Prospectus

We construct the PIM database from Canadian, British and US censuses 1871-1901 and enlistment records and associated medical exams of the Canadian military 1899-1902 and 1914-1919. These censuses document, for each person, regardless of social status or other distinguishing characteristics, age, marital status, ethnicity, occupation, household circumstance and geographic location. This information richly documents the diversity of individual lives and allows us to view the broad structures of society and economy as the product of, and an influence upon, individual circumstance. Yet each census, taken in isolation, provides no more than a single snapshot. PIM greatly enhances the value of this information by following individuals through time.

Dr. Luiza Antonie leads the development of the computational system that link together information for individuals found in multiple sources. A description of the system in the early stages of its development is available here. Important innovations in the science of data mining and identity resolution with imprecise information are anticipated in the course of developing the PIM record linkage system.

Dr. Andrew Ross is organizing the preparation of underlying data sources, many of which must be cleaned, standardized and coded before being used. Additional data preparation will be needed to add missing fields to linked records in some of the complete count databases. The underlying data available December 2010 are:

  • 1871 Canadian census sample created by Gordon Darroch and Michael Ornstein
  • 1871 Canadian census sample created at the University of Guelph
  • 1871 Canadian census complete count database provided by genealogical partners
  • 1871 Scottish census sample created at the University of Guelph
  • 1880 US census complete count database provided by genealogical partners and the NAPP project
  • 1881 British census complete count database provided by genealogical partners and the NAPP project
  • 1881 Canadian census complete count database provided by genealogical partners and the NAPP project
  • 1891 Canadian census complete count database provided by genealogical partners
  • 1880 US census complete count database provided by genealogical partners
  • 1901 Canadian census complete count database provided by genealogical partners
  • 1899-1902 Canadian military database created at the University of Guelph
  • 1914-1919 Canadian military database created at the University of Guelph

In addition the University of Guelph is collaborating with genealogists and academic partners to complete an 1861 Canadian census complete count database.

By the end of the project in 2015 we anticipate being able to follow accurately tens of thousands of Canadians for each of 1871-1880/81, 1881-1891 and 1891-1900/01 and a comparable proportion of the Scottish records from 1871 to 1880 (US) and 1881 (Scotland, England and Canada). We also link Canadian- and British-born members of the Canadian army back to the relevant historic censuses.

The PIM project collaborates closely with The Last Best West: The Alberta Land Settlement Infrastructure Project at the University of Alberta and with colleagues developing life-course data at the Université Laval, Université de Montréal and Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. This Canadian research is being advanced within the larger framework of the North Atlantic Population Project headquartered at the University of Minnesota.

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