APPENDIX 4: Books about Etobicoke History, Architecture and GTA History
This guide will help you with finding books about Etobicoke history, architecture and GTA History.
Reference copies of most of these books listed in this document are available in the Etobicoke Local History Room at Richview Public Library, 1806 Islington Avenue, 2nd Floor. However, many of them are also available in the reference sections or regular stacks of other Toronto Public Library branches. A search for an individual book at www.torontopubliclibrary.ca will identify all library branches where that book is available. A majority of these books are exclusively about Etobicoke, while others contain sections about Etobicoke. Many are also available in the library of Montgomery’s Inn Museum.
For the best general books on Etobicoke history see asterisks below:
NOTE: There are more books about Etobicoke Churches available than are listed above. To find books about other churches, search for “Etobicoke Churches” at www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/
BOOKS ABOUT CANADIAN ARCHITECTURE
A FEW OF THE MANY HISTORY BOOKS ABOUT OTHER PARTS OF TORONTO & THE GTA
Reference copies of most of these books listed in this document are available in the Etobicoke Local History Room at Richview Public Library, 1806 Islington Avenue, 2nd Floor. However, many of them are also available in the reference sections or regular stacks of other Toronto Public Library branches. A search for an individual book at www.torontopubliclibrary.ca will identify all library branches where that book is available. A majority of these books are exclusively about Etobicoke, while others contain sections about Etobicoke. Many are also available in the library of Montgomery’s Inn Museum.
For the best general books on Etobicoke history see asterisks below:
- Alderwood: Where the Alders Grew, Violet Holroyd, Printing Plus, 1993 – 971.3541
- Along the Shore, M. Jane Fairburn, ECW Press,2013 – 971.3541 FAI
- Applewood: A Historic Etobicoke House and the Birthplace of James Shaver Woodsworth, Glynford P. Allen & Barbara A. Allen, J.S. Woodsworth Homestead Foundation, 1993 – 971.3541
- Century of Freemasonry in Etobicoke 1878 to 1928, A, Dr. J. Austin Evans, Mimico (Islington) Lodge, 1928 – 366.1 EVA
- Crossing the Humber: The Humber River Heritage Bridge Inventory, TRCA, 2011 – 388.13209 CRO
- Etobicoke: From Furrow to Borough, Esther Hayes, Borough of Etobicoke, 1974 - 971.354 *
- Etobicoke Remembered, Robert A. Given, Pro Familia Publishing, 2007 - 971.3541 GIV *
- Finding Freedom: The Untold Story of Joshua Glover, Runaway Slave. Ruby West Jackson & Walter T. McDonald. Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2007 – 973.7115 GLO JAC
- From Queenston to Kingston: The Hidden Heritage of Lake Ontario’s Shoreline, Ron Brown, Natural Heritage Books, 2010 – 971.35 BRO
- From This Year Hence: A History of the Township of Toronto Gore 1818-1983, George S. Tavender, The Bryant Press, 1984 (includes information on villages of Claireville & Richview) - 971.3535
- Glimpses into Etobicoke's Past: Selections from The Aldernews, The Etobicoke Historical Society, 2017 - 971.3541 GLI *
- Grubb Pioneers of Etobicoke, Edition III, The, Janet Grubbe Fitzgerald and Michael Fitzgerald, 2011 – 929.20971
- Historical Atlas of Toronto, Derek Hayes, Douglas & McIntyre, 2008, 911.79354 HAY
- Historical Planning: Cottages in Long Branch Park, Glenna Mack Pendleton, Etobicoke Historical Board, 1981 - 971.354
- History of Christ Church Mimico, H.O. Tremayne – 971.354
- History of Thistletown, A. Joanna Twitchin. Self-published, 2011 – 971.3541
- History of Weston, F.D. Cruickshank & J. Nason, The Times & Guide, 1937 (includes information about Weston on the Etobicoke side of the Humber River) – 971.354 CRU
- Humber Bay: The Way We Were 1900-1950 (cover says: Memories of a Place Called Humber Bay), Harry & Blanche Hall, 1950 - 971.3541 (Note: There is a large hand-drawn map of Humber Bay in 1935 that accompanies this book and contains very useful information. It may be folded up inside the book, but if it’s not there, ask a librarian as it is often stored separately.)
