Are there street directories for Toronto for 1913-30?

[medhist]

Is it possible to look up addresses of people living in Toronto about 1913-1930 or later.  Trying to find Charles Henry Robert Hopkins and wife Gwendoline May Hopkins(nee Stanton) emigrated to Canada May 1913.  Know they were living in Toronto in 1919.  Are there any street or telephone directories or electoral rolls which can be searched for their address and occupation?  Also whether they had any children after arriving in Canada.  Like to trace the family if possible but can't find anything online.  Tried Ontario Cemetery database but no matches.  They may have moved elsewhere.  Charles occupation was Mechanic on the shipping list but could have worked at something else.  Any advice welcomed. Thanks

[Josephine]

medhist,

Yes, there most definitely are street directories for Toronto for that time frame.

The Toronto Public Library's Downtown Reference Library has them.

If no one here is able to do the look-up for you, the library will do it for a fee:

http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/ask_fee_index.jsp

Regards,
Josephine

[medhist]

Thanks for that and the link. I'm in UK so will have to pay them to do the lookup.

[Josephine]

You're welcome, medhist.

Good luck!
Josephine

[matildakin]

I'll drop in to the Reference Library tonight and take a look through the city directories for you.

mat

[medhist]

Oh Great. Thanks for that Mat.

[jfremont]

You can search here up to about 1922. It is a bit tedious since it doesn't have a search feature.
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=toronto%20directory

John

[matildakin]

I started at 1917.  Charles (sometimes referred to as "Chas W R") has these occupations:

• painter (1917-1924)
• sales clerk, stockkeeper at Simpson's (1925,1927)
• clerk and cashier at the provincial Liquor Control Board (1929-1941)

He lived at these addresses:

• 130 Runnymede Road (1917-1921)
• 334 Runnymede Road (1922)
• 8 Douglas Avenue in "Humber Bay" which is now Etobicoke (1924-1938)
• 12 Smithfield Drive in Humber Bay (1941)

1941 is his last entry.  Gwendolyn appears after that, as his widow.  Her entries up to 1962 show the following:

Occupations:

• sales clerk at Eaton's (1919)
• diet kitchen worker, St. Joseph's Hospital (1950,1954)

Residences:

• 130 Runnymede Road (1919)
• 12 Smithfield Drive (1942-1962)

Through the rest of the 1960s, there are two "Gwen" Hopkins, both living in the same general area.  The one is a housekeeper living at 59 Baby Point Crescent (1963) and 14 Anglesey Blvd (1964,1966).  The other is a sales lady at Mainprize Drugs Ltd, living at 76 Elsfield Road (1963-1969).  There are no entries for either one in 1970-73.

I didn't do a thorough search for other occupants of those addresses but did note "Robt" Hopkins in 1931.  He also lived at 8 Douglas and was also a clerk at the Liquor Board.  It may be just a duplicate entry for Charles.

Your best bet for finding out about their family is to pull Gwendolyn's obituary.  I searched the Toronto Star's "Pages of the Past" for "gwendolyn hopkins charles" in the obituaries of 1966-1975 and got these hits:

• Thursday, July 14, 1966 - pages 33,35
• Monday, Sept 12, 1966 - page 28
• Wednesday, November 2, 1966 - page 44
• Monday, Sept 17, 1973 - page C09

A search on "charles hopkins smithfield" in 1940-44 turns up this possibility:

• Wednesday, December 18, 1940 - page 20

If someone out there has a paid subscription, they might do a lookup for you.

mat

[medhist]

That's wonderful, Mat, I didn't dare hope there would be so much.  At least it seems to establish that they stayed in Toronto area.  L'll try to get more info on them and their obituaries.  Thank you so much for going to all that trouble for me.