Ontario Roots - What's New

What's New at OntarioRoots.com

Actually, everything is new at OntarioRoots.com. We're glad you visited and we hope that our web site and publications are useful to you. Our mission is to become an indispensable resource to the genealogist with an interest in early Ontario.

2007-07-21. We have recently added a transcription of the Caverhill 1860/61 City of Tornoto Directory. Many thanks to Pat Jeffs for another one of her amazing transcription jobs! You can access the datbase by clicking here or press the CITY DIRECTORIES button at the left. We hope to add more to this transcription in the next few months!

2007-07-12. We updated the articles section to include a copy of our most recent article about The Lost Village of Weston. You can read it by clicking here or press the PUBLICATIONS button at the left and then select the READ ARTICLES WE'VE WRITTEN button.

2007-07-12. We updated the articles section to include a copy of our most recent article about The General Registry Office of Scotland. You can read it by clicking here or press the PUBLICATIONS button at the left and then select the READ ARTICLES WE'VE WRITTEN button.

2007-07-10. We updated the articles section to include a copy of our most recent article The Lost Village of Mimico. You can read it by clicking here or press the PUBLICATIONS button at the left and then select the READ ARTICLES WE'VE WRITTEN button.

2005-12-18. We updated the articles section to include a copy of our most recent article The Lost Village of Seaton. You can read it by clicking here or press the PUBLICATIONS button at the left and then select the READ ARTICLES WE'VE WRITTEN button.

2006-08-09. We will soon be adding another free database -- a transcription of the 1859/60 City of Toronto directory. Details will be available very soon. See theTAX ROLLS tab as an example of what the data will look like.

2006-01-21. Thanks to the efforts of Pat Jeffs, we have updated District 126 with more detailed analysis of the streets and house numbers. We will continue to refine the data over the next few weeks. Please click one of the links above, or press image of the 1911 coin or press the 1911 Census button on the left.

2005-11-03. I recently purchased a City directory for 1912. I was able to add a more complete list of streets in existence in 1911. The City had recently amalgamted to the east (Toronto East) and to the west (West Toronto -- the Junction) which caused a lot of confusion as these amalgamated territories had streets with names the same or similar to the City. I have included cross-reference entries to show the name of a street just prior to amalgamation. As well, the list now includes streets which were newly constructed. Click the image of the 1911 coin or press the 1911 Census button on the left.

2005-10-02. With the great help of PAT JEFFS, we have completed the City of Toronto 1911 Street Index. All five Districts for the City have been complted: #124 (Centre), #125 (East), #126 (North), #127 (South), and #128 (West), and York South District #138 which includes parts of the City. This covers most of everthing of what is today the City of Toronto. We weill now try to add other parts of the other districts for York Twp as time permits. Click the image of the 1911 coin or press the 1911 Census button on the left.

2005-09-25. The 1911 Street Census for Toronto is almsot complete! Districts 124 (Toronto Centre), 125 (Toronto East), 126 (Toronto North), 127 (Toronto South) and 138 (York South) are complete! District #128 (Toronto West) is almost done. Sub-Districts #1-75 and 100-146 are now online! Click the image of the 1911 coin or press the 1911 Census button on the left.

2005-08-23. We have added a section for articles written by Paul McGrath on various genealogy topics including an overview of the 1911 census. This article appeared in the Toronto Tree (OGS, Toronto Branch) and helps explain how the census is organized, making your searching easier! As well you will find a series of articles on the Lost Villages of Toronto. Click here or press the PUBLICATIONS button at the left and then select the "READ ARTICLES WE'VE WRITTEN" button.

2005-08-17. Sub-Districts 8 - 17 for District #125 (Toronto East) of the 1911 Street Finder is now online! We are working on a street listing for the 1911 Census for the City of Toronto. Similar to our 1901 Street Index, this preliminary version will include the District and Sub-District to at least narrow your search. Future versions will include the actual street address and house number for a more precise search. Good luck with your search! Click the 1911 CENSUS button at the left.

2005-08-12. We are working on a street listing for the 1911 Census for the City of Toronto. Similar to our 1901 Street Index, this preliminary version will include the District and Sub-District to at least narrow your search. Future versions will include the actual street address and house number for a more precise search. Good luck with your search! Click the 1911 CENSUS button at the left.

2005-07-22. The 1911 Census for Canada has finally been released! The Library and Archives Canada has the images for the census online. See the FAQ / LINKS tab for further information.

