GUIDE: How to Research Etobicoke History

 
he following guide will provide you with basic information on how to research history in Etobicoke and will identify many of the resources available to you. It is not an exhaustive list of all resources and research techniques available, but rather is a tool to help get you started.
 
Feel free to copy these files onto your own computer, or print them to create your own reference booklet. This material is for your personal use only; any uses beyond that must be approved by the Etobicoke Historical Society.
 

SECTION 1: KEY DATES IN ETOBICOKE’S HISTORY 

  • 1799 - First reference to “Etobeconk” as a township in the Minutes of a York County meeting
  • 1850 - Becomes an independent township with its own elected council, led by a reeve
  • 1890 - Etobicoke buys its first township hall at 4946 Dundas St. W. from a Methodist church
  • 1905 - Mimico became a police village (still part of the township)
  • 1910 - Mimico incorporated as a village
  • 1913 - New Toronto incorporated as a village
  • 1917 - Mimico incorporated as a town
  • 1923 - New Toronto incorporated as a town
  • 1930 - Long Branch incorporated as a village
  • 1933 - Thistletown became a police village (still part of the township)
  • 1953 - Etobicoke Township, Mimico, New Toronto and Long Branch became 4 of 13 municipalities in the new Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto (April 1)
  • 1958 - Etobicoke moves into its new Municipal Centre at 399 The West Mall
  • 1961 - Thistletown police village dissolved
  • 1967 - Etobicoke Township, Mimico, New Toronto and Long Branch amalgamated to become the Borough of Etobicoke, led by a mayor (January 1)
  • 1983 - Etobicoke incorporated as a City, led by a mayor (June 29)
  • 1998 - Etobicoke, along with Scarborough, North York, York and East York, are incorporated into the City of Toronto (January 1)


SECTION 2: MAPS 

The system used by early surveyors to layout and name lots and concessions in Etobicoke Township is one of the most complicated in Ontario. To assist you in understanding many of the records you may encounter when doing research, see Appendix 1: Descriptions of Original Concession Names and Lot Numbers Used in Etobicoke.

The most useful resource for understanding the history of land surveys in Etobicoke, is a map created in 1932 by the then County of York Department of Surveys. It is a compilation of all Etobicoke surveys from 1795 to 1929:

​1932 Compilation Map of Etobicoke Surveys from 1795 to 1929 (York County Dept. of Surveys, 1932)
 
Many old maps identify the owner of every lot by name. These types of maps are very useful for tracing a property’s ownership over a period of time:

Unwin's 1856 Map of Etobicoke 
Tremaine’s 1860 map of York County – All Sections
Map of Etobicoke in 1878 York County Atlas

Goads Atlases (Fire Insurance Maps) of Toronto On-line (Includes the larger villages in Etobicoke for some years only, e.g. Humber Bay, Lambton Mills)

The Richview Public Library (Local History Room) has an extensive map collection containing copies of many pre-Conferation Etobicoke maps and surveys: torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com/files/richview-local-history-maps-list-rev-bm.pdf

Maps showing urbanized Etobicoke in the early and mid-20th century:

​1908 Map of City of Toronto and Suburbs (showing Mimico & New Toronto)
1913 Goad's Atlases (showing Mimico and New Toronto)
1921 City of Toronto Map (showing Mimico)
1932 Might's Clearview Correct City Directory Map of Greater Toronto
1939-1947 F. P. Lloyd's Greater Toronto Map
1950 Map from TTC Toronto Visitor's Guide
​​1958 Metropolitan Toronto Road Map
1966 Metropolitan Toronto Road Map

Aerial Photos of Toronto from 1947 to 1992 are available online from Toronto Archives. A powerful imagery tool to compare historic aerial photos with current satellite imagery is available at: schoolofcities.github.io/historical-aerial-imagery-toronto/

 
SECTION 3: CITY DIRECTORIES
 
Search city directories to trace a property’s owner over time and determine information on occupations, tenants, and family members.

See Appendix 2: Guide to Toronto City Directories That Include Etobicoke, which lists for every Etobicoke community and year what directories exist and where the directory can be found if not available on-line.

