In the summer of 1903, Toronto had a party—a four-day blowout over the Dominion Day holiday—July 1 to 4. The organizers invited well over 4,000 former Torontonians to “come home” from all across Canada, the United States, and wherever else the organizers could find them. A souvenir edition of the […]
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This is the third and final episode, in which I speculate wildly on the reasons for the animosity between Toronto bookseller Magnus Shewan and his niece Margaret Fraser. If you’re new to the story, it will all make more sense if you read Part 1 and Part 2 first. In […]
Sometimes it is what is left out of a will—intentionally or not—that provides the intriguing story. Magnus Shewan was a Toronto bookseller who operated a shop in the arcade of St. Lawrence Market from about 1845, and from about 1862, on King Street. At the time of his death on […]
POST UPDATED JUNE 2023 Whenever you’re doing urban research, particularly in North America, city directories should be a first stop. For Toronto, the first directory was published in 1833—a year before the Town of York even became the City of Toronto. Over the next 25 years, five more directories were […]
The invasion is over! Well, it was a small invasion—ten Genealogy Summer Campers and their camp leaders visited archives and libraries all across Toronto last week. Genealogy Summer Camp started on Sunday, August 12, with a picnic supper in the peaceful quad of the University of Toronto’s Massey College. We […]
Capturing images of original documents at a library or archives has never been easier. There are so many choices of technology it is tough to keep up—for both researchers and the library and archives staff who make policies about their use.* Next week, I’ll be leading Genealogy Summer Camp participants […]
On Saturday, May 26, 2012, as part of Doors Open Toronto, I got a peek inside the fine art vault containing a portion of the City of Toronto’s Art Collection. The vault and the offices of the Arts Services department are located in the south St. Lawrence Market, right above […]
Charles Ashworth Pipon was not a politician or a celebrity, but the circumstances of his death and funeral were major news events in his hometown of Toronto in the summer of 1906. I came across his modest gravestone in St. James Cemetery —and this story—a few years ago. Charles was […]