Toronto Riding/Livery Stable

[ankerdine]

I originally posted this message on the Worcestershire, England, site along with another query. I just realised it would be best shown here. Anyway, I made a mistake with the dates too.......sorry!
I am trying to find out about a Hawker (possibly an Uncle Tom or John) who "founded" or "owned" a riding stable/livery stable in Toronto in the early to mid 20TH CENTURY. Can anyone come up with some ideas please? This gentleman may well have died at late as the 1960s.

Always hoping.......!

Ankerdine

[Janice M]

If you know the name of the stable, it might help. 

Also, if you know of any dates for births of children if they had any, or marriages, I could try the newspaper, to see if they are listed. I checked through the 1960's for deaths, but found nothing with the names you gave.

There are 51 "Hawker's" listed in the telephone directory for Ontario, with 27 living in or close to Toronto. Area Codes (416) (905) (647).

Here is a link for the Toronto History Site. I don't know if they can help, but it might be worth a try.
http://www.torontohistory.org/

Here is another link, for the "City of Toronto History & Archives".
http://www.toronto.ca/archives/index.htm

Janice

[ankerdine]

Hi Janice

Thanks for your delving and also for the 2 websites. I will certainly follow-up those leads.

I am afraid this is one of those family mysteries which may well not be solved.

My husband's father, Arthur Hawker, was a great one for story-telling. However, I have always believed that there is a lot of truth in family myths and indeed they may well be totally realiable. However, Arthur could easily have confused several family tales. He had an uncle (elderly) who was in the merchant navy and finally settled in St. John's Newfoundland...... I don't know what happened to him, maybe, he was the one who ended up in Toronto or he may be someone entirely different. I know nothing concrete about the family in Toronto except that this gentleman was married and had "Hawkers" riding stable. Arthur was born in  1913 in Aston, Birmingham, his father, Alfred Theodore Hawker was one of 8 children, and his grandfather Samuel was one of 14, all being born in Birmingham.
There is a Thomas born 1860 but he would have been old by the time Arthur was born.

I will look at the websites you recommend and see if anything else comes to mind.

I did have a little bit of encouragement when I found a small reference on the "Hawkers Genealogy Forum", which is another family history website. A family of Hawkers had originally settled in Toronto and some then moved to Vancouver. I did answer the gentleman's original posting but it was some years previously and never received any further communication.

Don't spend too much time on this. Something may come to light one day.

Goodbye from sunny England.
Ankerdine

[Janice M]

Don't give up on him just yet. 

Here is a link for the "Internet Archive Site".  You will find Toronto Directories up to the 1920's. THey are not searchable by name, but most of them are by streets at the front of the directory, and then alphabetical by surname in the last half.  (I have managed to find names without too much trouble.) The files are really big, so if your computer is slow, you would be best to download Djvu Viewer as most are copied in that format.

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=toronto%20directory

Here is a link for the 1911 Census. It is still being transcribed, but most of it is completed. I found 1 John - aged 35 employed as a gardener, & 1 Thomas aged 55 employed as a labourer. (Toronto & Area)

http://www.automatedgenealogy.com/

Good Luck! 

Janice

[ankerdine]

Hi Janice I haven't forgotten you!
What a wonderful link you have given me to those early Toronto directories. I just spent about half an hour looking at the first one. I found details of some livery stables but no Hawkers. I don't know where the lists of residents are. These directories are like our "Yellow Pages" with advertisements for services etc. What fascinating reading nevertheless. My spine was tingling when I read the ad for Scottish Songs and Pictures. Folk must have missed their home country in those days.
I will attempt to do a search methodically and I will certainly let you know if I find anything concrete.
Ankerdine

[loo]

While there are riding stables in Toronto, there are even more of them just outside Toronto, so there is the possibility that the stable was there instead.  "Toronto" could have been a vague term.  That would be in the 905 phone zone, and could be any of a number of municipalities, such as King, Markham, Thornhill, Pickering, etc.

[ankerdine]

Thanks loo for that too.
Janice, do you really have a name interest of Williamsdaughter? How unusual! I have a Williamson but they are very common in Ireland and Scotland.

[Janice M]

Williamsdaughter does seem to be the name.  She did however at times go by the name of Williamson. She went by the name of Marjory Williamsdaughter, when she married Robert Cheyne, on September 20th, 1798.

(With my luck, I will find out that this was not her name, but instead a transcription error, and that her father's name was William.) 

Janice