Friday, April 16, 1999

I have an ancestor listed on the 1837 Toronto census as living in York County on "Yonge Street Road from Toll Gate to Montgomery's Tavern". Where can I locate what churches might have been in that particular area in 1837 and do any of them still exist?

You might want to check the book call Toronto Landmarks. It is available on film at your local LDS Family History Center, on the shelf at some public libraries, through inter-library loan, and the Ontario Archives. This book contains Toronto City Directories for 1836-37 and 1846-47 as well as a wealth of other info. The directories will list churches in the Young ST area at the time. Then go to the Church archives that will hold your record

In the 1861 Perth Co. Census the letters Wl are given as place of birth. What do they stand for?

Your WI should be the colony of British West Indies in the 1860's; if it had been current usage, it should be Wisconsin. The USA went to two letter abbreviations recently but I can't remember when. (Wisconsin used to be WIS)

Thursday, March 25, 1999

I have an ancestor who is Huron indian from the London, Ontario area born about 1841. She married my great, great grandfather who came over from England as a soldier with the Kings Royal Rifles 4th Battalion in 1857. Where do I find information about my native ancestors.

To find resources for Native research see the Archives of Ontario publication "Aboriginal Peoples in the Archives". This is a guide to sources located at the Archives of Ontario. And "Records of the Federal Department of Indian Affairs at the National Archives of Canada" by Bill Russell, available through globalgenealogy.com

Thursday, March 18, 1999

I know my ancestors lived in Toronto. What I didn't know was how large it was! How do I begin my search ? I do have a old address but I have been told there is no city directory for the year 1854.

If your ancestors lived in Toronto longer than one year check the city directories for other years. City of Toronto Archives has a nearly continuous run of City directories from 1834 to 1940. Directories were not published for years 1835-36, 1838-42, 1845, 1848-49, 1852-55, 1857-58 and 1864-65. Also available are assessment rolls from 1834 on. It should be noted that information published in a directory for a given year was probably collected the previous year. To locate a person in the Toronto census it is necessary to locate their address in the census year (i.e. for 1861 census, check 1861 and 1862 directories. Suggested reading: Doris Bourrie, CGRS, Researching Canadian Census Records, Heritage Productions, Toronto or www.genealogystore.com . The GenWeb site dedicated to York County & Toronto will also be of help

The Toronto Public Library has a page called Historicity through which you can search old directories with keywords.

Saturday, March 6, 1999

My great-grandfather came from Scotland with the army sometime during the mid 1800's and I would like to find the date.

If you know the regiment you can search British Soldiers' Documents, War Office 97, or search Pension records. Suggested reading: Simon Fowler, Army Records for Family Historians, PRO Publications.