Genealogical Biography

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 Toronto Reference Library and the Canadiana Department at North York Central Library hold 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

 

Suggested Titles

General Biography

• Biographical scrapbooks: Index  (1911-1967)
• Biography and Genealogy Master Index
• 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

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
• Canadian directory of parliament 1867 - 1967 
• Canadian parliamentary companion
• Canadian parliamentary guide
• Canadian law list  (1890's)  Canadian law list (1900's - present)
• Upper Canada law list
  

 Local

• Commemorative biographical record of the County of York 
• 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
• Canadian medical directory  (1955 - )
• Medical directory of Toronto and suburbs  (1900,1903)
• Medical register for Upper Canada 1867
• Ontario medical register  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 for 1895 and 1898  (Online)
• United Church of Canada yearbook
• Yearbook and clergy list of the Church of England in the Dominion of Canada
• [Methodist clergy]

 

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 TPL website with a TPL library card:

• CBCA(Canadian Business and Current Affairs)
• Canadian Parliamentary Guide
• Canadian Periodical Index (CPI.Q)(1980 - )
• Early Canadiana Online     (for complete content, TPL library card required)
• Globe and Mail - Canada's Heritage since 1844
• Toronto Star -  Pages of the Past

Available on the Internet:

• Architectural Index for Ontario
• Canadian Encyclopedia Online/Encyclopedia of Music in 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 - )
• Canadian Newspaper and Canadian News Indexes  (1977 -1992)

• Newspapers  on microfilm  such as:
  •  Toronto Telegram (1876 - 1971)
  •  Ottawa Citizen (1850 -   )
  •  Winnipeg Free Press (1874 - 2010)
  •  Montreal Gazette (1785 -   )

 

For further assistance contact:

Canadiana Department, North York Central Library,  416-395-5623

Humanities and Social Sciences Department, Toronto Reference Library,  416-395-5577