Census Reports of Interest to the (Theresa) Burke Family

This file last modified 4/15/2011...


One of the sources for information are the various census reports - some of which are available on the Internet. Discrepancies abound, which makes it hard sometimes to be accurate. In the examples below, look at the census reports of the families of Marie Bourc, to give you an idea how inaccurate and misleading these may be. On the other hand, these reports can be quite informative, even as to the way of life of these people....


Census Report - 1671, Port Royal - Households

(note common discrepancies in ages, quantities, spellings)

Husband, Antoine Bourc age 62 --
Wife, Antoinette Landry age 53 --
Francois age 27 married
Marie age 26 married
Jehan age 24 married
Bernard age 22 married
Martin age 21 --
Jeanne age 18 --
Renée age 16 --
Huguette age 14 --
Jeanne age 12 --
Abraham age 9 --
Marguerite age 4 --
Cattle 12 --
Sheep 8 --

Husband, Francois Bour(c) age 28
Wife, Marguerite Boudrot age 23
Michel age 5
Marie age 3
Cattle 15
Sheep --

Husband, Vincent Brot age 40
Wife, Marie Bourc age 26
Marie age 9
Antoine age 5
Marguerite age 3
Pierre age 1
Cattle 9
Sheep 7

Husband, Jehan (Jean) Bour(c) age 26
Wife, Marguerite Martin age 27
Ann age 3
Marguerite age 1.5
Cattle 3
Sheep 5

Husband, Bernard Bour(c) age 23
Wife, Francoise Brun age 19
Marie
age ?
Cattle 6
Sheep 9

as an aside...

Husband, René Landry age 52 --
Wife, Perrine Bourc (Antoine's sister) age 45 --
Henriette age 30 married
Jeanne age 28 married
Marie age 25 married
Marie age 23 married
Magdelene age 15 --
Pierre age 13 --
Claude age 8 --
Cattle 10 --
Sheep 6 --


Census Report - late 1678, Port Royal

Antoine Bourg & Thoinette Landry 3 acres 6 cattle 1 gun 1 boy - age 10 1 girl - age 11
Bernard Bourg & Francoise Brun 1 acre 8 beasts 1 gun 1 boy - age 3 4 girls - ages 8, 5, 4, 2
Martin Bourg & Marie Potet -- 4 cattle 1 gun 1 boy - 6 months 1 girl - age 3
Charles Boudrot & Renée Bourg -- 9 cattle 1 gun 2 boys - ages 5, 4 2 girls - ages 3 and 1
Pierre Comeau & Jeanne Bourg -- 2 cattle -- -- 1 girl
Rene Landry and Perrine Bourg 1 acre 10 cattle -- 2 boys - ages 20, 15 1 girl - age 23

(many missing names here)


Census Report - late 1686, Port Royal - Households

Husband, Antoine Bour(c) age 95 (s/b 87)
Wife, Antoine(tte) Landry age 80
Marguerite age 18

Note : Arpents are a French land measure, .845 acre.

Husband, Vincent Breau (deceased)
Wife, Marie Bourc age 50
Antoine age 22
Marguerite age 18
Pierre age 16
Anne age 14
Francois age 12
Jean age 11
Marie age 9
Jeanne age 6
René age 3
Susanne (Isabelle, or Elisabeth) 2 months
Arpents 3
Cattle 6
Sheep 4
Hogs 6

(compare with this table - from the same census)

Husband, Vincent Brot (deceased)
Wife, Marie Bourc age 41
Antoine age 20
Marguerite age 18
Pierre age 16
Anne age 17
Francois age 11
Jean age 11
Marie age 7
Jeanne age 9
René age 3
Isabelle (or Elisabeth) 5 months
Arpents (land measure, approx. one acre) 4
Cattle 10
Sheep 5
Hogs 5

Husband, Jean Bourc age 40
Wife, Marguerite Martin age 41
Ann age 18
Marguerite age 16
Marie age 13
Isabelle age 10
Magdelaine age 8
Catherine age 6
Jean-Baptiste age 3
Guns 1
Arpents 12
Cattle 16
Sheep 15
Hogs 12

