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 […]
Toronto Public Library
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Registration is now open for the winter semester of Toronto Branch courses, beginning in the new year. In January and February 2020, we’re offering back-to-back courses on land records—a rich source of information about ancestors who settled in Ontario. Both courses will be led by instructor Jane MacNamara and held at the Archives of Ontario on Thursday afternoons. Participants will work in small groups following case histories through the records. The first course, Hands-On […]
Registration is now open for the next semester of Toronto Branch learning, beginning in September 2019. Coming up this fall: four courses, two workshops and a tour, guaranteed to strengthen your family history skills. On the evening of Tuesday September 24, soak up insider tips on how to make the most of your library research. Join us at the Toronto Reference Library for Searching Toronto Public Library Catalog for Genealogy Sources. Janice Nickerson will […]
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 […]