From our mailbox (edited)
Hello Bill,
I came across the following post on Heenan Place, Toronto, on your website recently (York Street of 40 Years Ago). I was actually searching to find out when Heenan Place was named for my great uncle, Honourable Peter Heenan, who was a politician from Kenora and served in several positions as Cabinet Minister in federal and provincial governments.
My family and I have always been under the impression that the little alley between York and University was named Heenan Place in recognition of Peter Heenan’s legacy so I was very surprised to read your article. A little disappointed too, I have to admit. But glad I knew it was time to stop crowing about the link to a Toronto street. (M.H., Oct 2023)
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Dear Mr. Gladstone,
Hello, Bill!
I hope you’re having a fantastic day. My name is L— and my son, I—- is a Boy Scout and he’s in the process of earning his Genealogy badge. I wanted to reach out to you because your Genealogy site was really helpful!
I—- is really enjoying the work that’s going into this badge and is loving learning about his family tree. I’ve never really done much research on the family myself, so I’m definitely taking an interest in this with him! He’s actually doing a family tree school project right now too so everything lined up really well. 🙂 The club leader always encourages us to find extra resources at home so I’m so glad I—- found something he’s really interested in and excited about.
Thank you again for taking the time to put the site together. I—- was adamant that we send you a warm thank you. (L.S., Jan 2023)
I work at the — Gallery (a prominent art gallery near Toronto). We recently acquired the 16 paintings that make up William Kurelek’s Jewish Life in Canada series, published in 1976 as a book.
To make the paintings Kurelek sourced archival photos of Jewish communities across the country. Thankfully he wrote detailed descriptions of many of the paintings, and we’ve been able to track down some of the source images he used.
He claims to have used several photos of Toronto, but I have had a difficult time tracking them down. I found one on your website that intrigued me. It appears that Kurelek used the horse from a photograph you shared in his painting Jewish Scrap Collector Questioned by a Toronto Policeman (both reproduced below). I’ve included a photograph of a scrap collector from Moose Jaw that Kurelek also used.
This photo was used in your article Toronto’s junk trade worth $10 million a year (1913) from back in 2013. I think Kurelek used the horse from this photo in his painting. Are you able to recall where this photo was sourced from? (J.G., Aug 2023)
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Hi there Bill,
I noticed you have a photo of the ‘Site for new Women’s College Hospital‘ on your website. Do you still have this photo? The reason I’m asking is one of my relatives was born at the Van der Smissen’s house – and I was wondering if it’d be possible to get a copy of the photo with a higher resolution. (S.L., Jan 2022)
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Hi Bill,
I came across one of your articles in the CJN that references my great grandfather K—— B—–. I don’t know much about him or his activities in the Jewish community or the community in general in Toronto and was wondering if you may have any further information on him. (B.T., Oct 2021)
I replied and received this acknowledgement:
Thanks Bill! I appreciate you sending the memorial, it was extremely meaningful for me to read (and so was the article from the CJN) and thank you for the suggestions. Your website is quite amazing, you’ve done a great job with it. (B.T., Oct 2021)
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Hello Mr. Gladstone,
I was doing some research on Jewish education in Toronto as I am new to Toronto and now making decisions about education for my children here. Through my search I read a paper you wrote about Jewish Day-School Growth in Toronto and so I thought I would reach out. I have had some interesting experiences in the last year in my process and search for Jewish education for my children. I am trying to gain an understanding of what Jewish education is all about here, the politics behind tuition support, the fees, etc. I am originally from Montreal, moved here about nine years ago now and my kids (eldest) are in SK. I am disgruntled by the experiences I’ve had, coming from heads of schools, tuition support, admissions, etc. My own and others’ experiences with their children, communications, receiving financial support, being denied a Jewish education for their children for various reasons has been mind blowing. Middle class families pulling their kids out of Jewish day schools, schools closing, schools being selective on who they are “accepting” of . . . just a whirlwind of thoughts and questions. Can you suggest someone I could talk to about this? (R.C., Jan. 2020) (Wrote back suggesting a contact)
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Hello Bill Gladstone!
