According to the 1851 Canada census, Charles Rankin was born about 1800 in Montreal.
In 1851, he is a surveyor in Sydenham, north of Kingston. His wife is about 45 and named Elizabeth and they have a daughter about 7 named Mary.
The 1861 census [Ancestry link] says that Charles was born in the United States, and his wife in Ireland.
The 1871 census [Ancestry link] says that Charles was born in England.