Sarnia, Ontario (1881 census)
Sarnia was a census subdivision in Ontario, recorded in the 1881 Census of Canada with a population of 3,583. The community is grounded to Wikidata Q115262762. The administrative centroid was at approximately 42.965°N, 82.323°W.
Population
In 1881, Sarnia had a population of 3,583: 1,859 male and 1,724 female residents. Population density was 46.0 people per square mile.
Population trajectory across census years
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1851 | 1,384 |
| 1861 | 1,560 |
| 1871 | 3,438 |
| 1881 | 3,583 |
| 1891 | 2,937 |
| 1901 | 2,632 |
| 1911 | 2,663 |
| 1921 | 2,583 |
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, Sarnia 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 | 669 |
| Number of families | 669 |
| Number of females | 1,724 |
| Number of males | 1,859 |
| Number of married females | 549 |
| Number of married males | 551 |
| Number of married persons | 1,100 |
| Number of widowed females | 96 |
| Number of widowed males | 50 |
| Number of widowed persons | 146 |
| POP TOT | 3,583 |
| Total population | 3,583 |
Age structure (3 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of single females under 18 | 1,079 |
| Number of single males under 18 | 1,258 |
| Number of single persons under 18 | 2,337 |
Buildings & housing (5 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of dwellings that are temporary shanties | 4 |
| Number of houses under construction | 3 |
| Number of inhabited houses | 660 |
| Number of occupied houses | 664 |
| Number of uninhabited houses | 14 |
Agriculture (29 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Acres of hay crops | 3,499 |
| Acres of potatoes | 571 |
| Acres of wheat | 2,775 |
| BAR BU | 35,249 |
| Bushels of barley produced in the past year | 35,249 |
| Bushels of buckwheat produced in the past year | 833 |
| Bushels of clover, timothy, or other grass seed produced in the past year | 45 |
| Bushels of corn produced in the past year | 22,377 |
| Bushels of oats produced in the past year | 80,635 |
| Bushels of other root crops produced in the past year | 22,008 |
| Bushels of peas and beans produced in the past year | 746 |
| Bushels of potatoes produced in the past year | 45,090 |
| Bushels of rye produced in the past year | 415 |
| Bushels of spring wheat produced in the past year | 3,064 |
| Bushels of turnips produced in the past year | 9,473 |
| Bushels of winter wheat produced in the past year | 41,682 |
| BWT BU | 833 |
| CRN BU | 22,377 |
| HAY AC | 3,499 |
| HAY TONS | 4,246 |
| OAT BU | 80,635 |
| PEA AND BEN BU | 746 |
| POT AC | 571 |
| POT BU | 45,090 |
| RYE BU | 415 |
| Tons of hay produced in the past year | 4,246 |
| WHT AC | 2,775 |
| WHT SP BU | 3,064 |
| WHT WTR BU | 41,682 |
Other recorded variables (20 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| C UNMD F | 1,079 |
| C UNMD M | 1,258 |
| C UNMD TOT | 2,337 |
| D OCC | 664 |
| FEMALE | 1,724 |
| GRA BU | 45 |
| H CON | 3 |
| H INHAB | 660 |
| H UNINH | 14 |
| MALE | 1,859 |
| MD F | 549 |
| MD M | 551 |
| MD TOT | 1,100 |
| NUMBER CD | 179 |
| OTHR ROOT BU | 22,008 |
| SHAN | 4 |
| TUR BU | 9,473 |
| WID F | 96 |
| WID M | 50 |
| WID TOT | 146 |
Identifiers
- TCP UID:
ON179002— year-scoped identifier from the Canadian Census Subdivision boundary file - Persistent place ID:
PLACE_ON122008— computed from spatial-overlap chains across census years - Wikidata: Q115262762
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). "Sarnia, Ontario (1881 census)" in HGIS Canada Knowledge Graph. Retrieved from https://jimclifford.ca/hgiscanada/places/on/sarnia-on179002-1881/.