2005-06-12. We recently made a significant upgrade on the hardware which manages this website, more than doubling the storage space. This will allow us to roll out a whole series of maps which we have collected in recent years. Most of our maps are of early Ontario (pre 1900) and include a large selection of early Toronto maps. We will be adding these to the site over the next few weeks and months. To view the maps, CLICK HERE otherwise you can click on the "MAPS & IMAGES" button on the left.

2005-06-07. We recently added a series of Enumeration District maps based on the 1891 census for Simcoe County and the City of Toronto. These maps are courtesy of KATHIE ORR who graciously allowed us to copy her originals. These maps were prepared in 1895 for the election held on June 23, 1896. We have six maps for Simcoe North, Simcoe South, Simcoe East, Toronto East, Toronto West and Toronto Centre. To view the maps, CLICK HERE otherwise you can click on the "MAPS & IMAGES" button on the left, and choose "1891 Census" from the list of buttons that then appear at the top.

Coming Soon. We are currently working on adding data for the 1853 Tax Assessment Rolls for Etobicoke Twp and Scarborough Twp. As well, we hope to add the data for the 1852 census for York Twp. These, along with the 1853 Toronto Tax Rolls, willprovide a complete list of all families in City of Toronto in the early 1850s. See theTAX ROLLS tab to use the Toronto 1853 Tax Assessment Rolls.

2005-02-28. In conjunction with the Ontario Genealogical Society - Toronto Branch, and in co-operation with the City of Toronto Archives, we launched an on-line version of the 1853 Tax Assessment Rolls database. This free will provides a searchable index to the complete 1853 City of Toronto Tax Assessment Rolls as well as links to the original images. You can also purchase a print version of the which includes a searchable CD and original images. See the PUBLICATIONS tab for further information.

2004-12-22. I have updated the Menu System on the left to accommodate the upcoming 1853 City of Toronto Tax Assessment Transcription Project. Watch for this exciting project to unfold in the first part of the new year 2005!

Coming Soon. We recently purchased a whole series of historical books of early Toronto. We're in the process of scanning many of the images and photographs. Our goal is to produce a searchable database of these images, maps and photographs. It should be available by the end of the summer. Check the MAPS & MISC. button for more information.

2004-05-21. I have updated the LINKS page, adding a few new ones, but also updating many of the current ones. Archives Canada and the Library of Canada have merged, with a new single web site called Collections Canada.

2004-02-24. Several people who use the site have asked for a list of streets in the 1901 Toronto Census. I've added a new feature which provides such a list. Click on the 1901 Census button on the left, and then press the "List of Streets" button. Select a letter of the alphabet and you will see a list of all streets listed in the census with that particular letter.

2004-02-03. I have added a series of old Toronto Post Cards, most of which are from the turn of the last century (1900-1910). Click on the Maps & Misc. tab, and choose the "Post Cards" button. You can then select the various collections "Views", "Buildings", "Places", "Harbour" or "Church/School". You can click on any thumbnail to see a larger version of each postcard. These are all from my private collection.

2004-01-15. I have added a new database which traces the history of the various streets throughout Toronto's history. Click the MAPS & MISC. button on the left and then select "Street History". Enter a street name and you will see the history of that street -- you'll see why it was named, and in what wards it was for the various census years. Click on the Databases tab, and choose the "Street History" button.

2004-01-04. I have added a new database which lists all the streets in a particular ward for the various census years. Currently 1842-1881 data is available. 1891 is partially available, and 1901 will follow soon. Click on the Databases tab, and choose the "Toronto Streets" button.

2003-12-17. I have updated the Ward Boundaries Map to include the Ward Boundaries for 1842, 1861, 1871-191, and 1901. Click on the Maps & Misc. tab, and choose the "Wards" button.

2003-12-12. I've added a new feature which allows you to enter the District, Sub-District, Division and Schedule 1 Page number, and to see all the addresses on that page. This process works similar to a "Reverse Directory" in that if you already know the particulars on the census page, you can now lookup the address. Click on the 1901 Census tab, and choose "FIND AN ADDRESS" button.

2003-12-06. I've added a map of the Ward Boundaries from 1891 and 1901 census. Click on the Maps & Misc. tab, and choose the "Ward Boundaries" button. Hover your mouse over any of the wards and you will see a description of the boundaries of that ward. Click the "Switch to 1901" to see the 1901 census ward boundaries.

2003-12-04. There was a service interruption for the site in the evening of December 4, 2003. This interruption was caused by our ISP and has since been rectified. I appologize for any inconvenience this may have caused anyone. Thank you for your patience. Check the What's New tab for more details on changes to this site.

