Category: Recensement de la Nouvelle-France en 1666

Categories: Canada, Nouvelle-France | Chronicles of New France | Quebecois

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The 1666 census was done under the direction of Intendant Talon. He arrived in the colony in September 1665, wanting to know the population, resources and the economic conditions of the country.
"Many have asked what time of year the first census of New France was established. Cyprien Tanguay, author of Genealogical Dictionary of Canadian Families, established conclusively, using the registers of civil status, the 1666 census was done in the months of February and March." "Trudel 1995-41">Trudel 1995, p. 41:« Dans son ensemble, le recensement couvre une période qui débute dans les premiers jours de janvier, bat son plein dans les mois d’hiver et se termine vers la fin d’avril, sauf à Québec où il se prolonge jusqu'à la fin de juillet. Tout semble terminé quand les navires arrivent, les premiers jours d’aoùt. »

Intendant Jean Talon began his administrative appointment by taking stock of the colony. This included a systematic census in the winter of 1665 - 1666, and another census in 1667, done after receiving queries from minister Colbert on the small numebrs shown. He conducted his census on the de jure principle – that is, counting people where they normally reside.

The 1666 census is in 163 pages of manuscript. It is deposited in the Archives of Paris, and there is a copy in the Parliamentary Library at Ottawa.


  • Jean-Guy Senécal, Laval University, Québec, used optical character recognition software to render photocopies of Benjamin Sulte's transcription of the 1666 Census of New France into a searchable word-processor document that facilitates working with the census report. A copy can be downloaded at: Google Document: 1666 Census of New France].
  • Another transcription :

Pascal Bouchard's Census pages

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