Census Records

Census, poll tax rolls and other lists of people in a given area have been created in Nova Scotia since the 1750s when officials created lists to account for the distribution of victuals, or supplies, in the new settlement of Halifax. The first extent list of residents living or working at Prospect is the 1788 Fisheries Examination which was followed in 1792 by a poll tax census of all men over the age of maturity. Census exist starting in 1827 on a regular basis every ten years or so and when Nova Scotia joined Canada in 1867 the new Federal government began to have census conducted to help with policy development and planning, starting in 1871.

1788 Examination of the Fishery at Prospect (pop. approx. 200)

This is the first listing of the inhabitants at Prospect and it was taken on Monday, 9 June 1788. The examination provides detailed information about who owned which fish lot as well as the make up of their families and the number of hired men working for them.

A transcription of the original fishery examination documents can be found here.

1791 Nova Scotia Poll Tax

To deal with the provincial debt the Nova Scotia legislature passed legislation in 1791, 1792 and 1793 to create a poll tax. This poll tax levied a capitation or head tax on all adult males. According to the Nova Scotia Archives website the amount of tax paid was based on the person's employment and the amount of cattle they owned. These poll taxes were collected until 1796.

The poll tax is useful because it allows us to see the names of all the adult males living at Prospect and the surrounding area in the early 1790s. This supplements the information in the 1788 fishery examination as it provides the names of a lot of the men who were hired to work or fished out of Prospect Harbour. Its important to note that a lot of the names listed here never settled and that the surnames are sometimes corrupted and misspelled.

A transcription of the Poll Tax has been provided by Ed Rogers and can be found here: Transcription

The Nova Scotia Archives has scanned all of the original Poll Tax records and you can search for your ancestor using the above transcription as the database is set up to allow you to search by name rather than to browse. You can visit the Nova Scotia Archives website here.

1827 Census of Nova Scotia (pop. 302)

The 1827 Census of Nova Scotia was conducted to report the population and other statistics on or about the 31 December 1827. The census only shows the names of the heads of households but is unusually detailed in the statistical information that it provides such statistics on population, occupation, religion, births, deaths and marriages in the previous year, and details about the agricultural production of each household.

A transcription of the 1827 Census has been provided by Ed Rogers and can be house here: Transcription

The Nova Scotia Archives has scanned all of the original census which are organized to be searched by name. You can find the records specifically for Prospect area by visiting the Nova Scotia Archives website:

1838 Census of Nova Scotia (pop. 363)

The 1838 census was similar to that of the 1827 census in that it recorded the names of the male heads of household. Not as detailed in statistics as the previous census this one provides details on the number of males and females in each household based on age categories.

A transcription has been provided HERE (includes the census for Lower Prospect).

1851 Census of Nova Scotia

The 1851 Census again only lists the male heads of household as well as statistical information about the rest of the population. The census includes the broader Prospect area including the villages of Blind Bay, Shad Bay, Prospect Bay, Terrence Bay and Lower Prospect.

A transcription can be found here.

1861 Census of Nova Scotia (1557)

The 1861 Census again only lists the male heads of household, as well as, statistical information about the rest of the population. The census includes the communities of Lower Prospect, Terrence Bay, Prospect Bay, Shad Bay and possibly East Dover which is why the combined population for the area in this census is high. There were at least 200 individual households accounted for in this list.

A transcription can be found here.

1871 Census of Canada (pop. 856)

The 1871 Census was the first national census since the four provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick joined for form Canada. This census is significant because it lists the names of all of the individual residents of a household. We see for the first time the names of everyone living at Prospect in 1871.

The enumerator for this census of George Longard of Bayside

Notes: a caution should be given to the ages provided here. It is important to note that a lot of times the information provided to the enumerator might be supplied by the mother or father in the household and/or someone less knowledgeable about exact birth dates and ages. Also, it is worth nothing that the enumerator might have written in ages for people he was close to or knew well which may or may not be accurate.

A transcription of the 1871 Census for Upper Prospect can be found here.

1881 Census of Canada (pop. 1135)

The 1881 Census was the second Census of Canada and is similar in detail to the 1871 Census. The census return includes information for the communities of East Dover, Bayside, Shad Bay and Upper Prospect.

The enumerator was George Longard of Bayside

A transcription of the 1881 Census for Upper Prospect can be found here.

1891 Census of Canada (pop. 662)

The 1891 Census was the third Census of Canada and is similar to both of the previous census with the exception of information related to the racial or ethnic origins of each individuals parents. This information was added to begin the process of accounting for the large number of immigrants coming to Canada and it is useful for genealogical research as it allows us to determine possible places of origin for individuals.

A note of caution: the information provide by individuals of the birth place of their parents needs to be taken with a grain of salt. The individuals may not have actually known the birth place of their parents and in some cases people have been known to assume ethnic origins that are completely different from their actual ethnic origins.

A transcription of the 1891 Census for Upper Prospect can be found here.

1901 Census of Canada (pop. 465)

The 1901 Census was the fourth census of Canada and is important because it is the first census to provide a full birth date for each individual person in a household. This information is useful for genealogists as it is sometimes the only source we have for individuals who were born in the early 1800s.

This census includes the following communities:

Upper Prospect, Page 1, Dwelling 1 to Page 6, Dwelling 60; and Page 9, Dwelling 90 to Page 9, Dwelling 94
Kelly Point, Page 6, Dwelling 61 to Page 7, Dwelling 69
Prospect Bay, Page 7, Dwelling 70 to Page 7, Dwelling 75
Shad Bay, Page 8, Dwelling 76 to Page 9, Dwelling 94
Betty's Island, Page 9

The enumerator for this census was Clarence W. Christian and covers the period April 8 to April 19, 1901.

A transcription of the 1901 Census can be found here.