Online Resources

Surveyors’ Plans

These were created when a large parcel of land was divided, or a new road was constructed. Most houses do not predate a plan. If your house does, sometimes there will be a note or drawing of it on the plan. The surveyors’ plans can help you understand your lot designation and exactly where your property sits in the area. Plans can also change over the years. Not all plans came to fruition; some died on the drawing table. Your property can be on more than one lot, it can be part of a lot, or parts of many lots.

Here are the plans.

Below are the streets, plan number and year.

Weston Rd., Beech St., Jane St., and Lawrence Ave. M140 1890
Joseph St., Elm St., King St. M337 1894
North Station St., Grattan Street, Robert Street, Joseph Street, Church Street M338 1911
Lawrence Ave., Jane St., Rosemount Ave., John St., William Street M396 1853
Eagle Ave., Jane St., William St., Ralph St. M465 1923

(1846) - (1923) Weston neighborhood plans

Springmount, MacDonald, Wadsworth, William, Helen M472 1923
John Street, Elm St., Humber River and Woodward Ave. 5 1846
Jane Street, Lawrence Ave., William Street, South Station Street 50 1853
Weston Rd., Beech St., Jane St., and Lawrence Ave. 182 1856
North Station St., John Street, South Station Street and Lawrence Ave. 223 1857
John and Rosemount2351858
Rosemount, Maria, Elm, North Station Street 264 1862
John and Rosemount 272 1863
King Street, Elm St., Railroad tracks, Church Street 273 1864
Elm to Jane, Beech to Dufferin (Lawrence)526, part 3 1883
Humber River to Elm Street526, part 4 1883
William and Rosemount, Lawrence 584 1884
King St., Elm St., North Station Street, Church St. 723 1887
Church Street, Wadsworth Cres., Brentwood St. 1110 1891
Joseph St., Elm St., King St. 1164 1894
Joseph St., Beech St., King 1511 1910
Church St., Wadsworth Crescent1 704 1912
William St., MacDonald Ave., College St. 1729 1912
Rosemount Ave., Springmount Ave., William Street, Macdonald Ave. 2409 1923
Rosemount Ave., Lawrence Ave., Springmount Ave. 3262 1946

Goad’s and Other Fire Insurance Maps

These maps were used by insurance companies to estimate the amount of insurance needed for a building. They are street maps showing the shape, size and construction material of buildings, plan numbers, and former house numbers.

These were first published in 1880, but the first one to have Weston in it is dated 1910. If you compare different years you can narrow down your search for the date your house was built, or when additions were done.

(1910) - (1956) Goads and Other Fire Insurance Maps

Other Maps

The City of Toronto has maps online that may help you with your research.
Interactive Map shows the community of Weston, where your house is, etc., depending on what buttons on the left you click.
Aerial has photographs from 1947 to 1992. Street names are absent, so you must be able to pick out the streets.
Aerial photographs of valley lands has photographs from 1937 to 1942.

City Directories

City of Toronto Directories were published approximately every five years from 1833 until 1861. Thereafter, they were published annually. The City Directories don’t include Weston until 1911. The directories list the head of the household, their occupation, or whether the lot was vacant, under construction, etc. You can follow the years back until the address disappears and this will give you a rough idea of when the house was built. Just because there is no number, it does not necessarily mean there is no house. Check a number of years back to confirm that it is really not there. The very early directories give only a name and occupation and some only list business people. These are not transcribed.

Old Newspapers

The Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail have been digitized and made available online for researching. These are both totally searchable and can sometimes have information on houses being built or their owners. You require a Toronto library card to access these resources free of charge.

Old Newspapers
http://vitacollections.ca/westonnews/search