I follow a Facebook page called Toronto Before and today they posted this short video which is quite a marvel.
Enjoy!
I follow a Facebook page called Toronto Before and today they posted this short video which is quite a marvel.
Enjoy!
Here’s the trailer for the new season:
Lots more Seven Quick Takes over at Conversion Diary!
…he’s got to go.
Pop on over to Conversion Diary for more 7 Quick Takes!
As part of my volunteer work for the Ontario Genealogical Society’s Toronto Branch, I do some look-ups at the Ontario Archives for enquiries that come in to the Branch.
This week, I had three sets of look-ups to do. One involved finding a news item in the Toronto Leader for Thomas Young. Young was born in England in 1805 where he trained as an architect, and emigrated to Canada where he taught drawing and produced some of the earliest images of the growing city. He soon became active as a working architect and was commissioned to design a number of significant municipal and private buildings. HIs career foundered and he died of “apoplexy”, a general term used to describe cardiac or cerebrovascular events.
The article about his death appeared in the October 4th edition (1860) of the Toronto Leader:
It reads:
Sudden Death
Yesterday morning a gentleman named Thomas Young, and old resident and well-known architect of this city, was found dead in his bed at the Grand Trunk Hotel, Palace street, where he had been staying for the previous week. On Tuesday night, he retired to rest apparently in good health; but not appearing at an advanced hour in the morning his room was entered and he was found a corpse. An inquest was held in the afternoon by Coroner Scott and a post mortem examination made by Drs. King and Alkin.The result of the medical inquiry showed that death had been caused by apoplexy.The jury returned a verdict accordingly. The deceased, who had no relatives in the city, occupied at one time an eminent position in his profession, but for some cause or other he unfortunately gave way to the seductive but destroying influence of liquor.
(Note: Palace Street is today’s Front Street)
Source: Entry for Thomas Young in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online.
This Act is being re-introduced at Queen’s Park today. If you are a descendent of a British Home Child and are in the city, drop by the Legislature today (and then to the Duke of York for a reception.)
Good news to all British Home Child descendants and friends!
After two attempts to bring a British Home Child Day Act to fruition in the Legislature of Ontario, I am making one last attempt to accomplish this, before my retirement as the Member of Provincial Parliament for the Riding of Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry. With 2010 having been the national “Year of the Home Children”, I had hoped that my Private Members’ Bill would have been passed before the end of last year. Unfortunately, the official opposition would not cause this to happen, so I’m following another route in order to have an official day for recognition of the British Home Children in Ontario, September 28th. On Thursday, May 19th, through the kindness of MPP Monte Kwinter, I will have a chance to re-introduce my British Home Child Day bill, and to have it passed through Second and Third Readings. MPP Kwinter gave up his 15th spot in Private Members’ business, so that I could re-introduce my bill. As you may know, my previous bills have either died or stalled in the Justice Committee. This time, I will have the bill co-sponsored, with PC MPP Steve Clark and NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo agreeing to be co-sponsors. I’ll be moving Second and Third Reading on that day, and then it will require Royal Assent, a formality from the Lieutenant-Governor’s office. The bill will not be referred to the Justice Committee. Having said the above, I would be honoured to have you as my guest in the Ontario Legislature on Thursday, May 19th. Mine will be the third bill debated on that afternoon, with the first debate beginning around 1:20 pm. The debate for each bill last for about 50 minutes. Following the debate, I would like to invite you to the Duke of York, 39 Prince Arthur Avenue, Toronto, for a toast to our Home Child ancestors. I would be honoured to welcome you to the Legislature, and I thank all who have supported me in the past. I look forward to the day that we will have an official day in Ontario to recognize our Home Child ancestors who contributed so much to the development of our province, with little or no recognition. This is our opportunity to honour and celebrate their legacy! Christine Shaver, my Legislative Assistant is taking the lead on this project, and she may be reached at cshaver@liberal.ola.org. In the riding, I have asked my new Constituency Assistant, Alex de Wit to assist with my latest quest. His email is adewit@liberal.ola.org. Kindest regards, Jim Brownell, MPP
Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry
Thinking about visiting Allan Gardens this spring? Check out my new post over at Simcoe’s Gentry to learn a little about the history of the site.
[Photo courtesy Stephen Allen, under Creative Commons.]
I have been interested in genealogy for most of my adult life and since moving to Toronto in 2007, have gotten involved with the Toronto branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. In the past year, I’ve joined the Enquiries team, a small group that responds to requests for information that come in to the Branch from researchers around the world who would like assistance accessing records available in local libraries and archives. I have done “look-ups” at the North York Central Library (mostly the Canadiana Room) as well as the Archives of Ontario and these are of great help to me as I learn about how to access these records while doing the work.
Recently, a request came in for records from the London Insane Asylum. The Archives of Ontario holds these records and they are available in a couple of forms. Lists of patients are available in their original notebooks, stored in archival boxes, and I was able to take digital photographs of these for our client.
The actual case files are on microfilm, and the film-readers are driven by computers that let you save the images to an external storage device like a USB stick or portable hard drive.
I find this kind of research very interesting and I try to undertake a few lookups for my own personal research when I’m at the Archives or library.
Late last year I was asked to blog for Simcoe’s Gentry, a project of the Toronto Branch that is documenting the original Park Lots granted under Lord Simcoe in the Town of York. Their website is an ongoing repository of research, and the blog will help to introduce people to the work. The first post was in February and is here. You can scroll through the posts using the navigation at the upper right of that page. This is a very interesting project and I’m getting to know a lot about the history of Toronto.
[1851 Township of York – The original map can be seen at the Toronto Reference Library (call number 912.71354b68)]
Finally, I have taken on the role of Twitter-mistress for the branch, sending out announcements of interest to our followers every couple of days. These can include meeting reminders, course information, history or heritage events of interest to genealogists in Toronto, and links to new online resources. We set up the account in late January and hit 100 followers today, which suggests that we are offering a service of value to both our members and other followers with similar interests. You can follow us at www.twitter.com/TOfamilyhistory.
…defend us in the day of battle..
This gorgeous mural is outside St Michael’s Cathedral. A tag line at the upper right says paintyourfaith.com.