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.

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.

Where would one look to find farms that were around in the 40' + 50's? Ont Fed Agri doesn't have that info.

It depends what you are looking for. If you're looking for a list of all farms in Ontario, you're out of luck. If you're looking for a specific farm and know the approximate area where it may be located, check the city directories of surrounding areas, check land records, and most of all check the libraries in the area for a history of that township. Some genealogy societies have compiled land histories that document whom has lived on what plot of land and when. Most of these publications are available in local libraries or through the genealogy society that published them.

Someone born in 1900 drops out of site in 1935. This person is last seen in 1954. You do not know if this person is dead or alive in 1999. How would you start to find out if that person is dead and where did they die.

Start with what you know. Where were they last seen? Who were their immediate relations (parents, siblings)? Track down these relations, through them you may find your missing person. Items such as obituaries, birth announcements, marriage announcements, wills, etc. may mention your missing person and their whereabouts. Try the Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid to see if your missing person is listed in a cemetery record.

My great-great grandfather is known to have worked in the lumber camps in the Upper Ottawa River Valley roughly in the 1860's. Were there log books kept at the lumber camps? What other resources are available to trace his time spent in the Valley?

These are well written up ( the camps, I mean) in books in the stacks at Weldon Library (University of Western Ontario). The Wright Bros. had many camps; their records could very well be in the National Archives in Ottawa or with the Historical Society in that area. Perhaps also in the Toronto Reference Library. As for other resources, visit the Carleton CountyGenWeb