Metropolitan Toronto Central Library
Allan Papers
Baldwin Papers
John Elmsley Letter Book
Toronto Papers, Board of Health
J. G. Howard Papers
William Jarvis Papers
Diary of Helen Sarah Grant Macdonald
Letters and Accounts, North West Company
Memorials of the North West Company
William Dummer Powell Papers
T. A. Reed Papers
Diary of Mrs Mary Robertson
Elizabeth Russell Papers
Goldwin Smith Papers
Diary of Larratt Smith
Diary of a Soldier, 1838–40
Toronto Literary Debating Society
Minutes of Town Meetings and Lists of Inhabitants of York, 1797–1822
Alexander Wood Papers
Papers relating to the capitulation of York
Minutes of the General Quarter Sessions of the Peace, Home District
John Macaulay Papers
Thomas Charles Patteson Papers
Diaries of Ely Playter
J. B. Robinson Papers
John Strachan Papers
J. P. Whitney Papers
City of Toronto Archives
Assessment Rolls, 1834–
Toronto City Council, Minutes and Journals, 1834–58
University of Toronto Library
Blake Papers
Land Account Books
Minutes of the Toronto District Trades and Labor Council
Public Archives of Canada
Laurier Papers
Macdonald Papers
General
Firth, Edith G., ed., The Town of York, 1793–1815: a collection of documents of early Toronto. Toronto, 1962
— The Town of York, 1815–1834: a further collection of documents of early Toronto. Toronto, 1966
Doughty, Arthur G., and McArthur, Duncan A., eds., Documents Relating to the Constitutional History of Canada, 1791–1818. Ottawa, 1914
Cruikshank, E. A., ed., The Correspondence of Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe, with allied documents relating to the administration of the government of Upper Canada. 5 vols., Toronto, 1923–31
Cruikshank, E. A., and Hunter, A. F., eds., The Correspondence of the Honourable Peter Russell, with allied documents relating to the administration of the government of Upper Canada during the official term of Lieutenant-Governor J. G. Simcoe. 3 vols., Toronto, 1932–6
Sanderson, Charles R., ed., The Arthur Papers: being the Canadian papers mainly confidential, private and demi-official of Sir George Arthur in the manuscript collection of the Toronto Public Libraries. 3 vols., Toronto, 1957–9
Hodgins, J. George, Documentary History of Education in Upper Canada from the Passing of the Constitutional Act of 1791 to the Close of the Reverend Doctor Ryerson’s Administration of the Education Department in 1876. 28 vols., Toronto, 1894–1910
Powell, A. M., ‘Letters of Mrs. William Dummer Powell, 1807–1821’ (Niagara Historical Society, no. 14)
‘Letters from William Jarvis, Secretary for Upper Canada and Mrs. Jarvis to the Rev. Samuel Peters’ (Women’s Canadian Historical Society of Toronto, no. 23)
A Submission to the Royal Commission on Canada’s Economic Prospects, presented by the mayor of Toronto, 1956
Provincial publications
Statutes of Upper Canada, the Province of Canada, and Ontario
Journals and appendices (later sessional papers) of the legislatures. These are not all preserved. See Elaine Allan Mitchell, ‘The “Sessional Papers” of Upper Canada, 1792–1840’ (Canadian Historical Review, XXII, no. 3)
‘Minutes of the Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace for the Home District, 1800–1811’ (Twenty-first Report of the Department of Public Records and Archives of Ontario, 1932). For other years see manuscripts.
‘Grants of Crown Lands in Upper Canada, 1792–96’ (Report of the Department of Public Records and Archives of Ontario, 1929)
The Municipal Manual for Upper Canada, fifth edition, 1855
Municipal publications
Statutes especially relating to the City of Toronto. Toronto, 1894
Additional statutes especially relating to the City of Toronto since 1894 (including some previously omitted). Toronto, 1908
By-laws of the City of Toronto of practical utility and general application … Toronto, 1870
By-laws of the City of Toronto from the date of its incorporation in 1834 to the 13th January, 1890 … Toronto, 1890
By-laws of the City of Toronto of general application and showing those passed since 13th January, 1890 to 22nd February, 1904 … together with the names of the members of the Municipal Council and principal officials, also the police commissioners’ by-laws. Toronto, 1904
Toronto City Council Minutes, 1859 to the present. For earlier ones see manuscripts.
