Researching Toronto Ancestors: Sources

Today’s Toronto has an area of 641 square kilometres or 247 square miles and encompasses many historic communities, including Etobicoke, Scarborough, and York Townships. This guide to sources covers the whole of today’s Toronto.

For more information about the growth of Toronto, see: Toronto Chronology. For information about historic communities in today’s Toronto, see: Places within Toronto.

CITY DIRECTORIES
One of the most important and easy-to-use sources for Toronto research is the city directory. The first Toronto directory was published in 1833. The next one, published in 1837, included the whole Home District, and therefore all of today’s Toronto including rural areas. Others were published in 1843, 1846, 1850, 1856 and 1859. Directories were being published annually for Toronto by 1861.

Most directories contain an alphabetical list of inhabitants (usually heads of households and others working outside the home), and a list of occupants arranged by street. Be sure to browse the advertisements, business listings and other information to get a good picture of what your ancestor’s Toronto was like.

Toronto Branch Publications has published facsimile editions of the 1846 and 1850 directories.

Toronto directories from 1833 to 1999 can be found at the Toronto Reference Library. This is the easiest collection to use. The directories from 1833 to 1881 have been digitized and are full-text searchable on the Toronto Public Library’s digital resources web site. A few more recent directories from the Toronto Public Library have been digitized as part of the “Internet Archive” project.

The North York Central Library, City of Toronto Archives, and the Archives of Ontario all have some holdings of Toronto directories on paper and microfilm.

The directories are also available for purchase on microfiche from the Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproduction (CIHM). Check your local reference library or university library for their holdings of CIHM publications.

BIRTH, MARRIAGE AND DEATH RECORDS: GOVERNMENT REGISTRATION

Civil Registration
Comprehensive civil registration of births, marriages and deaths in Ontario came into effect on July 1, 1869. The records are open for research after a specified period of time: 96 years for births, 81 years for marriages, and 71 years for deaths. Indexes and registers are available on microfilm from the Archives of Ontario, the LDS Family History Library, at some other Ontario libraries. The films are available for sale from the Ontario Genealogical Society. There are excellent finding aids at http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/interloan/vsmain.htm

Prior to full civil registration in 1869, there were two earlier programs to register vital events.

District Marriage Registers were compiled by the Clerks of the Peace, and although far from comprehensive, often included other vital events. The Home District Marriage Registers (1816 to 1857) can be found at the Archives of Ontario on microfilms MS 248-1 and MS 248-2, or through the Family History Library in Salt Lake City on films 1030051 and 1030052. The registers have been transcribed, indexed and published in four volumes under the following title: Walker, Dan, Ruth Burkholder and Fawne Stratford-Devai. District Marriage Registers of Upper Canada/Canada West (Ontario): Volume 11, Parts 1-4. Global Heritage Press: Milton (ON), 2000.

County Marriage Registers cover the period 1858 to 1869. Today’s Toronto is covered by both Toronto and York County registers. The Toronto registers are found at the Archives of Ontario on microfilms MS 248-15 and MS 248-16, or through the Family History Library in Salt Lake City on films 1030065 and 1030066. An index is available under the following title: Britnell, W.E. County Marriage Registers of Ontario, Canada, 1858-69, Volume 15: Toronto City. Global Heritage Press: Campbellville (ON), 2005. Registers for Etobicoke, York, and Scarborough townships, and all other York County communities can be found at the Archives of Ontario on films MS 248-18, or through the Family History Library on film 1030068. An index is available under the following title: Britnell, W.E. County Marriage Registers of Ontario, Canada, 1858-69, Volume 6: York County. Global Heritage Press: Campbellville (ON), 2005.

NOTE: An increasing number of Ontario birth, marriage, and death records from post-1869 Civil Registration, District Marriage Registers, and County Marriage Registers are now available on the subscription web site Ancestry.ca. As with all indexes—online or in print—be aware that there may be errors and omissions, or gaps in the coverage of the time period you need.

BIRTH, DEATH AND MARRIAGE RECORDS: RELIGIOUS RECORDS
The major sources of vital records prior to 1869 are religious registers. These are held by individual congregations, denominational archives, or at other archives.