I live in Victoria BC and I too am a genealogist.
A search this morning turned up your February 27, 2016 article Inside the RCMP’s bigamy files.
We had a great ‘travelling man’ in our family – it does seem now that he was a bigamist, and traveled between families. I am certain that this was never exposed, and yet, the timing fascinates me because the wife of this man had a massive heart attack and dropped dead in February, 1914 (at the age of 58).
I’ve followed through to look at your very fine website, but am specifically interested in your reference to the high profile court case in Toronto in 1913. I hope that you might be willing to tell me when and where those stories made front page news in Toronto. With gratitude for any insights you can share on the subject. (G.F., Nov 2019)
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Hi there,
In searching for information about my paternal grandfather (D.L.H) I discovered via your website that there was a book dedicated to fallen Jewish Canadian soldiers. Would you by chance have any idea where I might find a copy of Canadian Jews In World War II, Part 2 (casualties)? I’d really like to give it to my dad as a gift. (He is the baby referenced in D’s obituary.) Any leads you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much, and thank you for all of the work you’ve put in to getting so much information online. I was thrilled to see new documents related to my grandfather. (J.M., Oct 2019)
I am an American – Australian Jewish doctor living in Perth, Western Australia (originally from New York). I enjoyed your article on The Jews of Nagasaki very much. (L.A., Sept 2019)
Hello, Mr. Gladstone
Hi Bill,
Just passed by your website . . . lots of great stuff!
Just wondering about the article from 1911, Toronto’s oldest building gives way, modern structure to rise. It says that was the oldest structure in Toronto. Do they have any proof of it? Also, are there any construction photos of Victoria College, or any of those really old buildings that look like they are from fairy tale times? Cheers (G.K., Aug 2019)
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I am sorry to bother you but as you appear to be the maven on all things Jewish in Canada I wondered if you knew of any Jewish locations of interest in Newfoundland. I am coming through on a cruise ship and we dock in St Johns, St Pierre, Corner Brook and Havre St Pierre ( all good Jewish names!) proceeding on to Saguenay, and I would love to visit any local Jewish points of interest in those areas. Thanks in advance and greetings from London UK. (S.A., Aug 2019)
My reply suggested she read these articles on St. Johns Jewish Community and Robin McGrath and also that the writer contact the Atlantic Jewish Council.
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Hi Bill,
My name is T– M— and I work in Kensington Market and have an interest in the history of the community. I sometimes tell our customers about the market and want to get my facts right. Is this something you have information on? I read that at one time there were up to 30 synagogues serving the Kensington community. Is this number accurate? If so, what happened to most of them? I am aware that there are two remaining: Kiever on Bellevue and Anshei Minsk on St Andrew. Is there any information available on the other synagogues, such as where they were originally located? Did they simply close down or move somewhere else? (T.M., July 2019)
In my reply I mentioned other former synagogues whose buildings are still standing (Ostrovtzer Synagogue, Spadina and Cecil; Henry Street Synagogue, at Cecil), and referred the writer (as I often do) to the Ontario Jewish Archives for further information; as well as to the Kensington Market Historical Society.
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Dear Mr. Gladstone,
My name is I— and I came across your obituary of the film production designer Bill Brodie (Globe and Mail). I was wondering if you could put me in touch with any members of the Brodie family? (I.G., June 2019)
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Hello Bill Gladstone,
Last year I found the following article on your website: Camp Arrowhead holds 50-year reunion, by Cynthia Gasner. I am in the Innisfil Historical Society, and we are preparing a book that is to be an update to our series of Historical Reviews of Innisfil. I am requesting permission to reprint part of the article and reference it on our website. (D.G., Feb 2019)
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Hello Mr. Gladstone,
I recently read your article on the RCMP bigamy files which contained this passage: “For example, when Capel B. St. George of Renfrew County heard that William Jannup had taken a second wife, he wrote a letter right away. ‘The first Mrs. Jannup is alive and holding the farm, and I recently heard that she was talking of action, but she is so glad to get rid of him, I do not think she will do anything,’ he explained.”