2003-12-04. Updated Speaking Engagements List. Check out the OGS Seminar 2004 info, where we'll be giving a speech on the early history of Toronto. For more info on upcoming speaking engagements, check the About Us tab.

2003-12-01. New feature added! I have added a RURAL Census finder for the Toronto Area. Click the 1901 Census button, and press the "Rural Census" button. You can then choose a town/township and see all the rural addresses (Lot/Concession). As well, I added a page navigation feature which allows you to view 50 records at a time, and lets you page back and forward through the records. Check the 1901 Census tab.

2003-10-08. Updated Census Street Finder. Fixed a few programming issues which occasionally blocked some of the address names from displaying. Check the 1901 Census tab.

2003-09-23. Added NOTES section to the 1901 Census Street Finder. The Schedule 2 contains many notes about the various addresses; when you display an address than has such notes, they will now be displayed. As well, the address has been concatenated from 3 fields to 1 field, which should make display look better on some displays. See the 1901 Census tab.

2003-09-22. Added new section on the FAQ/Links section to list all the National, Provincial and Territorial Archives departments. Check the FAQ/LINKS tab.

2003-09-22. Updated the FAQ/Links section. Added link for Canadian Genealogy Centre, Genealogy.com, and Uxbridge Public Library. Removed link for GenDex. Check the FAQ/LINKS tab.

2003-09-22. Updated the Upcoming Speaking Engagements section of 'About Us' Check the ABOUT US tab.

2003-07-17. Updated the 1901 Census database. Fixed a few spelling errors, such as BERKELEY, and added duplicate entries for ST. VINCENT and ST VINCENT, for example. Check the 1901 CENSUS tab.

2003-07-16. Updated the 1901 Census database. There were a few problems with District 118 which did not always display the full Schedule 1 information. That has been corrected. Also corrected a few spelling errors. Check the 1901 CENSUS tab.

2003-05-09. Added a link on the 1901 census page so you can go directly to the appropriate page on the Archives Canada site once you locate the address in our 1901 Toronto database. Check the 1901 CENSUS tab.

2003-05-07. Added complete Schedule 1 transcription for Dist N? 131 (N? 116, 117, and 129 already exist). This now means 100% coverage of the City of Toronto, Toronto Junction, Etobicoke Twp, York Twp, East Toronto, and North Toronto. You can now find the exact location of a census record based on the address. Check the1901 CENSUS tab.

2003-03-10. Added complete Schedule 1 transcription for Dist N? 129 (N? 117 and 116 already exist -- N? 118 and N? 131 to follow in next few weeks!). You can now find the exact location of a census record based on the address. Check the1901 CENSUS tab.

2003-02-27. We do photo restoration work as well! Check out the new area on the site we've added with some samples of our work. There are five "before" and "after" photos with some great examples of how we've fixed some old and damaged photos. Click on any of the photos to see a larger version! Check out the PHOTO RESTORE tab for more information.

2003-02-24. Added complete Schedule 1 transcription for Dist N? 116 and N? 117 (N? 129, 118 and N? 131 to follow in next few weeks!). You can now find the exact location of a census record based on the address. Check the1901 CENSUS tab.

2003-02-18. By popular demand, we've made some of the GenieLog tools available on-line, with more to follow in the coming weeks! Check the TOOLS tab for more information.

2003-02-17. Added ability to view RURAL addresses (Concession and Lot numbers) for 1901 Census Finder Tool. Check the 1901 Census tab.

2003-02-15. Added data to the 1901 Census Finder, for TORONTO JUNCTION (District 131, Sub-District "H", Divisions 1 to 11). Check the1901 CENSUS tab.

2003-02-14. The 1901 Census tool was updated to "merge" the single address and street finder tools. Watch for more improvements over the next few weeks! Check the1901 CENSUS tab.

2003-02-10. We're especially excited about the 1901 Census Tools we recently added. This is a tool we have been using for our own research for quite some time, and we decided to share it. You can either enter a specific address and see what Film N?, etc where that address is located, or you can enter a street name and see all entries for that street. Check the 1901 CENSUS tab.

Coming Soon. We soon will have a PC-based programme called GenieHelp which contains a bunch of date and census-related research tools. This programme is also available for HandHeld PC's (with StrongArm, MIPS, SH3 or SH4 processors). Check the DOWNLOADS button of the TOOLS tab for more information.

Coming Soon. We're working on another database -- this one will contain a searchable database of all birth, marriage, death and census records for Ontario, showing the microfilm reel number. Check the RECORDS AVAILABLE tab for more details.