The 1838 census is the first census of Nova Scotia to have covered most of the province, and the first to have survived almost completely. Except for Cumberland County and parts of Shelburne County, most of the province is included. The format of the 1838 census varies from county to county and even from enumerator to enumerator. Name of head of household (if female that name was sometimes captured), occupation, males under 6 years, females under 6 years, males 6 -14 years, females 6 -14 years, males over 14 years, females over 14 years, and a grand total for the household were the consistent information items gathered in the returns. The total numbers do not always add up. Sometimes the head of household (male or female) was included in the total, many times not. Some enumerators included widows as heads of households. A small number of districts included totals for other items such as livestock and acres in use. A (B) next to a persons name denotes that they are a person of colour. I have also attempted to transcribe all the names with the common spellings used today.

In 1851 Victoria County was formed out of part of Cape Breton County and a year later, in 1852, the boundaries of Cape Breton County were redefined.