There are few centralized indexes. The Wesleyan Methodists kept a centralized baptismal register from 1843-1890s. This is available on microfilm at the United Church Archives and through interlibrary loan. The Toronto names have been extracted and indexed in two different publications: Burkholder, Ruth. Methodist Baptisms in the Toronto Area. Vol. 1: 1841-1864. RMB Services: Stouffville (ON), 1999; and in Wesleyan Methodist Baptismal Register: York County, 1835-1910, a transcription. Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch: Toronto, 2003. The Methodist Episcopal Church also kept a centralized register. It has been published as: Hope, Louise I. Index to Niagara Conference Methodist Episcopal Church Baptismal Register, 1849-1886. Ontario Genealogical Society: Toronto, 1994. Author Renie Rumpel has created a consolidated index of many Catholic marriages in: Roman Catholic Marriage Registers in Ontario, Canada, 1828-1870. Ontario Indexing Services: Waterloo (ON), 1997. Most of these published indexes are available for purchase from the Ontario Genealogical Society.

OGS Toronto Branch’s Places of Worship Registers Inventory Project has transcribed and indexed many religious registers. These are available as publications or as part of the electronic search.

BIRTH, DEATH AND MARRIAGE RECORDS: OTHER SOURCES
Funeral home records are held privately by the business or a successor. Access is at the discretion of the owners. OGS Toronto Branch has transcribed a few funeral home records and burial permits. These are available as publications or as part of the electronic search.

CEMETERIES
OGS Toronto Branch’s Cemetery Committee is actively involved in transcribing gravestones in cemeteries throughout Toronto. The transcriptions that have been completed are available as publications or as part of the electronic search. The names are part of the Ontario Cemetery Ancestor Index.

Early families in the area now known as Toronto buried their dead in churchyards and in cemeteries set aside on their farms, or in small community or denominational cemeteries. By the 1850s, most of these small cemeteries had been pushed out of the more urban City of Toronto, and farm burials were rare even in the more rural surrounding townships. Some of the cemeteries that were founded by a particular religious group became non-denominational in the 20th century. Be sure to check for burials there, even if your ancestor was not of that faith.

The pressure of urban growth led to the development of commercial cemeteries. The first non-sectarian cemetery was Potter's Field Cemetery in Yorkville at the north-west corner of Bloor and Yonge Streets, also known as the Strangers’ Burying Ground and York General Burying Ground, established in 1826 and closed in 1855. The Toronto Necropolis followed in 1850 and Mount Pleasant Cemetery in 1876. Transcriptions of the burial registers for Potter’s Field, and the grave markers for the Necropolis are available as publications or as part of the electronic search.

Potter’s Field, the Necropolis and Mount Pleasant were the start of the cemetery group now known as the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries. The Group now includes Prospect Cemetery (York Township 1890) Pine Hills Cemetery (Scarborough 1923), and York Cemetery (York Township 1948). The Group’s burial records can be viewed at their head office at Suite 500, 65 Overlea Blvd. Toronto. See: http://www.mountpleasantgroupofcemeteries.ca/our_cemeteries/. The Mount Pleasant Group burial records are also available on microfilm from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

There are many very large cemeteries in Toronto. OGS Toronto Branch volunteers have completed grave marker transcriptions of some of these, which are available as publications and as part of the electronic search. Several more are in progress, but will not be completed for a number years. Still others will not be transcribed in the foreseeable future. Fortunately, these are active cemeteries with offices that can be contacted by researchers. We have compiled a list of these large cemeteries "in progress" and "not scheduled for transcription" with locations and start dates.

Toronto's Jewish cemeteries are being transcribed by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Canada.

CENSUS RECORDS
Census records are important to genealogists because they capture a picture of a household—usually a family group—at a particular point in time. A census of the population of what is now Toronto was taken in 1842, 1848, 1852, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, and 1911. The returns have been microfilmed by Library and Archives Canada and are available at North York Central Library and the Archives of Ontario. Outside of Toronto, the films are available on loan from Library and Archives Canada, or through the Family History Centres of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). There is an excellent finding aid on the Canadian Genealogy Centre web site. Many of the records have now been digitized, and this is allowing for the creation of indexes. The following table lists each census year and how the records can be accessed. PLEASE NOTE: All indexes and transcriptions may contain errors and omissions; always consult the original records!

