6 thoughts on “Historical Societies”

1. Hi There

   Currently, neither the Wriggley buildings 235 and 245 Carlaw are listed as heritage. Same with the bridge at Gerrard and Carlaw. I believe these buildings/infrastructure tell an important story and should be deemed heritage. Has anyone from the society had any discussion with Heritage Preservation Services, City of Toronto?

   Reply

   1. Hello Evelyn,

      Thank you for your comment. You are right about the Wrigley Buildings and the bridge. Very few Leslieville buildings or structures are listed as heritage. I will bring your concerns to our small committee which is working on this issue. We are drawing up a list of heritage candidates. You might also want to let your City Councillor know as the Councillor has people working on this separately from the Leslieville Historical Society.

      Regards,
      Joanne Doucette

      Reply

      1. As a follow up, I met Friday with the person who handles plaques for Heritage Toronto and discussed plaques for the Wrigley Building and more on Carlaw. Joanne

      2. Hello Joanne,
         I manage the photo archives at the Canadian War Museum and I saw the post you left on our website regarding a photo you have that was taken by G. R. Lancefield (copyright 1915). I have some information about Lancefield that I’d like to share with you so I’m leaving you my email address in the hopes that we can correspond: Maggie.arbour@warmuseum.ca . Thank you!

2. Hello Joanne,
   I wanted to comment regarding the “John French” mentioned at the end of this paragraph in the Leslieville Timeline section:

   “Alfred Blackburn lived “across the Don” …. “John French was born in the U.S., but his children Jane and Mary were born in Canada. Their mother seems to have died.”

   I believe this “John French” is actually the Lewis French, mulatto, age 37, born in the U.S., who appears in the 1861 Canadian census with two young mulatto girls (daughters?), Jane age 3, and Mary age 1, both born in Upper Canada. His wife Ann, age 21, (who is not listed as mulatto), appears at the bottom of the following page in the census. However, apparently the census enumerator filled out his pages in reverse numerical order, so that Ann’s name was really at the bottom of the page previous to Lewis and the two girls – not the page after them. Studying another family that was similarly divided seems to confirm the enumerator’s error.

   According to this 1861 census, Lewis, Ann, Jane and Mary French shared a two-story house with Samuel and Susan Winder, and their sons Lewis and Samuel.

   I believe that this Lewis French and wife Ann/Anna (Wilson) are my great-great-grandparents. I live in the U.S., and although I have been able to do some pretty extensive research online, I suspect that there are hidden records in the various archives in Toronto. For example, do you know if there are records of fugitive slaves in Toronto who returned to the U.S. to fight in the Civil War? Based on my research, that seems to be a possibility.

   I would greatly appreciate any insights you may be able to share!

   Regards,
   Kathy E.

   Reply

   1. Hello Kathy,

      Let me look into this and get back to you with what I can find. It might take a while. Are you by any chance on Ancestry? I am and that’s one place I can start. I can also do a newspaper search here in Toronto. Only one of the major papers is on line, but it’s worth a look. Do you have access to the street directories? That’s another place I can go. You may email me at leslievillehistory@gmail.com and I will get back to you with info.

      Regards,
      Joanne Doucette

      Reply