference primarily exists because of the types of information that it collected. As with every subsequent census, a higher level of detail is required. In the case of the 1931 census, it asks five new questions focused on employment status and the lifestyle within the home. 

Starting in 1929, Canada began to see unprecedented levels of unemployment, and as a result of this the 1931 census had to adapt its questions to capture the changing demographic of the country. For reference, the 1921 census only had three questions related to unemployment, where as the 1931 census had a total of NINE questions! The questions delved into the issue with a level of detail now seen on any of the former census returns. Some of these questions included:

  • What was the person's trade and industry?
  • Cause of their unemployment  had to be classified as: illness, accident, strike, or no work
  • How many of the past 12 weeks they had not worked

In addition to unemployment data, the following information was also collected:

  • Name
  • Age
  • Conjugal status
  • Birthplace
  • Immigration year (if applicable)
  • Parents nativity
  • Racial origin
  • Religion
  • Official language
  • Mother tongue
  • Nationality
  • Illiteracy (reading and writing)
  • School attendance
  • Employment
  • Did the household own a radio? (new question)
  • Household earnings
  • Did head of household own or rent the home?
  • Was somebody blind or deaf?


Related Posts

Tips for Finding Your Family in the 1931 Canadian Census

Canadian Census Records (Part I)

Canadian Census Records (Part II)

Canadian Census Records (Part III)

Canadian Census Records (Part IV)

Canadian Immigration Records (Part I)

Canadian Immigration Records (Part II)

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