Among the key sources for Toronto research—especially between census years—are city directories. Bound hard-copy Toronto directories from 1833 to 2001 are available in the Local History and Genealogy Collection on the 2nd floor of the Toronto Reference Library. And now, with the completion of a major digitization project by the Toronto Public Library and Internet Archive, that entire run of directories is available to browse and search online free of charge. By 1861, Toronto […]
city directories
4 posts
As family historians, we often mark Remembrance Day by discovering and sharing pictures and stories of men and women who went to war—whether they are our own relatives or other individuals who have touched us in some way. And there are some wonderful tools available to help us research and commemorate those who served. Key free Canadian research sources include the Canadian Virtual War Memorial and the Canadian Great War Project. Many commercial databases […]
City directories are key sources for Toronto research. Most contain an alphabetical list of inhabitants, as well as an alphabetical street list identifying occupants at each address. By cross-checking both lists, you can find out where your ancestor lived at a particular date and with whom, and who else was in the neighbourhood. You may even discover what your ancestor did for a living and the name of his or her employer. Browse through the […]
Researching your Toronto ancestors in the early 20th century just became a little easier! Thanks to funding from Toronto Branch and a partnership between the Toronto Public Library and Internet Archive, city directories for eight “missing” years between 1910 and 1926 have now been digitized and are available to search free on-line. City directories are among the most important sources for Toronto research. Most contain an alphabetical list of inhabitants, as well as a […]