Toronto Directories, from the 1830s to the 2000s, can be accessed online at:

www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/history-genealogy/lh-digital-city-directories.jsp
 
The following 19th century directories include all of Etobicoke:

 
Other City of Toronto directories available on-line (some of which include the larger Etobicoke villages, e.g. Humber Bay, Lambton Mills, Mimico, etc.) can be found at:

Unless indicated otherwise in the Guide to Toronto City Directories That Include Etobicoke, directories that are not available on-line can be found:
  1. On microfilm at the Toronto Archives for the years before 1960.  From 1960 onward, the actual physical directories are there.  Between 1983 & 1995, Etobicoke appears in the “west” edition of the directories, which were published every 2 or 3 years. (See more information about the Toronto Archives below in Item 8.)
  2. In bound books for all years at the Toronto Reference Library.  Many people find it easier and faster to look things up in actual books like these, rather than on microfilm. This library is located at 789 Yonge St., one block north of Bloor, and the City Directories can be found on the second floor.

 
SECTION 4: LAND REGISTRY OFFICE  

The most complete and accurate source for the history of any property is the land records found in the Land Registry Office (LRO).  These records trace the complete legal ownership history of all properties in Toronto.  Land records before the year 2000 are free to access and download through the LRO website (ONLAND): help.onland.ca/en/historical-books/.

See Appendix 3: How to Do Research at the Land Registry Office, for more detailed information on how to use this resource.
 

SECTION 5: LITERATURE SEARCH 

If you have the names of the owners of a property, you can search existing literature to see if any information already exists about the owners and their families. Use Appendix 4: Books about Etobicoke History, Architecture and the GTA, in conjunction with the Toronto Public Library to check relevant books. 

Also use Appendix 5: Useful Websites for Researching Etobicoke History, under “Biographies”, and check the on-line databases of the Toronto Archives and the Ontario Archives.  In addition, a simple Google search of a name can often yield interesting historical information.  For any information you find, also check what sources that author used as this might lead you to additional information.
 

SECTION 6: CENSUS RECORDS 

Census data is very helpful in determining information about families, e.g. names, ages, number of children, occupations, religion, places of birth, year came to Canada, etc.  Here are sites where you can search the available census records online and for free:


Links for searching individual census years:

 
See Appendix 6: Canada Census Collection – Enumeration Dates and Instructions for Censuses from 1851 to 1921 to understand what information was gathered in each census year as there were variations over time.  

The Ancestry.ca website has all of these census records, along with many other types of records for historical research, but can only be accessed with a paid subscription.  However, you can access the “Library” version of Ancestry for free at any branch of the Toronto Public Library if you have a library card.  To access Ancestry, go to the TPL website and book a time to use one of your local library’s computers.  You’ll need to take your library card with you to the library..

Searching on Ancestry can often be more productive than using the above census websites, which will only give you a response if you spell the name exactly the way the original census-taker did.  In addition, because census records are full of spelling errors, Ancestry is more “intuitive” and will give you responses that are similar to or sound like what you input, e.g. if you’re looking for Thomas Johnston, it will also give you answers that include Thomas Johnson, Thomas Johnstone, Thomas Johns, T Johnston, Tom Johnston, and multiple other possibilities.

The following chart shows when privacy laws allow personal vital statistics to be released by the federal government for general distribution to the public:
Other useful information available on Ancestry includes: divorces, cemetery records, ship passenger lists, voter lists, family trees, family photos, and much more.
 
SECTION 7: TAX ASSESSMENT ROLLS 

Tax Assessment Rolls contain information on heads of households, occupations, lessees, owner’s address if lives elsewhere, property size, property description, and value of property for taxation purposes.  These records exist for Etobicoke from 1851 to 2000.
If you are trying to determine when an older home was built, looking at the assessment rolls for that one property over time can be helpful.  If you see a permanent, significant increase in a property’s valuation in one year, with no increase in property size, this may indicate the construction of a new house or other large building on the property.   

Assessment rolls for Etobicoke can be found in three locations:
  1. For most areas of Etobicoke, assessment records are available in the original hand-written ledgers at the Toronto Archives for the years 1851 to 2000. (See additional information on the Toronto Archives in Item 8 below.) Note that the assessment rolls for Mimico, New Toronto and Long Branch are available on microfilm in the Toronto Archives for the years when they were independent municipalities only. They are available on the hand written ledgers for all other years.   
  2. On microfilm in the Local History Room at the Richview Public Library for the years 1851 to 1900 only. (See additional information on Richview Public Library in Item 11 below.) 
  3. Online at FamilySearch.org for the years 1853 to 1900: www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/166817?availability=Family%20History%20Library (click on the "camera" icon in the "Format" column to go to the records. You will first need to create a free account with FamilySearch).
SECTION 8: TORONTO ARCHIVES 

The Toronto Archives has information on assessment rolls, vital statistics (births, deaths, marriages), council minutes and by-laws, old photographs, street name changes, city directories, and more. However, there is less information available for Etobicoke and other “suburbs” like Scarborough and North York than there is for the original City of Toronto.

