[Mustapha]

In the old view on the left, of St. James looking se from Church St., you can just see one window of a building on the south side of King St. That would be 111 King St. E., where my great-great-grandparents lived when they moved to Toronto from Ireland (via Liverpool, where they had waited two years for suitable passage, and Buffalo). He had his business on the ground floor (Clarke Boots and Shoes) and they lived on the floors above. He’s listed in the 1859-60 directory (Frederick Clarke, shoemaker). In the 1858 assessment the value of the building and land is £900. Next door at 113 King St. (now a little park) was E.J. Palmer, photographer.

111 King St. E. is now La Maquette restaurant. I was there at a wedding reception some years ago when I remembered my father saying that his great-grandfather had lived across from the cathedral. That inspired my first foray into the city archives. Imagine my thrill at discovering that 111 King St. E. was my ancestors’ first home in Toronto. We went back for dinner several times for the bizarre feeling of imagining how it was with my family there more than 150 years ago. I was back at the archives every weekend all that winter to find out where else they had lived in the city. Of all the places they lived and worked in Toronto, later Hamilton, then Deer Park, 111 King St. E is the only building still standing.

Most interesting that they passed through Buffalo. I suppose they landed at New York or Philadelphia. Fascinating.

 

[Mustapha]

circa 1870:

from:

http://archive.org/details/cihm_57765

Looking at the those boots brings to mind the accessories that may have been used by wearers. Boot hooks to loop through the cloth tabs shown in that illustration to help pull on the boots. Boot jacks to grip the heels to help take them off. The dusty streets in those days - muddy in rain - means that many households will have had a boot brush/scraper on the porch. I wanted to get one for my place but the missus thought it fussy. There is still a boot brush/scraper holdover: many semi trucks have one on the step into the cab; truck drivers like to keep their cabs clean.

 

[Mustapha]

"And after 4 years, 4 months, 3 weeks and 5 days, this thread has reached 10000 posts."
QUOTE HamiltonTransitHistory.

What also should be noted is the number of "Hits":

1,641,642 (and counting!)


Regards,
J T

That reminds me. nostalgic's capsulated, brief and fascinating history of his family in Toronto.. does anyone else wish to share theirs?

 

[Mustapha]

Then and Now for November 13, 2012.





Then. Feb 23, 1912. Barnaby Place (was also known in the previous century as Price's Lane)

Now. April 2012. The old alignment is still here. Looking out at Edward St. and the N side of the bus terminal.

 

[Earlscourt_Lad]

I wanted to get one for my place but the missus thought it fussy.

http://www.castinstyle.co.uk/section.php/27/1/boot_scrapers_boot_brushes_boot_pulls

There you go Mustapha, a selection for you to peruse.

 

[nostalgic]

Most interesting that they passed through Buffalo. I suppose they landed at New York or Philadelphia. Fascinating.

They landed at Boston, and went to Buffalo because my great-great-grandmother had family there (her brother and his wife, and her oldest sister and her family had emigrated from Ireland some time earlier). I don’t know why they moved to Toronto 10 years later. My father thought it was because of anti-Irish sentiment in the States.

 

[nostalgic]

As someone who had to buy a new stove yesterday because my "old" one (at 10 years of age) has an "electronics" problem and 'spare parts are not generally available for stoves older than 10 years' (and if they are they cost $$$) this really hit home.

I just had to replace a 35-year-old wall oven because the wiring inside was disintegrating and I can’t afford to keep having the repairman back, or to have the oven stop working when I’m trying to cook Christmas dinner for 12. The new oven is all shiny and lovely but has a stupid noisy fan that’s on the whole time the oven is on and for up to an hour and a half after it’s turned off!! It’s to keep the electronics cool. Won’t last 10 years I’m sure. How is that “gren�

 

[J T CUNNINGHAM]

"How is that “green”?"
QUOTE nostalgic.

Everytime I see/hear the word "Green" it reminds me of the money that is being stolen out of my pocket.


Regards,
J T

 

[nostalgic]

Exactly!

 

[thecharioteer]

They landed at Boston, and went to Buffalo because my great-great-grandmother had family there (her brother and his wife, and her oldest sister and her family had emigrated from Ireland some time earlier). I don’t know why they moved to Toronto 10 years later. My father thought it was because of anti-Irish sentiment in the States.

Unfortunately, Toronto in the 19th century was hardly an oasis of tolerance for the Irish:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=980DE5DD133BEF34BC4C53DFB667838E669FDE

http://gladius-spiritus.blogspot.ca/2011/01/part-two-fo-brief-history-of-toronto.html

http://www.umanitoba.ca/colleges/st_pauls/ccha/Back Issues/CCHA1959/Galvin.pdf

 

[DSCToronto]

Then and Now for November 13, 2012.





Then. Feb 23, 1912. Barnaby Place (was also known in the previous century as Price's Lane)


Now. April 2012. The old alignment is still here. Looking out at Edward St. and the N side of the bus terminal.

Barnaby Place still shows up on the official City map as a public street. Runs through from Edward to Elm. See: http://map.toronto.ca/imapit/iMapIt.jsp

 

[DSCToronto]

Then and Now for November 13, 2012.





Then. Feb 23, 1912. Barnaby Place (was also known in the previous century as Price's Lane)


Now. April 2012. The old alignment is still here. Looking out at Edward St. and the N side of the bus terminal.

Barnaby Place still shows up on the official City map as a public street. Runs through from Edward to Elm. See: http://map.toronto.ca/imapit/iMapIt.jsp On Google Streetview it even still has a street sign.

 

[nostalgic]

Unfortunately, Toronto in the 19th century was hardly an oasis of tolerance for the Irish:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=980DE5DD133BEF34BC4C53DFB667838E669FDE

http://gladius-spiritus.blogspot.ca/2011/01/part-two-fo-brief-history-of-toronto.html

http://www.umanitoba.ca/colleges/st_pauls/ccha/Back Issues/CCHA1959/Galvin.pdf

It seems to have been antipathy toward Catholics in particular, which didn’t affect my family. In New York wasn't it was hatred of Irish in general (one reason for the formation of the NYPD)? BTW my family were members at St James (Cathedral) but left that church because of the difficulty they had getting a priest to baptize their baby who was dying of some disease we never hear of any more (1861. The marsh where the Don entered the lake was a cesspool of disease in warm weather.)

 

[nostalgic]

If we can't find the original Rawlinson, there is always John Ross Robertson in Lawrence Park. That was built to the same plan as Rawlinson, and it seems to have survived pretty well.

It looks like the same architect did the Loyal True Blue and Orange Lodge in Richmond Hill. Clearly, he liked this design! (Me too - I like the hints of Wren's Chelsea Hospital.)

John Ross Robertson School and Glenholme P.S. (aka Rawlinson), designed by D.R. Franklin and identical in plan, were the winners of a Toronto school competition (21 schemes submitted). The winning architect wouldn't allow his designs to be published but here's an article about it from 1919.

http://archive.org/stream/constructionjour12macduoft#page/212/mode/2up

 

[Mustapha]

http://www.castinstyle.co.uk/section.php/27/1/boot_scrapers_boot_brushes_boot_pulls

There you go Mustapha, a selection for you to peruse.

Why, thank you Earlscourt_Lad; I'll remember this when the stables are finished, even the missus wouldn't want me tracking that stuff into the house.