Husband, Bernard Bourc age 36
Wife, Francoise Brun age 34
Marie age 15
Marguerite age 13
Rene age 9
Anne age 8
Jeanne age 6
Claire age 4
Francois age 3
Abraham age 1
Guns 1
Arpents 3
Cattle 4
Sheep 6
Hogs 6

Husband, Martin Bourc age 36
Wife, Marie Potet age 29
Marie age 10
Abraham age 7
Pierre age 5
Jeanne age 2
Guns 1
Arpents 3
Cattle 4
Sheep 5
Hogs 6

Husband, Abraham Bourc age 25
Wife, Marie Brun age 24
Jean age 2
Marguerite 6 months
Guns 1
Arpents 6
Cattle 10
Sheep 10
Hogs 8

Husband, Bastien Brun age 32
Wife, Hugette Bourg age 28
Jeanne age 9
Claude age 7
Abraham age 6
Vincent age 5
Jean age 4
Antoine age 1
Guns 1
Cattle 12
Sheep 12
Hogs 10

Husband, Pierre Como age 32
Wife, Jeanne Bourc age 22
Marie age 8
Abraham age 7
Marguerite age 6
Anne age 5
Jeanne age 4
Joseph 5 months
Guns 1
Cattle 10
Sheep 10
Hogs 6

as an aside...

Husband, René Landry (not mentioned) age ? --
Wife, Perrine Bourc (Antoine's sister) age 74
Claude age 24
Claude's wife Marguerite Terriot age 20
(Claude's) child Marguerite age 18 months
Guns 1
Arpents 3
Cattle 7
Sheep 8
Hogs 6


Census Report - late 1698, Port Royal - Households

(compare to Marie Bourc in previous reports)

Husband, Vincent Brun (deceased)
Wife, Marie Bourc age 53
Marguerite age 28
Francois age 24
Jean age 22
Anne age 20
Marie age 18
Jeanne age 17
René age 15
Elisabeth age 13
Arpents 8
Cattle 12
Sheep 15
Hogs 12
Fruit trees 30

Marie Bourg, widow age 25
Cattle age 4
Sheep age 6

Husband, Pierre LeBlanc age 35
Wife, Madeleine Bourg age 21
Pierre age 13
Madeleine age 3
Guns 2
Arpents 22
Cattle 18
Sheep 12
Hogs 12
Fruit trees 10

Husband, Pierre Comeau age 47
Wife, Jeanne Bourg age 37
Abraham age 18
Margueritte age 17
Anne age 16
Jeanne age 15
Joseph age 14
Madeleine age 13
Pierre age 12
Angelique age 11
Twins Elisabeth and Catherine age 10
Francoise age 9
Cecile age 7
Jean age 2
Guns 1
Arpents 26
Cattle 11
Sheep 15
Hogs 8
Fruit trees 30

Husband, Louis Allain age 44
Wife, Marguerite Bourg age 31
Pierre age 7
Marie age 5
Guns 4
Arpents 5.5
Cattle 10
Sheep 12
Hogs 8
Fruit trees 31
Servants 1

Husband, Jean Belliveau age 44
Wife, Jeanne Bourg age 44
Charles age 20
Antoinette age 18
Guns 3
Arpents 19
Cattle 15
Sheep 15
Hogs 8

Husband, Claude Dugas (his second wife) age 49
Wife, Marguerite Bourg age 24
Claude age 21
Joseph age 18
Marguerite age 17
Anne age 15
Jeanne age 13
Agnes age 12
Francois age 11
Madeleine age 10
Cecile age 8
Marie age 7
Elisabeth 3 months
Guns 3
Arpents 32
Cattle 25
Sheep 25
Hogs 6
Fruit trees 20

Husband, Bernard Bourg age 50
Wife, Francoise Brun age 46
Rene age 21
Jeanne age 19
Anne age 17
Clair age 15
Francoise age 14
Abraham age 12
Renée age 12
Marie age 7
Claire age 4
Guns age 2
Arpents 35
Cattle 19
Sheep 40
Hogs 12
Fruit trees 45