Municipal Handbook, City of Toronto. Annual from 1904
Boulton, William Somerville, Plan of Toronto surveyed and compiled by H. C. Boulton. 1858 (?)
Atlas of the City of Toronto and suburbs from special survey and registered plans showing all buildings and lot numbers. Charles E. Goad, civil engineer. Published in 1884, 1890, 1899, 1910, and 1923
Maps or plans are contained in several books about Toronto. Collections of maps are in the Metropolitan Toronto Central Library, the Ontario Archives, the City of Toronto Archives, and the Public Archives of Canada in Ottawa.
Newspapers are invaluable for the history of a city, but over the nearly two centuries so many have been published in and near Toronto that it will be best to give only the directories to them. For many purposes one paper will be found as useful as another of the same period.
American Newspaper Directory, containing accurate lists of all the newspapers and periodicals published in the United States, territories, Dominion of Canada and Newfoundland, together with a description of the towns and cities in which they are published. New York, 1869–1908. Incorporated with Ayer’s directory in 1910
American Newspapers, 1821–1936; a union list of files available in the United States and Canada. Edited by Winifred Gregory. New York, 1937. Reprinted in 1967
N. W. Ayer & Son’s Directory of Newspapers and Periodicals: a guide to publications printed in the United States and its possessions, the Philippine Commonwealth, and the Dominions of Canada and Newfoundland … Philadelphia, 1880 to the present. The title varies.
Canadian Library Association, microfilm committee, Canadian Newspapers on Microfilm. Ottawa, 1959 to the present. Revised at intervals.
Chesman, Nelson and Co., Newspaper Rate Book, including a catalogue of newspapers and periodicals in the United States, Canada … St Louis [c. 1913]
Desbarats Newspaper Directory. Montreal, 1904–17 (?)
Directory of Canadian Newspapers for 1900, being a catalogue of all newspapers and periodicals published in Canada and Newfoundland … Toronto, 1900
Firth, Edith G., Early Toronto Newspapers, 1793–1867. Toronto, 1961
McKim’s Directory of Canadian Publications … a complete list of the newspapers and periodicals published in the Dominion of Canada and Newfoundland with full particulars. Montreal, 1892–1942. From 1892 until 1923 the title was Canadian Newspaper Directory.
Meikle, William, comp., The Canadian Newspaper Directory; or, advertiser’s guide, containing a complete list of all the newspapers in Canada. … Toronto, 1858
Myers, R. Haltby and Co., Complete Catalogue of Canadian Publications, containing carefully prepared lists of all the newspapers and periodicals published in the Dominion of Canada. Toronto, 1890
United States, Library of Congress, Union Catalog Division, Newspapers on Microfilm. 6th ed., Washington, 1967
City directories
York Commercial Directory, street guide and register, 1833–34 … compiled and arranged by George Walton. York, UC, [1834]
City of Toronto and the Home District Commercial Directory and Register with Almanack and Calendar for 1837 … By George Walton. Toronto, [1837]
Toronto Directory and Street Guide for 1843–44. By Francis Lewis. Toronto, 1843
Brown’s Toronto City and Home District Directory, 1846–47. Toronto, 1847
Rowsell’s City of Toronto and County of York Directory for 1850–51. Toronto, 1851
Brown’s Toronto General Directory, 1856. Toronto, 1856
From 1859 directories, mainly published by Chewett and Might, were issued regularly. They were at first biennial and then annual.