The Archives are located at 255 Spadina Rd., just south of Davenport, on the second floor.  Hours are 9-4:30 Mon-Fri and 10-4:30 on Sat (but they are only open on Saturdays from Oct to April.)  They have free parking, but you need to register your car at the front desk on the 1st floor.  Then go to the 2nd floor’s front desk where you will register and receive an ID card to keep and use each time you visit. They will give you a quarter to use in one of their lockers where you must place all of your belongings except what you need to do your research.  Only pencils may be used for recording information. Non-flash photography of items is permitted.  

To search the Ontario Archives collections, please CLICK HERE.  

To see what resources they have online, please CLICK HERE.


​SECTION 9: ONTARIO ARCHIVES 

The Ontario Archives is located on the York University campus at 134 Ian Macdonald Blvd.  Hours are 8:30-5 Mon, Wed & Fri; 8:30-8 Tue & Thu; 10-4 Sat. There is parking available, albeit expensive, but soon there will be direct subway access.

They have many different types of records available that might be useful, such as wills (which often will give you a lot of information about family history), early land settlement records (land grants), military records, bankruptcies, court proceedings, old maps, business registration information, etc.  

Some items need to be ordered in advance as they are stored off-site and procedures for this can be found on their website by CLICKING HERE. 

You can find printable guides on-line for each type of record they have by CLICKING HERE. 

These guides will tell you how to access and use the records. Print and read the guides you need before going to the archives. 
You should also search for the existence of any records for the person or topic you’re interested in through their on-line “Archives Descriptive Database” which can be found by CLICKING HERE. 

Print the pages you find or make a note of the details so you can order the items when you arrive or in advance. 

You will definitely need to ask for help from the archives staff the first time you visit to understand their procedures, where to find things, and how to use their microfilm readers. 

When you arrive, register at the front desk and obtain an access card. They will give you a key to a locker where you must place all of your belongings except what you need to do your research.  Only pencils may be used for recording information. A lot of items are on microfilm, so take a memory stick with you and you can copy the pages you want to keep directly from the microfilm reader. Non-flash photography of items is also permitted.
 
 
SECTION 10: UPPER CANADA LAND PETITIONS 

Valuable information about early settlers in Ontario can often be found in Upper Canada Land Petitions, available through the Library & Archives Canada website.  When early settlers petitioned for land, their petitions often contained information of a personal nature, e.g. birth place, when they moved to Upper Canada, information on their wife and children, war service, family history, etc. Since it was not a legal requirement to register births, marriages and deaths in Ontario until 1869, these petitions can be a great source for those types of information. 
 
Instructions for using the database are available on their website, but in general, to find these records:

  1. CLICK HERE to search for a petitioner by name and write down the alpha-numeric codes provided for that individual. Note that some settlers submitted multiple petitions over time.
  2. Then CLICK HERE go to this second website to find the actual petition using the codes recorded from step above.
   
Each petition will have several documents attached, so there will be several pages for each person, e.g. the petition letter itself, oath of allegiance; outcome of the petition in general terms (i.e. approved or denied); related correspondence; etc.
 
 
SECTION 11: RICHVIEW PUBLIC LIBRARY'S ETOBICOKE LOCAL HISTORY ROOM  

Richview Public Library has many unique sources of information about Etobicoke in their Local History Room, e.g. a Vertical File; oral histories; Tweedsmuir histories of Lambton Mills (includes Islington), Richview and Eatonville; Etobicoke Township documents; microfilms of assessment records to 1900, Etobicoke Council Minutes & By-laws 1850 to 1898; birth, marriage & death records; books on Etobicoke history; Etobicoke maps; local newspapers; and more.   You can ask someone to give you a tour of the room to see what they have, but call ahead to be sure the person who looks after the room is available.   Don’t be afraid to start poking around in drawers on your own to find out what’s there.

Richview Public Library is located at 1806 Islington Av., a block north of Eglinton Av. W. The Local History Room is on the 2nd floor and is always locked.  You must bring your Toronto Public Library card to gain access. Ask the librarian at the 2nd floor desk to let you in (or one on the 1st floor if there’s no one at the 2nd floor desk.) You will likely need to leave your library card with the librarian while you’re in the room. You can photocopy materials in the library for a fee, or take a non-flash photo of any item for free.
 
 
SECTION 12: NEWSPAPERS 

Another good source of information is Toronto newspapers.  They are often the only way to find information on more recent births, marriages and deaths.
 
