Peterborough, C, Ontario (1871 census)
Peterborough, C was a city in Ontario, recorded in the 1871 Census of Canada with a population of 4,611. The community is grounded to Wikidata Q776930. The administrative centroid was at approximately 44.301°N, 78.331°W.
Population
In 1871, Peterborough, C had a population of 4,611: 2,293 male and 2,318 female residents.
Population trajectory across census years
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1851 | 2,191 |
| 1861 | 3,979 |
| 1871 | 4,611 |
| 1881 | 6,812 |
| 1911 | 18,360 |
| 1921 | 20,994 |
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 became part of Peterborough, C, 1881 (88.7% share).
Neighbouring Census Subdivisions in 1871
In the 1871 census, Peterborough, C shared boundaries with:
Full census record, 1871
The 1871 census recorded 18 measurements for this Census Subdivision across 4 categories.
Population & families (1871). This community's record includes 4,611 total population, 2,318 females, 2,293 males, 1,443 married persons, 876 families, 722 married males, 721 married females, 190 widowed persons, 149 widowed females, 41 widowed males. (Source: 1871 Census of Canada, V1T1.)
Age structure (1871). This community's record includes 2,978 single persons under 18, 1,530 single males under 18, 1,448 single females under 18. (Source: 1871 Census of Canada, V1T1.)
Buildings & housing (1871). This community's record includes 814 inhabited houses, 814 occupied houses, 10 houses under construction, 2 uninhabited houses. (Source: 1871 Census of Canada, V1T1.)
Agriculture (1871). This community's record includes 1,583 total area (acres). (Source: 1871 Census of Canada, V1T1.)
People with Dictionary of Canadian Biography entries
The Dictionary of Canadian Biography includes biographies of 5 people connected to this place who were alive in 1871, listed below by birth year. Each name links to that person's DCB entry.
| Name | Lifespan | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| David Fife | 1805–1877 | died here |
| William Tassie | 1815–1886 | died here |
| Jean-François Jamot | 1828–1886 | died here |
| Sir Joseph Wesley Flavelle | 1858–1939 | born here |
| Jessie Knox Munro | 1861–1923 | died here |
Identifiers
- TCP UID:
ON056003— year-scoped identifier from the Canadian Census Subdivision boundary file - Persistent place ID:
PLACE_ON138017— computed from spatial-overlap chains across census years - Wikidata: Q776930
- Wikipedia (EN): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterborough,_Ontario
- Wikipédia (FR): https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterborough_(Ontario)
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). "Peterborough, C, Ontario (1871 census)" in HGIS Canada Knowledge Graph. Retrieved from https://jimclifford.ca/hgiscanada/places/on/peterborough-c-on056003-1871/.