Township authorities in the Johnstown District took Census returns at different times -
mostly for taxation purposes.

Returns for Augusta Twp in Grenville, for instance, exist from 1796.
These are basically a "Heads of Household" type of return
but much useful information about a family's members and situation can be found.
Returns for other Townships exist,
but nowhere in the area were other enumerations taken as early as they were in Augusta.

Provincial authorities for Canada West took a Census of Inhabitants in 1842 and again in 1848.
These were also a "Heads of Household" type of return,
and several have been Indexed.

Fully nominal returns,
where information about each person living in any location was gathered by Provincial authorities,
were taken in 1851 and 1861.
These personal returns,
as well as many informative Agricultural Schedules for some parts of the counties,
survived to be microfilmed in 1955.

The Leeds & Grenville Branch OGS has prepared Indexes to several of these early census records.

As well,
online Index searching
is available for some of the township areas that the Leeds & Grenville Branch has not yet developed for hard copy publication.

Following Confederation in 1867, the first complete national Census was taken in 1871.
This enumeration gathered information about each person, including
name, age, occupation, religious preferences, etc.,

The Ontario Genealogical Society has Indexed the Ontario portion of the 1871 Census,
and the names and some particulars about the various
Heads of Households and other 'unconnected' or Stray people that were
enumerated in the Province in the spring of 1871 are
searchable through National Archives files.

Click here to access the entire 1871 Census (Ontario) Index database
(but remember: the Index only lists 'Heads of Households and Strays'.....)
An introduction to the database, with links to the search engine is located here.

The pages referenced contain all of the information neccessary to locate individual 'Heads of Families'
on specific reels of National Archive microfilm.
These films are available through Inter-Library Loan.

Census Enumeration Districts of Ontario, 1871: An absolutely stunning scanned image of an original map.
Leeds & Grenville Counties were contained in three different Enumeration Districts - 67 (Leeds), 68 (Brockville), and 69 (Grenville).

The National Archives (of Canada - in Ottawa, Ontario) holds microfilm copies of
those Census returns taken by Provincial and National Authorities.

In addition to the National Archives holdings,
The Government Documents Unit at Queen's University in Kingston
(located a little to the west, in Frontenac County
holds a complete set of all available Canadian Census returns.
The microfilm reels are in open cabinets (but are not available through ILL)