Local History & Genealogy

Getting Started

Could your ancestors have been prominent in their community? Did they belong to a group or association, or were they members of a profession or trade? They may well appear in publications produced by these organizations. The Humanities and Social Sciences Department at the Toronto Reference Library holds numerous examples of such resources, ranging from biographical dictionaries to membership directories.

Searching the Library website

Suggested keywords and subjects:

The terms "biography," "dictionaries," and "directories" can be useful in combination with the group/occupation/place for instance:

• [occupation] [place] biography e.g. farmers Ontario biography

• [place] biography e.g. Muskoka biography

• [occupation] [place] directories e.g. artists Ontario directories ; lawyers Ontario directories

• [group] [place] biography e.g. women Toronto biography; politicians Ontario biography

• [group] biography dictionaries e.g. musicians biography dictionaries

• name of group e.g. Freemasons, Orange Lodge, Orangemen etc.

• school yearbooks [place] or name of school e.g. school yearbooks Toronto

Suggested Titles

General Biography

• Biographical scrapbooks: Index (1911-1967) (Toronto emphasis plus National and Provincial figures)
• Biography and Genealogy Master Index (1981-1990; to 1999 at TRL)
• Canadian who's who (1898- )
• Canadian who's who index (1898-1984)
• Cyclopaedia of Canadian biography (1886-1919)
• Dictionary of Canadian biography (also available online)
• Macmillan dictionary of Canadian biography (to 1978)
• Prominent people of the province of Ontario (to 1925)
• Standard dictionary of Canadian biography (1875-1937)
• Who's who in Canada (1913-2001)

Arts & Education

• Biographical index of artists in Canada
• Schools and teachers in the province of Ontario  
• High schools yearbooks
• University yearbooks 
• Torontonensis (University of Toronto) [1899-1966]
• Tricolour (Queen's University)   

Ethnicities

• Biographical dictionary of Canadian Jewry 1909-1914
• Dictionnaire biographique des ancêtres québécois 1608-1700
  
• Ethnic directory of Canada
• Who's who in Black Canada
  

Business, Government and Legal

• Blue book of Canadian business (1976- )
• Canadian directory of parliament 1867-1967 
• Canadian parliamentary companion [1871-1897]
• Canadian parliamentary guide (1898-2002, 2005)
• Canadian law list (1890s) Canadian law list [1900s-present]
• Upper Canada law list
  

 Local

• Commemorative biographical record of the County of York (also available for Essex, Kent and Lambton counties)
• Dau's official blue book for Toronto
• Municipality of Toronto: a history (to 1923)
• Sketches of celebrated Canadians (to 1862)
• Society blue book of Toronto…(various years online)
• Torontonian society blue book [1921-1946]
• Upper Canada sons and daughters of United Empire Loyalists
  

Medical

• Canadian medical directory and physician's handbook [1918-1933]
• Canadian medical directory (1960- )
• Medical directory of Toronto and suburbs (1900,1903)
• Medical register for Upper Canada 1867 also available as a PDF on TPL's Digital Archive
• Ontario medical register [1922-1934] and Ontario medical register [1870-1898] on microfiche

Regional

• Atlantic Canadians 1600-1900
• Central Canadians 1600-1900
• French Canadians 1600-1900
• Western Canadians 1600-1900

Religious

• Ontario Catholic yearbook and directory
• Catholic almanac of Ontario and clergy list for 1895 and 1899 (and Online)
• United Church of Canada yearbook and current issues 
• Yearbook and clergy list of the Church of England in the Dominion of Canada
• Methodist clergy
• Toronto Masonic blue book [1929-1963]

Early Immigrants – Lists

    There are numerous titles about early immigrants from various European locations. Check our Passenger List Research Guide.

Online Resources

Available through the Toronto Public Library website with a valid library card:

• CBCA(Canadian Business and Current Affairs)
• Canadian Periodical Index (CPI.Q)(1980- )
• Early Canadiana Online
• Globe and Mail – Proquest Historical Newspapers
• Toronto Star - ProQuest Historical Newspapers

Available on the Internet:

• Architectural Index for Ontario
• Canadian Encyclopedia Online/Encyclopedia of Music in Canada (part of Historica Canada)
• Dictionary of Canadian Biography online
• Our Roots (Canadian local histories)
• Internet Archive (wide selection of digitized books including directories)

In Library Resources

• Canadian Periodical Index (1920-2002)
• Canadian Newspaper and Canadian News Indexes (1977-1992)

• Newspapers  on microfilm  such as:
  •  Toronto Telegram (1876-1971)
  •  Ottawa Citizen (1850-1991; 1992-current at TRL)
  •  Winnipeg Free Press (1874-2001; 2002-2010 at TRL)
  •  Montreal Gazette (1785-1949 and 1989-2009 at NYCL; 1950-current at TRL)

For Further Assistance: 

Answerline, 416-393-7131
answerline@torontopubliclibrary.ca

Toronto Reference Library, Humanities and Social Sciences Department, 416-393-7175