Suburban directories
Scott, John G., comp., The Parkdale Register … Toronto, 1881
Sloane and Purves’ Directory of the Village of Yorkville. Toronto, 1876
Toronto East and North-east Suburban Directory. Toronto, Might Directories, Ltd., 1958–65
Toronto West and North-west Suburban Directory. Toronto, Might Directories, Ltd., 1958–65
City of Toronto Illustrated Business Directory. Toronto, A. S. Irving, 1865
County of York Gazetteer and Directory … including a full business directory of the City of Toronto. Toronto, McEvoy and Co., 1870
Toronto Business Directory and Historical Sketch. Toronto, Bell, Hawkins and Co., 1877
Might and Taylor and Co.’s Classified Business Directory of Toronto. 1879
Toronto Business and Professional Directory. Ingersoll, Union Publishing Co., [1890]
Classified Business Directory of the Cities of Hamilton, London, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. Toronto, Might Directory Co., 1895
Toronto Classified Business Directory. Toronto, Stevenson and Hovey, [c. 1912]
Guide books
Sylvester, Alfred, Sketches of Toronto, comprising a complete and accurate description of the principal points of interest in the city. 1858
A Member of the Press [George P. Ure], The Hand-Book of Toronto, containing its climate, geology, natural history, educational institutions, courts of law, municipal arrangements, etc., etc. 1858
The City of Toronto: illustrated with oil-colours taken from photographs. Nelson and Sons’ Hand-Books, 1860
Chisholm’s Hand-Book of Toronto and Tourists’ Guide through Canada and the United States. 1866
Timberlake, J., Illustrated Toronto Past and Present, being an historical and descriptive guide book. 1877
Illustrated Toronto, the Queen city of Canada; its past, present and future, its growth, its resources, its manufactures, its financial interests, its public institutions and its prospects. Toronto, 1890
Toronto Illustrated, 1893: its growth, resources, commerce, manufacturing interests, financial institutions, educational advantages and prospects, also sketches of the leading business concerns which contribute to the city’s progress; a brief history of the city from foundation to the present time. Toronto, [1893]
Craig, Gerald M., Upper Canada: the formative years, 1784–1841. Toronto, 1963
Careless, J. M. S., The Union of the Canadas: the growth of Canadian institutions, 1841–1857. Toronto, 1967
Scadding, Henry, Toronto of Old. Edited by F. H. Armstrong. Toronto, 1966
— Memories of Four Decades of York, Upper Canada. Toronto, 1884
Robertson, J. Ross, Landmarks of Toronto, a collection of historical sketches of the old Town of York from 1792 until 1833 and of Toronto from 1834 to 1893. 6 vols., Toronto, 1894–1914. Articles reprinted from the Toronto Telegram
Middleton, Jesse Edgar, with the co-operation of a group of special writers, The Municipality of Toronto: a history. 3 vols., Toronto, 1923
Middleton, Jesse Edgar, Toronto’s 100 Years. Toronto, 1934
Guillet, Edwin C., Toronto from Trading Post to Great City. Toronto, 1934
Masters, D. C., The Rise of Toronto, 1850–1890. Toronto, 1947
Chadwick, Edward Marion, Ontarian Families: genealogies of United-Empire-Loyalist and other pioneer families of Upper Canada. 2 vols., Toronto, 1894
Commemorative Biographical Record of the County of York, Ontario: containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and many of the early settled families. Toronto, 1907
Davin, Nicholas Flood, The Irishman in Canada. London and Toronto, 1877
Greater Toronto and the Men Who Made It. Toronto, 1911
Roberts, C. G. D., and Tunnell, Arthur L., A Standard Dictionary of Canadian Biography. 2 vols., Toronto, 1934–8
Rattray, W. J., The Scot in British North America. 4 vols., Toronto, 1880–3
Wallace, W. Stewart, The Macmillan Dictionary of Canadian Biography. London and Toronto, 1963
— The Encyclopaedia of Canada. 6 vols., Toronto, 1936
Encyclopaedia Canadiana. 10 vols., Ottawa, 1957
Morang’s Annual Register of Canadian Affairs for 1901
Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1903 to 1937–8
Canadian Annual Review, 1960 to the present
Census of Canada
Canada Year Book
Urquhart, M. C., and Buckley, K. A. H., eds., Historical Statistics of Canada. Cambridge and Toronto, 1957
Armstrong, Frederick H., Handbook of Upper Canadian Chronology and Territorial Legislation. London, Ontario, 1967
Coté, J. O., ed., Political Appointments and Elections in the Province of Canada from 1841 to 1863. Ottawa, 1866
Coté, N. Omer, ed., Political Appointments, Parliaments, and the Judicial Bench in the Dominion of Canada, 1867–1895. Ottawa, 1896