LAND RECORDS
In Upper Canada, land was held by the Crown and granted to individuals. Whether the individual was offering to buy the land, or applying for a free grant, the first step in the process was a petition. Many of the petitions, which explain the reasons the applicant felt he or she deserved the grant, have survived. The petition was addressed to the Executive Council or a Land Board, and those bodies created records of how the petitions were dealt with. Most of those records also survive. If a grant was approved, the Surveyor General’s office got involved, creating another set of records that may have survived. There are major collections of Upper Canada Land Petitions, and Executive Council and Land Board minute books at Library and Archives Canada, and on microfilm at the Archives of Ontario. Other Crown Land department records are at the Archives of Ontario. There is an excellent guide to the land granting process and all these records at:
http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/guides/rg_215_grant_to_patent.htm

By the about the 1830s, virtually all the land within today’s Toronto had been granted by the Crown and was in private hands. Any transfer of ownership fell under the auspices of the Land Registry Office, which had been established in 1795. In 1846, registration of land transfers, mortgages and other legal matters affecting real property became compulsory. Land records in Ontario are organized by parcel, rather than by owner’s name. An “Abstract Index to Deeds” for each parcel of land was created in 1865. The Abstract Indexes attempted to list transactions right back to the Patent from the Crown, and provide the “instrument number” for each subsequent sale, etc. These instrument numbers lead to the actual documents (or copies).

Some Toronto land records have been microfilmed by the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, and are also available at the Archives of Ontario. However these are far from complete. Toronto land records are held today by the Toronto Land Registry Office #64, at 20 Dundas St. W. While anyone can visit the Office, it is not simple to use, or designed for historical research. Learn as much about the property as you can first—and be persistent.

BIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES
Beyond the standard biographical collections like Who’s Who in Canada and individual biographies of prominent individuals, there are several sources of compiled biographies and biographical indexes for quite ordinary Torontonians. Here are a few of the most important.

Biographical Card Index at Toronto Reference Library (Special Collections Centre, 4th Floor) These cards index the collected biographies mentioned below, and several others, as well as an extensive series of scrapbooks of obituaries compiled by Library staff.

Commemorative Biographical Record of the County of York. J.H. Beers and Co.: Toronto, 1907. (also digitized at www.ourroots.ca and at Internet Archive)

History of Toronto and the County of York, Ontario. (2 vols) C. Blackett Robinson: Toronto, 1885. (also digitized at www.ourroots.ca and at Internet Archive)

Middleton, Jesse Edgar. The Municipality of Toronto: a history (3 vols). Dominion Publishing Co.: Toronto, 1923. (vol. 1 is digitized at www.ourroots.ca )

NEWSPAPERS
There have been many different newspapers published in Toronto over the years. For more information, see: Gilchrist, Brian. Inventory of Ontario Newspapers 1793-1986. Micromedia: Toronto, 1987., and Firth, Edith G. Toronto Newspapers, 1793-1867: A catalogue of newspapers published in the Town of York and the City of Toronto from the beginning to Confederation. Toronto Public Library: Toronto, 1961.

The best collection of newspapers—original and on microfilm—is at the Toronto Reference Library.Two major Toronto newspapers have been digitized and are searchable for a fee: The Toronto Star, and Globe and Mail. Many public libraries and university libraries provide free on-site and remote access to these digital resources for their patrons and students. A number of smaller Toronto newspapers have been digitized and are available at Paper of Record.

MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS
The Toronto Reference Library’s Baldwin Room, the Archives of Ontario, the City of Toronto Archives and Library and Archives Canada each have collections (fonds) of personal and business papers from Toronto. Whether or not your ancestor left a collection of papers, he or she could be mentioned in those of a contemporary.

The Toronto Reference Library’s Baldwin Room manuscript catalogue is in a variety of formats, and must be consulted in person. However, their collection does emphasize early Toronto.

All manuscript fonds at the Archives of Ontario are listed on their web site’s “Descriptive Database”—some are described in great detail and names can be searched. Other fonds have only a cursory description, or a paper finding aid must be consulted. If the fonds has been microfilmed it may be available for inter-institutional loan to a location closer to you.

The City of Toronto Archives lists many of its manuscripts in a computerized database available on its web site. As the collection continues to be described, more manuscripts will be added.

Library and Archives Canada are continually adding material to their web catalogue “Archivianet”. However, most of this manuscript material will not be high priority, and you’ll need to rely on on-site finding aids.

