Otonabee, Ontario (1881 census)
Otonabee was a census subdivision in Ontario, recorded in the 1881 Census of Canada with a population of 4,013. The community is grounded to Wikidata Q115262520. The administrative centroid was at approximately 44.258°N, 78.195°W.
Population
In 1881, Otonabee had a population of 4,013: 2,080 male and 1,933 female residents.
Population trajectory across census years
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1851 | 3,872 |
| 1861 | 4,261 |
| 1871 | 3,992 |
| 1881 | 4,013 |
| 1891 | 3,652 |
| 1901 | 3,456 |
| 1911 | 3,287 |
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.
Earlier boundary forms
- In an earlier year, this CSD was contained in Otonabee, 1871 (88.4% share).
Later boundary forms
- In a later year, this CSD became part of Otonabee, 1891 (87.9% share).
Neighbouring Census Subdivisions in 1881
In the 1881 census, Otonabee shared boundaries with:
Full census record, 1881
The 1881 census recorded 34 measurements for this Census Subdivision across 4 categories.
Population & families (1881). This community's record includes 4,013 total population, 2,080 males, 1,933 females, 1,192 married persons, 721 families, 597 married females, 595 married males, 144 widowed persons, 90 widowed females, 54 widowed males. (Source: 1881 Census of Canada, V1T1.)
Age structure (1881). This community's record includes 2,677 single persons under 18, 1,431 single males under 18, 1,246 single females under 18. (Source: 1881 Census of Canada, V1T1.)
Buildings & housing (1881). This community's record includes 719 occupied houses, 718 inhabited houses, 31 uninhabited houses, 3 houses under construction, 1 dwellings that are temporary vessels. (Source: 1881 Census of Canada, V1T1.)
Agriculture (1881). This community's record includes 185,602 bushels of oats, 79,059 bushels of potatoes, 68,203 bushels of barley, 65,817 bushels of spring wheat, 64,476 bushels of peas and beans, 60,719 bushels of other root crops, 35,691 bushels of turnips, 11,251 bushels of winter wheat, 8,716 acres of wheat, 5,339 acres of hay crops, 5,019 tons of hay, 4,885 bushels of rye, 859 bushels of corn, 828 bushels of clover, timothy, or other grass seed, 579 acres of potatoes, 335 bushels of buckwheat. (Source: 1881 Census of Canada, V3T24.)
People with Dictionary of Canadian Biography entries
The Dictionary of Canadian Biography includes biographies of 3 people connected to this place who were alive in 1881, listed below by birth year. Each name links to that person's DCB entry.
| Name | Lifespan | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Eliza Jane Creighton | 1840–1929 | born here |
| Sir Joseph Wesley Flavelle | 1858–1939 | born here |
| Jessie Knox Munro | 1861–1923 | born here |
Residents in 1881
The 1881 census residents page for this Census Subdivision lists 4,013 individuals enumerated here, with name, age, sex, religion, ethnic origin, birthplace, and occupation. Source: TCP/Dillon 1881 Canadian Census deposit at Borealis.
Identifiers
- TCP UID:
ON125018— year-scoped identifier from the Canadian Census Subdivision boundary file - Persistent place ID:
PLACE_ON112007_1911— computed from spatial-overlap chains across census years - Wikidata: Q115262520
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). "Otonabee, Ontario (1881 census)" in HGIS Canada Knowledge Graph. Retrieved from https://jimclifford.ca/hgiscanada/places/on/otonabee-on125018-1881/.