- Humber: Tales of a Canadian Heritage River, The, Ron Fletcher, RWF Heritage Publications, 2006 – 971.354
- Humber Valley Surveys, originally published by Home Smith & Co., reprinted by Swansea Historical Society, 1999 (maps & info on Home Smith developments in Etobicoke, e.g. Kingsway Park) – 917.13541 H59
- Humbervale: A Story of an Early Community in Etobicoke, Diana Clark Sythes, Etobicoke Historical Board, 1995 (covers area at Eglinton Av. W. & Scarlett Rd.) - 971.3541
- In the Footsteps of the Mississaugas, Marian M. Gibson, Mississauga Heritage Foundation, 2006, 971.30049 GIB
- Journey from Yesterday: A Family History, Ruth A. Deeth, Harmony Printing Ltd., 1979 - 929.2 D – about the Deeth/Death family
- Journey to the Past: The Lost Villages of Mississauga, Heritage Mississauga, 2010 (includes information on Claireville, Richview & Summerville) – 971.3535 JOU – book also on-line at archive.org/details/journeytopastlos0000unse/page/8/mode/2up.
- King’s Mill on the Humber 1793-1803, The, Carl Benn, Etobicoke Historical Society, 1979 – 971.354B
- Kingsway, The, Bess Hillery Crawford, Woodland Books, 2005 - 971.3541
- Kingsway Park: Triumph in Design, Elizabeth Ingolfsrud & Alec Keefer, Toronto Region Architectural Conservancy, 1994 – 711.4097
- Lakeview: Journey from Yesterday, Kathleen A. Hicks – includes information on Long Branch - book available on-line at www.mississauga.ca/file/COM/LakeviewBook.pdf
- Merchant-Millers of the Humber Valley, The, Sidney Thomson Fisher, NC Press Ltd., 1985 - 971.354
- Mimico Story, The, Harvey Currell, Town of Mimico & Library Board, 1967 - 971.354. Book also on-line at http://static.torontopubliclibrary.ca/da/pdfs/184636.pdf .
- Old Tim & Young Tim, Marilyn Friesen, Kingslea Press, 2003 - 921-JOH-F - in Montgomery’s Inn’s library only – history of Timothy Johnson family and includes info about Sunnylea area.
- Pioneering in North York, Patricia W. Hart, General Publishing Co. Ltd., 1968 (includes information on Humber Summit, area around Islington Av. between Finch & Steeles) – 971.354
- Records of the Van Every Family, United Empire Loyalists, The, Mary Blakadar Piersol, T. H. Best, 1947 – 929.2 V117
- Richview United Church 1829-1979, 1979 – 287.92
- Rowntree Book, The, Ann Crawford, Betty McQuillan, Marion Russell & Beryl Gaspardy, Maher Lithography Ltd., 1985 – 929.2
- Rural Roots: Pre-Confederation Buildings of the York Region, Mary Byers, Jan Kennedy & Margaret McBurney, U of T Press, 1976 (see chapter 15 for Etobicoke buildings) – 971.354
- St. Philip’s Church: 150 Years beside the Humber 1828-1978, 1978 – 283S
- Sanctuary: Islington United Church, Tina Hahn, Islington United Church, 1994 – 287.92
- Sidelights of History: A Guide to Etobicoke’s Century Buildings, Judy Sheils & Mary Appleby, Etobicoke Historical Board, 1975 - 917.1355 *
- Silverthorns - Ten Generations in America, The, Kathleen A. Hicks, 1994 - 971.3541
- Stories of Etobicoke Men Who Served in the Militia & British Army during the War of 1812, Denise Harris, 2012, 971.3541 HAR- includes 55 mini-biographies of early Etobicoke residents
- Story of Etobicoke, The, Robert A. Given, Township of Etobicoke, 1950 - 971.3546
- Story of Mimico: Home of the Wild Pigeon, The, Edwin Eland, The Advertiser, 1935 – 971.354
- Sunny Lea Corners. Alex Cowan. A 1920s memoir of a boy growing up in the Sunnylea area of Etobicoke. Only available in the Toronto Archives.
- Thistletown: Now and Then, Evelyn Boasie, Thistletown United Church, 1974 - 971.354
- Thomas Montgomery: Portrait of a Nineteenth Century Businessman, Bev Hykel & Carl Benn, Etobicoke Historical Board, 1980 - 971.354
- Thread in the Gardhouse Family Tapestry, A, Wilbert W. Gardhouse, 1969 - 929.2
- Toronto Carrying Place, The, Glenn Turner, Dundurn, Toronto, 2015 971.3541
- Town of York, The, 1793-1815, Edith G. Firth Ed., U of T Press, 1962
- Town of York, The, 1815-1834, Edith G. Firth Ed., U of T Press, 1966 - This book and the one above often contain mini-bios of people who lived in York in its early days but owned land in or summered at properties they owned in Etobicoke.