ESTATE FILES (WILLS)
Prior to 1859, the disposition of the estate of a Toronto resident could have been handled by one of two courts: the Court of Probate or the Surrogate Court. The estate files for both courts are held at the Archives of Ontario, and for the pre-1859 era, have been indexed on the “Descriptive Database”. Choose "Advanced Search." Enter your ancestor’s surname at the “files and items” level, and narrow the search by entering the court records prefix followed by an asterisk “rg 22*”. The database will direct you to a microfilm. Copies of the films are available on inter-institutional loan or through the Family History Library.

After 1858, all Toronto estates were handled by the York County Surrogate Court. The estate files up to 1967 are held by the Archives of Ontario. A detailed guide to the search process can be found at: http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/guides/rg_206_find_will.htm#step2/. The microfilms are available on inter-institutional loan and through the Family History Library.

Estate files after 1967 are held by:
Superior Court of Justice – Estates Division
393 University Avenue, 10th floor
Toronto, ON M5G 1Y8
416-326-2940

MUNICIPAL RECORDS
The principal municipal records for genealogical research are tax assessment rolls. Depending on the time period, the rolls may list landowners, occupiers, and other adults in the household, with addresses, occupations, ages and other data about the buildings and occupants. Council minutes can also be a valuable source. Names of persons and businesses that had dealings with the municipality, and streets and neighbourhoods are mentioned. Voters’ lists provide names of individuals who were eligible to vote in a specific election, or, in some cases, list those who did vote and the candidate(s) they chose. It is important to determine which government had jurisdiction during the time you are researching. See: Toronto Chronology.

Original, published, microfilmed, photocopied and digitized municipal records are held in a number of different repositories. For more information, see: Libraries and Archives.

Please note that most records created by the County of York and the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto have not been included in this list.

Town of York:
Minutes and lists: 1797 to 1823 at Toronto Reference Library, published as: Mosser, Christine. York, Upper Canada, Minutes of Town Meetings and Lists of Inhabitants 1797 to 1823. This book is also digitized.

Toronto (pre 1998 boundaries):
Assessment rolls: 1834 to 1996 at City of Toronto Archives; 1835 to 1899 at Archives of Ontario; 1890 at North York Central Library; 1890 at Library and Archives Canada; 1834 to 1899 at Family History Library; 1853 (digitized) OGS Toronto Branch
Council minutes: 1834 to 1997 at City of Toronto Archives; 1835 to 1899 at Archives of Ontario; 1859 to 1997 at Toronto Reference Library; 1859 to 1997 at Urban Affairs Library; 1885, 1892, 1893, 1898, 1900, 1901, 1916, 1920, 1929, 1931, 1951, 1953 to 1960 at North York Central Library; 1834 to 1899 at Family History Library
Voters’ lists: 1965, 1969, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978 at Archives of Ontario; 1886 to 1889, 1900, 1926, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994 at Urban Affairs Library; By-elections 1979, 1981, 1990 at Urban Affairs Library; 1836, 1841 at Toronto Reference Library; 1841 at North York Central Library; 1841 transcription OGS Toronto Branch publications

Brockton:
Assessment rolls: 1881 to 1883 at City of Toronto Archives; 1881 to 1883 at Archives of Ontario; 1881 to 1883 at Family History Library
Council minutes: 1881 to 1884 at City of Toronto Archives; 1881 to 1884 at Archives of Ontario; 1881 to 1884 at Family History Library

East York:
Assessment rolls: 1924 to 1991 at City of Toronto Archives
Council minutes: 1924 to 1997 at City of Toronto Archives; 1934, 1935, 1937 to 1997 at Urban Affairs Library
Voters’ lists: 1929 to 1933 at Archives of Ontario; 1969, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994 at Urban Affairs Library; 1969, 1972, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1988 at North York Central Library

East Toronto:
Assessment rolls: 1888 to 1908 at City of Toronto Archives; 1888 to 1899 at Archives of Ontario; 1888 to 1899 at Family History Library
Council minutes: 1888 to 1908 at City of Toronto Archives; 1898 to 1900 at Archives of Ontario; 1898 to 1900 at Family History Library
Voters’ lists: 1902 at Archives of Ontario

