Documents & Records
Chinese Communities in the 1891 Census
This series of Film Notes has been designed by Vancouver Public Library staff as a guide for researchers wishing to quickly locate individuals of Chinese origin in 1891 census records. It is not an alphabetical name index or list, but allows for quick identification of census pages on which Chinese individuals appear.
The Film Notes currently cover census records relating to B.C.'s Cariboo and New Westminster Districts and the Territories, an area with five census districts (covering modern Saskatchewan, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon).
"Communities" is a very general term in the context of this project. Chinese people often lived together in work camps, hostels and Chinatowns. But others were scattered among households in which they were the only Chinese residents (often domestic servants). The Film Notes attempt to reflect all Chinese noted in the census records. Every effort has been made to compile a comprehensive and accurate listing, but due to the quality of both filming and penmanship, there may be omissions. As in all census records, it is also possible that some households and individuals were missed entirely and never originally recorded.
Unless otherwise indicated, people have been identified as Chinese if either their own or at least one of their parents' birthplace was recorded as China in the census . The Film Notes are based on records of all such individuals, even when the names indicate that they were not ethnoculturally Chinese.
1891 census records for the B.C. and the Territories are on 6 microfilm reels, and are arranged by census district and sub-district. Follow the links below to view the Film Notes:
British Columbia
Territories
Top of page: Detail from VPL 8584