- Tweedsmuir Women’s Institute History of Eatonville, 971.3541
- Tweedsmuir Women’s Institute History of Richview, 971.3541
- Tweedsmuir Women’s Institute History of Lambton Mills (includes Islington), 971.3541
- Valhalla Anniversary Book, The, Valhalla Inn, Publishers Ltd., 1983, 647.93713 VAL
- Valley of the Humber 1615-1913, The, Kathleen MacFarlane Lizars, William Briggs, 1913 - 971.354
- Villages of Etobicoke, Etobicoke Historical Board, Argyle Printing Co, 1983 - 971.354 *
- Wadsworth Letters, The: Family Correspondence 1816-1857, available in Montgomery’s Inn library
- Walking into Wilderness: The Toronto Carrying Place and Nine Mile Portage, Heather Robertson, Heartland Associates Inc., 2010, 971.3 ROB
- Where the Alders Grow, Harvey Currell, Etobicoke-Mimico Conservation Authority, 1956 – 627.4C
NOTE: There are more books about Etobicoke Churches available than are listed above. To find books about other churches, search for “Etobicoke Churches” at www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/
BOOKS ABOUT CANADIAN ARCHITECTURE
- Ancestral Roof, The, M MacRae & A Adamson, Clarke Irwin, 1963 – 728.09713 Toronto Reference Library
- History of Canadian Architecture, A, Harold Kalman, Oxford University Press, 1995 – 720-971 Richview Library Stacks
- Old Toronto Houses, Tom Cruikshank, Firefly Press, 2003 – 971.3541 Richview Library Stacks
- Ontario House Styles, Robert Mikel, James Lorimer & Co, 2004 – 728.09713 – Richview Stacks
A FEW OF THE MANY HISTORY BOOKS ABOUT OTHER PARTS OF TORONTO & THE GTA
- Aristocratic Toronto, Lucy Booth Martyn, Gage Publishing, 1980
- Estates of Old Toronto, The, Liz Lundell, The Boston Mills Press, 1997
- History of Scarborough, A, Robert R. Bonis Ed., Scarborough Public Library, 1968
- History of Vaughan Township, G. Elmore Reaman, U of T Press, 1971
- Legacy of York, The, Wilbert G. Thomas, Historical Committee of the City of York, 1992
- Legend of York, The. Wilbert G, Thomas, 1996
- Lost Toronto, William Dendy, McClelland & Stewart, 1993
- Markham 1793-1900, Isabel Champion Ed., Markham District Historical Society, 1989
- Mississauga: An Illustrated History, Roger E. Riendeau, Windsor Publications, 1985
- Mississauga: The First 10,000 Years, Frank A. Dieterman, Mississauga Heritage Foundation, 2002
- Mississauga: Where the River Speaks, Alan Skeoch, Mississauga Library System, 2001
- Original Toronto, Lucy Booth Martyn, Paget Press, 1983
- Pioneering in North York, Patricia W. Hart, General Publishing Co. Ltd., 1968
- Toronto: 100 Years of Grandeur, Lucy Booth Martyn, Pagurian Press, 1978
- Toronto between the Wars, Charis Cotter, Firefly Books, 2004
- Toronto in 1810, Eric Wilfred Hounsom, Ryerson Press, 1987
- Toronto: No Mean city, Eric Arthur, revised by Stephen A. Otto, U of T Press, 1986
- Toronto of Old, Henry Scadding, Frederick H. Armstrong Ed., Dundurn Press, 1987
- Toronto since 1918, James Lemon, James Lorimer & Co. & National Museum of Man, 1985
- Toronto to 1918, J.M.S. Careless, James Lorimer & Co. & National Museum of Man, 1984
- Town of York, The, 1793-1815, Edith G. Firth Ed., U of T Press, 1962
- Town of York, The, 1815-1834, Edith G. Firth Ed., U of T Press, 1966
- West Toronto Junction Revisited 3rd Edition, Joan Miles Ed., West Toronto Junction Historical Society, 1986
- Woodbridge Story, The, Herb H. Sawdon, ca. 1960
- York Township: An Historical Summary 1850-1954, J.C. Boylen, Township of York 1854
For reference purposes on using the above in your research, refer to the Etobicoke Historical Society's GUIDE: How to Research Etobicoke History.