Etobicoke:
Minutes and lists: 1797 to 1808 at Toronto Reference Library, published as: Mosser, Christine. York, Upper Canada, Minutes of Town Meetings and Lists of Inhabitants 1797 to 1823. This book is also digitized.
Assessment rolls: 1851 to 1997 at City of Toronto Archives; 1851 to 1900 at Archives of Ontario; 1853 to 1900 at Family History Library; 1853 to 1900 at Richview District Library
Council minutes: 1857 to 1908, and 1924 to 1997 at City of Toronto Archives; 1857 to 1900 at Archives of Ontario; 1857 to 1900 at Family History Library; 1875 and 1877 at Toronto Reference Library; 1857 to 1900, and 1921 at Richview District Library; 1968 to 1997 at Urban Affairs Library
Voters’ lists: 1910, 1929, 1932, 1933 at Archives of Ontario; 1878 and 1917 at Toronto Reference Library; 1985 to 1997 at Richview District Library; 1969, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994 at Urban Affairs Library

Forest Hill:
Assessment rolls: 1925 to 1966 at City of Toronto Archives
Council minutes: 1924 to 1966 at City of Toronto Archives
Voters’ lists: 1953 at North York Central Library

Leaside:
Assessment rolls: 1939 and 1942 to 1967 at City of Toronto Archives
Council minutes: 1913 to 1966 at City of Toronto Archives
Voters’ lists: 1929 to 1933 at Archives of Ontario

Long Branch:
Assessment rolls: 1931 to 1966 at City of Toronto Archives
Council minutes: 1931 to 1966 at City of Toronto Archives; 1958 to 1962, 1965 to 1966 at Urban Affairs Library
Voters’ lists: 1932 to 1933 at Archives of Ontario; 1966 at Long Branch branch of the Toronto Public Library

Mimico:
Assessment rolls: 1921 to 1966 at City of Toronto Archives
Council minutes: 1924 to 1966 at City of Toronto Archives
Voters’ lists: 1929, 1932, 1933, 1954 at Archives of Ontario; 1917 at Toronto Reference Library

New Toronto:
Assessment rolls: 1913 to 1966 at City of Toronto Archives
Council minutes: 1913 to 1966 at City of Toronto Archives
Voters’ lists: 1929, 1932, 1933 at Archives of Ontario; 1917 at Toronto Reference Library

North Toronto:
Assessment rolls: 1890 to 1912 at City of Toronto Archives; 1890 to 1897, and 1899 at Archives of Ontario; 1890 to 1899 at Family History Library
Council minutes: 1889 to 1912 at City of Toronto Archives; 1889 to 1896 at Archives of Ontario; 1889 to 1896 at Family History Library
Voters’ lists: 1910 at Archives of Ontario

North York:
Assessment rolls: 1922 to 1992 at City of Toronto Archives
Council minutes: 1923 to 1994 at City of Toronto Archives; 1961 to 1997 at North York Central Library; 1972 to 1997 at Urban Affairs Library
Voters’ lists: 1932 to 1933 at Archives of Ontario; 1924, 1942, 1952, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1969, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994 at North York Central Library; 1966, 1969, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994 at Urban Affairs Library

Parkdale:
Assessment rolls: 1879 to 1888 at City of Toronto Archives; 1879, and 1881 to 1888 at Archives of Ontario; 1879 to 1885, and 1887 to 1888 at Family History Library
Council minutes: 1879 to 1889 at City of Toronto Archives; 1879 to 1881, 1884, 1885 to 1887 at Parkdale Branch of the Toronto Public Library; 1879 to 1881, and 1884 to 1889 at Archives of Ontario; 1879 to 1889 at Family History Library

Scarborough:
Minutes and lists: 1797 to 1808 at Toronto Reference Library, published as: Mosser, Christine. York, Upper Canada, Minutes of Town Meetings and Lists of Inhabitants 1797 to 1823. This book is also digitized.
Assessment rolls: 1853 to 1991 at City of Toronto Archives; 1855 to 1899 at Archives of Ontario; 1855 to 1899 at Family History Library
Council minutes: 1850 to 1995 at City of Toronto Archives; 1850 to 1900 at Archives of Ontario; 1850 to 1877 at Toronto Reference Library; 1970 to 1997 at Urban Affairs Library; 1850 to 1900 at Family History Library
Voters’ lists: 1910, 1929, 1932, 1933 at Archives of Ontario; 1876, 1877 at Toronto Reference Library; 1964 at North York Central Library; 1969, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1991 at Urban Affairs Library

