I researched a fellow named Magnus Shewan way back in 2013. (I’m a sucker for an interesting name.) I wrote a three-part post about old Magnus and his family drama—and his distinctive name shows up from time-to-time while I’m doing other Toronto research. This post takes a look at some records that were available to me back in 2013—but not at my fingertips.
Many years ago, FamilySearch camera crews preserved assessment rolls from municipalities throughout Ontario on microfilm. Suddenly this rich resource for local and family history is at our fingertips—with digitized images of the films available on FamilySearch.org.
And the best part is the records for Toronto are open for viewing from home.
FamilySearch holdings cover all former municipalities within Toronto’s present boundaries—up to about 1900—including Toronto, York Township[1], Etobicoke, Scarborough, Yorkville, Parkdale, Brockton, Weston, East Toronto, West Toronto Junction, North Toronto. (Records for municipalities incorporated after 1900—Forest Hill, Swansea, East York, Leaside, Long Branch, Mimico, and New Toronto—were not filmed by FamilySearch.)
What are assessment rolls?
Assessment rolls are lists of property owners and occupants compiled by assessors appointed by the municipality. These owners and occupiers were liable to pay taxes, provide statute labour, or otherwise contribute to the community by serving as jurors, or as militia members, etc. The rolls also described the property and structures so they could be valued. They often collected other information of interest to the municipality.
Who is in them and why?
Qualification varied over the years, but the rolls generally included:
- Property owners (often with a different residence listed)
- Occupiers, heads of householders who were mostly men
- Males over 21
- Widows and single women (heads of households)
- Estates or trusts
- They don’t list everyone in the household by name, but show the numbers of children in several age groups as guidance for school planning.
- Schools, churches, burial grounds, charitable institutions were exempt.
To find the actual rules for a particular year, pay attention to pre-printed page headings, and watch for brief instructions that might be filmed with the rolls. Consult council minutes and bylaws. Check library catalogues for “municipal guides” that were commercially published to help inexperienced local officials.
Local newspapers might also publish any new rules and changes, in the weeks leading up to the assessor’s or collector’s visits. You might also get a sense of the community’s attitude to their local officials and how their tax dollars were being spent.
Where can I find the records?
The main repository for all municipal records is, of course, the City of Toronto Archives (CTA). It holds the most complete collection for all areas up to 1997—much of it on microform, but some in the original paper format. The CTA also has great on-site finding aids, including street indexes. It is the place to go, if you live close enough to do so.
The Archives of Ontario holds microfilm from FamilySearch up to about 1900. But please note that FamilySearch.org has digitized the same microfilms and made them available online.
Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has just added a new Municipal Records page on its website. It will give you details about what you’ll find and where, with direct links to the FamilySearch catalogue. You’ll need to open a free FamilySearch account, but that’s easy and requires very little info from you.
Navigating the big city wards
Assessment records are arranged by municipal ward, and by streets within the wards. The assessors usually walked along one side of the street and then the other so it is useful to know if your address was on the north/south/east/west side of a street. Note that the whole street may not be together. Be sure to scan the whole ward.
The “streets” section of city directories usually shows the Ward(s) at the start of each street and will tell you on which side of the street your address was located. You’ll find links to digitized directories on this page.
Toronto Branch OGS has also created an online finding aid to Toronto wards to help you locate a particular ward on the digitized film. This is particularly beneficial in later years when the records are on multiple films. (This is a work in progress, to which you can contribute.)
Indexing on FamilySearch: A caution
FamilySearch offers a grand index to Ontario Tax Assessment Rolls, as mentioned previously. Unfortunately not all municipalities are held by FamilySearch—and not all their holdings have been indexed (hard to tell which ones). The indexing is inconsistent, often wrongly attributing geography to other cities or provinces, and misidentifying names and ages. (If I believed the indexer, my great grandfather was born in 1967, rather than 130+ years earlier.) Because of varying formats, some indexed names are occupiers, some are owners, but not both. I strongly advise steering clear of this big index or approaching it with a bucket of salt.
However, once you’ve identified the digitized film that should contain the ward and street you need (using directories and the Municipal Records page mentioned above), if there’s a tiny magnifying glass you can search just that film and be confident that despite what wild geographic guess the indexer may have made, it is really Toronto! If you don’t find the name, page through to be sure it hasn’t been missed or misread.
Visit the Neighbours
Once you’ve found the person or property you were looking for, take time to meander along the street and meet the neighbours. See what your subject could see from their front door. Don’t forget to look at what or who was across the street, and if they worked on a corner, like Magnus Shewan, stroll up that street, too.
[1] Many York Township records, including assessment rolls, were lost in a fire in 1881.