With a library card, you can search the Globe & Mail from 1844 and the Toronto Star from 1894 online from any computer through the following Toronto Public Library website. To access the website, simply CLICK HERE. 

  • Scroll up or down to find the specific newspaper you want to view and click “Access Online”. 
  • You will be prompted to enter your library card number and the last 4 digits of your phone number, then click “Sign In”.
  • On the next screen, click “Continue”. 
  • When a screen comes up that says “ProQuest”, read some of the info at the far right under “Want to learn more?” and “Search Tip” to find out how to use the system. 
  • Then select “Advanced” search. Enter what you want to search for, hit the Search button, and the results will be listed on your screen in date order or reverse date order as you have requested.
  • When you open a page, the word or phrase you were searching for should be highlighted in red.   The red is always very clear in the Globe & Mail results, but in the Toronto Star the red is often missing or difficult to see.  Also the Star gives you a whole page to look at a time, so the print is very tiny, whereas the Globe usually gives you just one article at a time, so the print is larger.  For this reason, searching the Globe & Mail first is recommended, and then you can go to the Star if you can’t find what you want in the Globe.  You can print the article or e-mail it to yourself or anyone else.
 
The Richview Public Library has past issues of Etobicoke local newspapers on microfilm, going back as far as 1890, in the Local History Room.  There is a card index by subject for newspapers from 1950 to 1985 in a filing cabinet. If you find the subject you’re looking for, it will give you a microfilm number, newspaper name, date and page number so you can find the article. The microfilms are in an adjacent filing cabinet, and there is a microfilm reader in the room. 

For the years before 1950 or after 1985, you have to search the newspapers manually.  You can copy any articles you want to keep directly from the reader to your own memory stick.   Non-flash photography is also permitted. 
The Toronto Reference Library at 789 Yonge Street has other old newspapers available on microfilm. Particularly useful for very early research is the Upper Canada Gazette which was published 1793 to1849.  However, none of these newspapers have been digitized yet.

Writer, researcher, and historical consultant Jamie Bradburn has put together a very useful guide to online historical newspapers:
​jamiebradburncreative.wordpress.com/online-newspaper-guide/

The Toronto Branch of The Ontario Genealogical Society has a very good list of newspaper archives available: 
torontofamilyhistory.org/researching-toronto-ancestors/newspapers/
 
 
SECTION 13: MONTGOMERY’S INN MUSEUM LIBRARY 

This small Iibrary at Montgomery’s Inn Museum is open to the public, and has several resources on Etobicoke:

  • Books on Etobicoke history, as well as other areas of Toronto and Ontario.
  • Genealogical histories of many old Etobicoke families
  • The largest collection of old photographs of Etobicoke in the city.
  • Ontario Genealogical Society booklets listing the names of all burials in Etobicoke Cemeteries, plus many in Peel, Vaughan, and Toronto. 
  • A Vertical File on various Etobicoke-related subjects.
 
Montgomery’s Inn is located at 4709 Dundas St. W., on the southeast corner of Islington Av.  To book a time to go in and do research there, contact Montgomery’s Inn at 416-394-8113. (See below for photographs only.)
 
 
SECTION 14: PHOTOGRAPHS

The best sources for old photos of Etobicoke are:

  • Montgomery’s Inn Museum has the largest collection of old photos of Etobicoke.  Contact Montgomery’s Inn at 416-394-8113 to make an appointment to view the collection and obtain free digital copies.
  • Lost Toronto 
  • Vintage Toronto
  • Toronto Public Library Website: Do a search by street, person’s name, neighbourhood, etc.  Much of their collection of photos has been digitized, and then searching, you can tick the box “Scanned photographs only” if that will meet your needs. Any of these scanned photos can be copied from the Toronto Archives website to your own computer for free.   If you want to see a photo that is not yet scanned, a visit to the Toronto Archives is required and there is a fee to buy a paper or digital copy from them. 
  • Toronto Telegram – The digital archive at York University
  • Ontario Archives:  Most of their collection is not digitized but occasionally you may find one that is and can be copied to your own computer. Any that are not digitized require a visit to the archives to view them and there is a fee if you want a copy.
 
 
SECTION 15: USEFUL WEBSITES FOR RESEARCHING ETOBICOKE HISTORY 

Appendix 5: Useful Websites for Researching Etobicoke History, lists over 125 websites that have information on Etobicoke history. Not all have been mentioned above, so take some time to review the scope of the content covered by this appendix.