Swansea:
Assessment rolls: 1927 to 1966 at City of Toronto Archives
Council minutes: 1926 to 1966 at City of Toronto Archives
Voters’ lists: 1952 at Swansea Branch of Toronto Public Library

Weston:
Assessment rolls: 1883 to 1966 at City of Toronto Archives; 1883 to 1900 at Archives of Ontario; 1882 to 1901 at Family History Library
Council minutes: 1882 to 1966 at City of Toronto Archives; 1882 to 1900 at Archives of Ontario; 1883 to 1900 at Family History Library
Voters’ Lists: 1894 to 1900, 1910, 1929, 1932, 1933 at Archives of Ontario; 1894 to 1897, 1917 at Toronto Reference Library; 1894 to 1897 at North York Central Library

West Toronto Junction:
Assessment rolls: 1888 to 1909 at City of Toronto Archives; 1888 to 1899 at Archives of Ontario; 1888 to 1899 at Family History Library
Council minutes: 1888 to 1909 at City of Toronto Archives; 1888 to 1902 at Archives of Ontario; 1888 to 1902 at Family History Library
Voters’ lists: 1888 at Archives of Ontario

York: (Many York Township records were destroyed by fire in 1881.)
Minutes and lists: 1797 to 1823 at Toronto Reference Library, published as: Mosser, Christine. York, Upper Canada, Minutes of Town Meetings and Lists of Inhabitants 1797 to 1823. This book is also digitized.
Assessment rolls: 1882 to 1992 at City of Toronto Archives; 1882 to 1899 at Archives of Ontario; 1882 to 1899 at North York Central Library; 1882 to 1899 at Family History Library
Council minutes: 1860 to 1997 at City of Toronto Archives; 1860 to 1901 at Archives of Ontario; 1860 to 1871, 1881 to 1931 at North York Central Library; 1860 to 1871, 1875 to 1877, 1879, 1972, 1973, 1975 to 1997 at Urban Affairs Library; 1860 to 1902 at Family History Library
Voters’ lists: 1873, 1910, 1929, 1932, 1933, 1974 at Archives of Ontario; 1883, 1919 at Toronto Reference Library; 1873 (partial), 1917 (partial) at North York Central Library; 1969, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994 at Urban Affairs Library
Voters’ lists: 1873, 1910, 1929, 1932, 1933, 1974 at Archives of Ontario; 1919 at Toronto Reference Library; 1917 at North York Central Library

Yorkville:
Assessment rolls: 1862 to 1882 at City of Toronto Archives; 1865 to 1882 at Archives of Ontario; 1865 to 1882 at Family History Library
Council minutes: 1853 to 1883 at City of Toronto Archives; 1853 to 1880 at Archives of Ontario; 1853 to 1880 at Family History Library
Voters' lists: 1874, 1876 to 1881 at Urban Affairs Library

SCHOOL RECORDS:
There is no single source of student records in Toronto, and many records have not survived. Check city directories for the period in which you’re searching for a list of schools that existed at the time. For much of Toronto’s history, its schools fall into the following three categories:

1) Public (government funded) primary and secondary schools
The Toronto District School Board maintains an archives that might be helpful:
Sesquicentennial Museum and Archives
263 McCaul Street
Toronto, Ontario  M5T 1W7
416-397-3680
(no web site)

2) Catholic or “Separate” primary and secondary schools
There is a brief history that may help you narrow the search on the Toronto Catholic District School Board's web site. You'll also find contact information there.

3) Private schools (requiring fees)
Many of these schools are still operating and maintain archives. Use Google to search for their web sites and find out about availability of student records.

The Archives of Ontario holds records of standardized examination results for students in public schools, and other records of schools and teachers. Many schools published histories and other commemorative volumes in conjunction with reunions and anniversaries. The Toronto Public Library is a good source. You can browse the catalogue using the name of the school or the keywords “Toronto” and “schools”.

Toronto Tax Assessment Rolls
for 1853
Toronto Branch has produced an indexed transcription of the Toronto tax assessment rolls for 1853.
For further details...

© Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch. Last Updated June 2007