Elma, Ontario (1881 census)
Elma was a census subdivision in Ontario, recorded in the 1881 Census of Canada with a population of 4,421. The community is grounded to Wikidata Q115261391. The administrative centroid was at approximately 43.655°N, 81.011°W.
Population
In 1881, Elma had a population of 4,421: 2,279 male and 2,142 female residents. Population density was 39.1 people per square mile.
Population trajectory across census years
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1851 | — |
| 1861 | 2,392 |
| 1871 | 3,616 |
| 1881 | 4,421 |
| 1891 | 4,231 |
| 1901 | 4,159 |
| 1911 | 3,789 |
| 1921 | 3,374 |
Cross-year identity established by spatial polygon overlap (SAME_AS chains across the Canadian Census Subdivision boundary files).
Neighbouring Census Subdivisions in 1881
In the 1881 census, Elma shared boundaries with:
Full census record, 1881
The 1881 census recorded 67 measurements for this Census Subdivision across 5 categories. Tables below are collapsible.
Population & families (12 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| FAM NO | 783 |
| Number of families | 783 |
| Number of females | 2,142 |
| Number of males | 2,279 |
| Number of married females | 685 |
| Number of married males | 681 |
| Number of married persons | 1,366 |
| Number of widowed females | 73 |
| Number of widowed males | 31 |
| Number of widowed persons | 104 |
| POP TOT | 4,421 |
| Total population | 4,421 |
Age structure (3 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of single females under 18 | 1,384 |
| Number of single males under 18 | 1,567 |
| Number of single persons under 18 | 2,951 |
Buildings & housing (4 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of houses under construction | 17 |
| Number of inhabited houses | 767 |
| Number of occupied houses | 767 |
| Number of uninhabited houses | 7 |
Agriculture (29 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Acres of hay crops | 5,548 |
| Acres of potatoes | 460 |
| Acres of wheat | 6,343 |
| BAR BU | 11,077 |
| Bushels of barley produced in the past year | 11,077 |
| Bushels of buckwheat produced in the past year | 2 |
| Bushels of clover, timothy, or other grass seed produced in the past year | 125 |
| Bushels of corn produced in the past year | 56 |
| Bushels of oats produced in the past year | 142,341 |
| Bushels of other root crops produced in the past year | 32,215 |
| Bushels of peas and beans produced in the past year | 50,809 |
| Bushels of potatoes produced in the past year | 57,939 |
| Bushels of rye produced in the past year | 63 |
| Bushels of spring wheat produced in the past year | 16,592 |
| Bushels of turnips produced in the past year | 182,010 |
| Bushels of winter wheat produced in the past year | 67,880 |
| BWT BU | 2 |
| CRN BU | 56 |
| HAY AC | 5,548 |
| HAY TONS | 7,118 |
| OAT BU | 142,341 |
| PEA AND BEN BU | 50,809 |
| POT AC | 460 |
| POT BU | 57,939 |
| RYE BU | 63 |
| Tons of hay produced in the past year | 7,118 |
| WHT AC | 6,343 |
| WHT SP BU | 16,592 |
| WHT WTR BU | 67,880 |
Other recorded variables (19 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| C UNMD F | 1,384 |
| C UNMD M | 1,567 |
| C UNMD TOT | 2,951 |
| D OCC | 767 |
| FEMALE | 2,142 |
| GRA BU | 125 |
| H CON | 17 |
| H INHAB | 767 |
| H UNINH | 7 |
| MALE | 2,279 |
| MD F | 685 |
| MD M | 681 |
| MD TOT | 1,366 |
| NUMBER CD | 172 |
| OTHR ROOT BU | 32,215 |
| TUR BU | 182,010 |
| WID F | 73 |
| WID M | 31 |
| WID TOT | 104 |
Identifiers
- TCP UID:
ON172005— year-scoped identifier from the Canadian Census Subdivision boundary file - Persistent place ID:
PLACE_ON137006— computed from spatial-overlap chains across census years - Wikidata: Q115261391
Sources
Census tabulations from the 1881 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). "Elma, Ontario (1881 census)" in HGIS Canada Knowledge Graph. Retrieved from https://jimclifford.ca/hgiscanada/places/on/elma-on172005-1881/.