Husband, Martin Bourg age 48
Wife, Marie Potet age 42
Abraham age 20
Pierre age 18
Jeanne age 15
Ambroise age 12
Francois age 10
Marie age 10
Madeleine age 4
Charles 6 months
Guns 2
Arpents 35
Cattle 19
Sheep 27
Hogs 9
Fruit trees 45

Husband, Abraham Bourg age 38
Wife, Marie Brun age 40
Francois age 20
Jean-Baptiste age 15
Marguerite age 13
Claude age 11
Pierre age 9
Marie age 7
Michel age 5
Charles age 3
Joseph 6 months
Guns 2
Arpents 16
Cattle 12
Sheep 20
Hogs 12
Fruit trees 60


Enumeration of August 28, 1714

Port Royal Abraham Bourc and wife, four sons, 1 daughter
Port Royal Pierre Bourc and wife
Port Royal Bernard Bourc and wife, 1 son, 3 daughters
Port Royal Abraham Bourc and wife, 1 son, 1 daughter

Les Mines/Grand Pré

Alexandre Bourc and wife, 1 son, 1 daughter
Pisiguit Isabell Bourg with widow Godet, 2 sons, 1 daughter
Cobeguit Martin Bourq and wife
Cobeguit Jean Bourq and wife, 1 son, 3 daughters
Cobeguit Pierre Bourq and wife, 4 sons
Cobeguit Abraham Bourq and wife, 2 sons, 3 daughters
Cobeguit Jean Bourq and wife, 4 sons, 3 daughters
Beaubassin Marguerite Bourq and husband Martin Richard, 4 sons, 3 daughters
Beaubassin Marguerite Bourq Guillaume Sire, widow Marie Girouard, 3 sons
Beaubassin Marie Bourq with husband Antoine Godet, 1 daughter, orphan Paschalin
Beaubassin Michel Bourq with wife Marie Cormier


Census of Canada, Province of Nova Scotia, District No. 41 Richmond, Sub-District No. 6, River Bourgeois - portions of interest...

Taken by Daniel Sampson, April 6, 1891. 225 families recorded.

Husband, Damian Burk age 70
Fisherman
Wife, Domitille age 69
--
Son, Charles age 28
Fisherman

Husband, John Thebo age 32 Labourer, lobster factory
Wife, Annie age 20
--
Daughter, Ellen Jane age 4
--
Son, John Henry age 1
--
Mother, Susan age 58
--

Widower, Aime Burk age 40
Fisherman
Son, Abraham age 16
--

Husband, Abraham Burk age 29
Fisherman
Wife, Matilda age 30
--


Censuses of 1811 and 1818

These censuses appear online at this link...

In this information is from the Census of 1811, many family names appear in this census (i.e. Boureq, Landry, Samson, etc.). In District 6 River Bourgeois, St.Peter's, these Boureqs can be found...

Head of family Joseph Boureq Peter Boureq John Boureq
Occupation Fisherman Fisherman Fisherman
Males between 14 and 60 years 1 1 1
Females between 14 and 60 years 0 1 1
Males and females unmarried 4 2 1
Males and females above 60 years 1 0 0
Males under 14 years 3 2 0
Females under 14 years 1 0 1
Male and female servants 0 0 0
Cattle 3 3 1
Sheep 5 6 1
Horses 0 0 0
Vessels 1 0 0
Station River Bourgeois River Bourgeois River Bourgeois

Deductively, some observations and confirmations can be made...

1) that Joseph was the owner of the boat they were using (but other records show that he co-owned the boat with Peter Boureq (relation unknown), and the boat was the Nancy).

2) that all three men were married, but the census was taken after Joseph's first wife (Ruffine Landry) had died, and before he had remarried (to Anne Boucher, in 1812).

3) that one male over 60 years of age lived with Joseph (in fact, his father Pierre)

4) that it was common to farm and raise animals while being a fisherman

Neighbours of the Boureqs included families with these names : Landry, Samson, DuGat, Bouche, Fougere, Babin, Pitre, Kavanagh (merchant), Sutherland, Herring, Riley, Wheeling, and Thomas. Two other households were headed by widow Mary Landry and the widow of John Samson.

The entire population of River Bourgeois at this time was approximately 250.


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