POST 1901 CENSUS PROJECT
Open the door to Canada's Historic Census
TOWN HALL MEETINGS |
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This page contains correspondence from Patrick Walsh, relating to the Town Hall Meeting held in St John's. Patrick attended the afternoon session of these meetings. From: "Pat Walsh" To: "Gordon A. Watts" Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2002 5:31 PM Subject: Re: Census meetings Hi , Attached is my presentation in St. John's on Jan. 18, 2002. There was not a big crowd there. Two official presenters in the afternoon. None scheduled for the night. The audience were mostly staff from the Provincial Archives or The Archives Assoc. - ANLA. One private citizen spoke in support of the census release. A Memorial University history associate professor spoke of the importance of the census in research and for a particular project he was working on in Montreal. One print media reporter present. She gave a good write -up in The Telegram on Sat. Jan. 19. I am mentioning the census again in the Winter issue (Feb) issue of our Society's magazine. Pat January 18, 2002 Patrick Walsh, President Newfoundland and Labrador Genealogical Society The Newfoundland and Labrador Genealogical Society was founded in 1984 to encourage and facilitate family history research in our province. Interest in genealogy has grown tremendously in recent years. Membership in our Society is now over 800. The majority of our members are from Canada and the United States . We also have several members in Europe and also in Australia. Through our affiliation with the Federation of Family History Societies, we are connected to genealogical societies throughout the world. Over the last several years genealogy has come to play a growing social and economic role in our province. The largest single group of users of the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador ,as well as many community-based archives, are professional and amateur genealogists. Whenever I am asked how do I begin to trace my family tree , I usually reply - Begin with yourself and your immediate family and work your way back. Start with what you know. Then I tell them to make use of our census records. In Newfoundland and Labrador we are very fortunate to have access to the 1921, 1935 and 1945 Newfoundland Census returns. If we are researching names in St. John's East, parts of Bonavista and areas near Corner Brook, we also have access to partial returns of the 1911 Census data. Census records are one of the most valuable sources of genealogical information. It is an excellent tool to help make family connections. Finding an ancestor in a census return provides us with several details about our family connection. We are happiest when we are able to find a clue which will take us back to England or Ireland or to wherever our roots have sprung from. As genealogists we are aware that errors have been made on census returns. When an enumerator knocked on a door , some residents did not understand the questions, while others feared that their answers would be used against them in some way. Since earliest times we have had a fear of being counted. Mostly we were afraid of taxes or of being sent away to War. Regardless of the problems with the census returns, they are a valuable source of basic family information and continue to be used by all amateur and professional genealogists. In recent years many Canadian Genealogical Societies have computerized indexes for the 1891 and 1901 Census returns. The Newfoundland and Labrador Grand Banks Web Site has made available the Newfoundland 1921 Census material for research on the Internet. We have seen the growth of technology in genealogy. It proves that thousands of us want to access primary records online. In early January the British Public Record Office prepared to put the 1901 census records for England and Wales on line. There was such an overwhelming demand for the records that the Computer crashed. As far as I know they are still working on the site. The British records are released after 100 years. The United States is preparing to release the 1930 census material on April 1, 2002.The records are kept confidential for 72 years. In Canada we have been used to seeing census returns after 92 years. We have come to accept that as a reasonable amount of time. But we have been waiting since 1998 for the 1906 census records. Now we are hearing that we may not see the 1911 census records in 2003 as anticipated. Despite the fact that there has not been any outcry or protests over the release of previous census records , we are left wondering why Privacy Commissioner Bruce Phillips called for the destruction of census materials in his 1994-95 annual report. Here in Newfoundland and Labrador we have used our census material wisely. We have discovered details about our ancestors including their age in a particular year and where they lived and place of birth and so many other interesting facts. It has been a positive experience. Our census records are in demand from people all over the world who are seeking their Newfoundland forebearers. Beginning with the 1921 and 1935 Newfoundland Census returns, individuals were able to note their aboriginal status. The 1945 nominal census noted racial origin. The Newfoundland and Labrador Genealogical Society encourages the Federal Government to renew the public access to Census records. We believe that the general public has every confidence and trust in Statistics Canada officials and understands that there is a 92 year hold on the release of information. There has been too many years spent on this issue and it should now be made into law. We feel strongly that the Government should accept the recommendations of the Report of the Expert Panel on Access to Historic Census Records. There is no other option. We want access. Tl he Globe and Mail newspaper , in a lead editorial on November 12, 1999, observed, "Making [census] information available to legitimate researchers after the passage of 92 years is an opportunity, not a problem...Change the law." Returns from all of the censuses up to and including 1901 are freely available , and are among the most frequently consulted records in the National Archives. During a recent visit to Ottawa I spent some time at the National Archives using the 1901 Census for Nova Scotia to help me find a relative who moved from Harbour Grace. I was surprised by the number of Newfoundlanders who had moved to North Sydney to find work. Some of the questions asked on the census return included : the names of each member of the family or household; month and date of birth; year of immigration to Canada and racial or tribal origin as well as occupation. While in Ottawa I said to myself I hope that this is not the last Census year that I will be able to look at . How much more will I be able to find out about my relatives in the 1906 and 1911 Census returns? Our Society accepts that there has to be balance between the citizen's right to privacy and the researcher's access to valuable information. Genealogists, and other researchers have been accessing raw census data to tell the story of Canada in the late nineteenth century. Historians and others have analyzed census returns to reconstruct family and local histories, medical history and disease occurrences, and much more. If researchers are going to be able to tell a story about our ancestors , then they must have access to census data to give a true picture. Many hundreds of Canadians have expressed to our Industry Ministers the value of census data for genealogical, historical, and other research. Census material must be made available so that researchers can continue to conduct research into their families' past. We believe that Census records should be transferred to the custody and control of the National Archives of Canada and released on a regular and continuing basis according to existing regulations. |
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