Colchester, Ontario (1871 census)
Colchester was a census subdivision in Ontario, recorded in the 1871 Census of Canada with a population of 2,920. The administrative centroid was at approximately 42.084°N, 82.900°W.
Population
In 1871, Colchester had a population of 2,920: 1,505 male and 1,415 female residents. Population density was 25.6 people per square mile.
Population trajectory across census years
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1851 | 1,870 |
| 1861 | 2,656 |
| 1871 | 2,920 |
Cross-year identity established by spatial polygon overlap (SAME_AS chains across the Canadian Census Subdivision boundary files).
Boundary continuity (non-identical overlaps)
Spatial polygon overlaps with adjacent census years where the boundary shifted enough that the SAME_AS chain didn't merge them. These show where the territory came from and went to even when it isn't tracked as the same persistent place.
Later boundary forms
- In a later year, this CSD contained Colchester S, 1881 (52.7% of this CSD's polygon).
- In a later year, this CSD contained Colchester N, 1881 (47.3% of this CSD's polygon).
Neighbouring Census Subdivisions in 1871
In the 1871 census, Colchester shared boundaries with:
Full census record, 1871
The 1871 census recorded 55 measurements for this Census Subdivision across 5 categories. Tables below are collapsible.
Population & families (10 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of families | 542 |
| Number of females | 1,415 |
| Number of males | 1,505 |
| Number of married females | 476 |
| Number of married males | 476 |
| Number of married persons | 952 |
| Number of widowed females | 55 |
| Number of widowed males | 36 |
| Number of widowed persons | 91 |
| Total population | 2,920 |
Age structure (3 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of single females under 18 | 884 |
| Number of single males under 18 | 993 |
| Number of single persons under 18 | 1,877 |
Buildings & housing (4 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of houses under construction | 9 |
| Number of inhabited houses | 540 |
| Number of occupied houses | 540 |
| Number of uninhabited houses | 3 |
Agriculture (13 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| BAR BU | 4,591 |
| BWT BU | 1,431 |
| CRN BU | 108,021 |
| HAY AC | 2,057 |
| HAY TONS | 2,393 |
| OAT BU | 51,325 |
| PEA BU | 2,208 |
| POT AC | 293 |
| POT BU | 23,992 |
| RYE BU | 194 |
| Total area (acres) | 65,823 |
| WHT SP BU | 4,966 |
| WHT WTR BU | 31,301 |
Other recorded variables (25 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| ACRES | 3,072 |
| AREA | 65,823 |
| BEING BUILT | 9 |
| BEN BU | 355 |
| CD | 1 |
| CSD | 4 |
| FAMILIES | 542 |
| FEMALE | 1,415 |
| GRA BU | 277 |
| HOUSES OCCUPIED | 540 |
| INHABITED | 540 |
| MALE | 1,505 |
| MARRIED F | 476 |
| MARRIED M | 476 |
| MARRIED TOTAL | 952 |
| POPULATION | 2,920 |
| ROOT BU | 4,082 |
| SINGLE F | 884 |
| SINGLE M | 993 |
| SINGLE TOTAL | 1,877 |
| TUR BU | 3,730 |
| UNINHABITED | 3 |
| WIDOWED F | 55 |
| WIDOWED M | 36 |
| WIDOWED TOTAL | 91 |
Identifiers
- TCP UID:
ON001004— year-scoped identifier from the Canadian Census Subdivision boundary file - Persistent place ID:
PLACE_ON001004— computed from spatial-overlap chains across census years - Wikidata: not yet grounded. This page covers a place whose persistent identity has not yet been linked to a Wikidata entity. Identification is via TCP UID and spatial polygon only.
Sources
Census tabulations from the 1871 Census of Canada, transcribed and georeferenced by the Canadian Peoples / TCP project, hosted at the HGIS Lab, University of Saskatchewan. Persistent place identity computed from spatial-overlap chains across all available census years (1851–1921). Identity grounding to Wikidata performed via the HGIS Canada Knowledge Graph project's MCP-assisted disambiguation pipeline. See the About / Methodology page for the full data pipeline.
Cite this page
Clifford, J. (2026). "Colchester, Ontario (1871 census)" in HGIS Canada Knowledge Graph. Retrieved from https://jimclifford.ca/hgiscanada/places/on/colchester-on001004-1871/.