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A treasure trove of incredible lives lived.
— RICK MERCER, comedian and author
Muir sets out to restore the faces of women who worked and struggled in nineteenth-century Toronto. A fascinating read.
— WARREN CLEMENTS, author and publisher
Emphasizes the enormously influential role women had in laying the groundwork for life in the city today.
— DR. ROSE A. DYSON, author of Mind Abuse: Media Violence and Its Threat to Democracy
Women in nineteenth-century Toronto were integral to the life of the growing city. They contributed to the city’s commerce and were owners of stores, factories, brickyards, market gardens, hotels, and taverns; as musicians, painters, and writers, they were a large part of the city’s cultural life; and as nurses, doctors, religious workers, and activists, they strengthened the city’s safety net for those who were most in need.
Their stories are told in this wide-ranging collection of biographies, the result of Muir’s research on early street directories and city histories, personal diaries, and other historical works. Muir references over four hundred women, many of whom are discussed in detail, and describes the work they undertook during a period of great change for Toronto.
Contents
Preface 1
1 Toronto: A “New World” City 3
2 Women in Nineteenth-Century Toronto: Their Work and Station 9
3 Early Settlers 27
4 Adventurers 53
5 The De Grassi Girls and Other Spies 65
6 Women and Religion 73
7 Proprietors of Boarding Houses, Taverns, and Hotels 107
8 Visual, Literary, and Performing Artists 117
9 Professionals 153
10 Reforming Philanthropists 179
11 Epilogue 191
Acknowledgements 195
Appendix A: Selected Toronto and Area Streets Commemorating or Connected to Nineteenth-Century Women 199
Appendix B: Historical Plaques in Toronto and Area Commemorating or Connected to Nineteenth-Century Women 205
Notes 211
Bibliography 225
Image Credits 237
Index 239
About the Author 257