Essa, Ontario (1881 census)
Essa was a census subdivision in Ontario, recorded in the 1881 Census of Canada with a population of 4,666. The community is grounded to Wikidata Q115261414. The administrative centroid was at approximately 44.257°N, 79.812°W.
Population
In 1881, Essa had a population of 4,666: 2,431 male and 2,235 female residents. Population density was 40.7 people per square mile.
Population trajectory across census years
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1851 | 1,507 |
| 1861 | 2,904 |
| 1871 | 4,221 |
| 1881 | 4,666 |
| 1891 | 3,592 |
| 1901 | 3,438 |
| 1911 | 3,084 |
| 1921 | 2,910 |
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, Essa shared boundaries with:
Full census record, 1881
The 1881 census recorded 69 measurements for this Census Subdivision across 5 categories. Tables below are collapsible.
Population & families (12 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| FAM NO | 838 |
| Number of families | 838 |
| Number of females | 2,235 |
| Number of males | 2,431 |
| Number of married females | 709 |
| Number of married males | 707 |
| Number of married persons | 1,416 |
| Number of widowed females | 74 |
| Number of widowed males | 36 |
| Number of widowed persons | 110 |
| POP TOT | 4,666 |
| Total population | 4,666 |
Age structure (3 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of single females under 18 | 1,452 |
| Number of single males under 18 | 1,688 |
| Number of single persons under 18 | 3,140 |
Buildings & housing (5 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of dwellings that are temporary shanties | 4 |
| Number of houses under construction | 5 |
| Number of inhabited houses | 834 |
| Number of occupied houses | 838 |
| Number of uninhabited houses | 27 |
Agriculture (29 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Acres of hay crops | 4,142 |
| Acres of potatoes | 598 |
| Acres of wheat | 10,811 |
| BAR BU | 61,332 |
| Bushels of barley produced in the past year | 61,332 |
| Bushels of buckwheat produced in the past year | 124 |
| Bushels of clover, timothy, or other grass seed produced in the past year | 201 |
| Bushels of corn produced in the past year | 171 |
| Bushels of oats produced in the past year | 135,885 |
| Bushels of other root crops produced in the past year | 16,904 |
| Bushels of peas and beans produced in the past year | 33,584 |
| Bushels of potatoes produced in the past year | 69,813 |
| Bushels of rye produced in the past year | 1,857 |
| Bushels of spring wheat produced in the past year | 30,420 |
| Bushels of turnips produced in the past year | 38,987 |
| Bushels of winter wheat produced in the past year | 130,565 |
| BWT BU | 124 |
| CRN BU | 171 |
| HAY AC | 4,142 |
| HAY TONS | 5,225 |
| OAT BU | 135,885 |
| PEA AND BEN BU | 33,584 |
| POT AC | 598 |
| POT BU | 69,813 |
| RYE BU | 1,857 |
| Tons of hay produced in the past year | 5,225 |
| WHT AC | 10,811 |
| WHT SP BU | 30,420 |
| WHT WTR BU | 130,565 |
Other recorded variables (20 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| C UNMD F | 1,452 |
| C UNMD M | 1,688 |
| C UNMD TOT | 3,140 |
| D OCC | 838 |
| FEMALE | 2,235 |
| GRA BU | 201 |
| H CON | 5 |
| H INHAB | 834 |
| H UNINH | 27 |
| MALE | 2,431 |
| MD F | 709 |
| MD M | 707 |
| MD TOT | 1,416 |
| NUMBER CD | 138 |
| OTHR ROOT BU | 16,904 |
| SHAN | 4 |
| TUR BU | 38,987 |
| WID F | 74 |
| WID M | 36 |
| WID TOT | 110 |
Identifiers
- TCP UID:
ON138006— year-scoped identifier from the Canadian Census Subdivision boundary file - Persistent place ID:
PLACE_ON144002— computed from spatial-overlap chains across census years - Wikidata: Q115261414
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). "Essa, Ontario (1881 census)" in HGIS Canada Knowledge Graph. Retrieved from https://jimclifford.ca/hgiscanada/places/on/essa-on138006-1881/.