The Irish Community in Canada 1850-1900 Using the Census

• The following slides illustrate the “big questions” that can be asked of any immigrant group. We use the largest group of emigrants in the late 19th century, the Irish, to ask universal questions.

• Where did they come from? (the South and West of Ireland) • Who were they? (young, family groups, religious groups) • What did they work at? (unskilled labour, child labour and paid

domestic chores performed by women in railway shanties but not in the timber camps etc.)

• How did they change over the generations? (jobs, sociological, political, sporting activity etc.)

• How did they compare to other cultural communities? (Montreal’s French, Irish, & Eng-Protestants)

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Origins of Irish in Montreal before and after the Famine.

The census questions changed, so slightly different groups were used to show where the Irish in Montreal came from. .

Counties of origin

The Irish Origins of Montreal’s Irish community of 1850 did not reflect the geographic distribution of Famine emigration.

Why not?

We used the surname ‘Ryan’ to link Irish Montrealers to their roots in Ireland.

Ryan households 1880In Irish neighbourhoods

Counties of origin

Households by occupational status and cultural community 1842−1901

Occupational status

A Merchants and manufacturers

B Professionals

C Clerks

D Skilled crafts (moulder, plasterer, printer)

E Semi-skilled (painter, carter)

F Labourers.

Literacy

Geographic mobility in the 1840’s brought upward social mobility by 1901 among Irish Catholics

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10

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30

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50

60

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80

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1842 1861 1871 1881 1891 1901

Per

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t

Bourgeoisie

Clerks

Skilled

Semi-skilled

Labourers

Sources: Census of Canada, sample of surname Ryan

ETHNIC ORIGINS OF RAILROAD WORKERS ON THE EASTERN TOWNSHIPS SECTION OF THE GTR (1852 Census)

• Irish Catholics 75%• Irish Protestants 6%• Scots 8%• English 4%• French Canadians 4%• British Canadians 2%

Age composition of the 1,800 Navvies working on the Grand Trunk railway in Lower Canada (Quebec) 1852 Census

• Under 16 7%• 16-20 15%• 21-25 23%• 26-35 29%• 36-45 17%• 46-55 6%• 56-65 1%