I am interested in investigating the William Jannup story. Would you kindly provide a reference to help me locate the files to which you refer? (R.G., Feb 2019)
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A friend led me to your maps and your 1914 Map of Toronto in particular. I had been searching for a street that was on it in 1914 but had disappeared by the 1921 census. Thanks ever so much. Love your site. (M.B., Nov 2018)
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Good Morning Bill,
Hope you and yours are doing well. I find myself cataloging a fine Rabbinic library with origins in Toronto and I find myself referencing your site and articles many times a day. Just wanted to express my thanks for the work you do and for preserving our past. All the best (I.M., Nov 2018)
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To Bill Gladstone,
Hello, my name is J– C– and I am emailing you from California. I came across an article on your website, Some Famous Police Captures by Toronto Police, originally published in the Toronto Star in 1903. The article told of how the Toronto Police and Inspector William Stark would receive many telegrams and letters requesting the Toronto Police to arrest various criminal aliens who come to town. It was said that there were a phenomenal number of arrests of aliens in Toronto in the years 1888-89.
Might these 1888-89 letters and telegrams to the Toronto Police and Inspector Stark somehow preserved after all of these years and, if so, where do you think a likely storage site would be? Maybe the National Archives of Canada? Or possibly there is a police museum somewhere in Toronto? Thank you for your time. (J.C., Sept 2018)
Referred the writer to Library and Archives Canada as well as the Toronto Police Museum.
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Dear Bill,
In 2011 you wrote a piece about Mr. Selim Sassoon, taking his whole family back to Egypt where he grew up (Egyptian-born grandfather returns to Egypt). I was wondering if you had contact information for Josette, his daughter? I am involved with the Sephardi Voices project and would very much like to talk with her about documenting memories of Jews who left Arab lands. (L.N., Oct 2017)
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Hi Bill,
I hope you are well. We have a created a Wiki page on Rabbi Yehudah Yudel Rosenberg. I was wondering if we could add some of the pictures of him from your page here? Thanks! (E.R., Aug 2017)
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Dear Bill,
Stumbled upon your blog entry about the Jews of Nagasaki. My family was there at the marvelous time you write about. Rabbi Tokayer came to my home about six years ago and provided me with some information and a beautiful woodblock print of the synagogue which my relatives were involved in. I am curious to know about your interest in this area. Is it, too, a personal one? In your research have you come across the names Naftaly or Komaroff? (B.T.E., Aug 2016)
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Dear Mr. Gladstone,
My name is A– R– and I am originally from Toronto.
I just read your fascinating article Christian missions proselytized Jews in ‘the Ward’ from October 11, 2015. As it turns out, my grandmother S– R– (nee Glicksman), who came to Toronto around 1919 from Poland was sent to a summer camp called The Nathaniel Institute in Clarksburg, Ontario some time after her arrival in Toronto. I believe this was a missionary group, but I can’t find any evidence. I have letters written to my grandmother from a non-Jewish woman she met and befriended while in Clarksburg. They corresponded for a number of years following their meeting in Clarksburg and my grandmother kept the letters until her passing in 1977. My grandmother, incidentally, married my grandfather, B– R–, in 1924 and remained Jewish. She was very involved in the Arbeiter Ring, Pioneer Woman for Israel, and later, volunteering at Baycrest.
Do you know anything about the Nathaniel Institute? I would truly appreciate any information you have for my family research. This is a fascinating piece of history and I want to learn more about it and the impact that it had on my grandmother’s life. (A.R., Aug 2017)
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Hi Mr. Gladstone,
I just came across your site for the first time. It amazed me to find an active website about Jewish Canadian history, books and people. I’m personally very interested in the former and current jewish presence in Canada.Being an antique Judaica dealer, I get to deal a lot with Canadian Jewish books and manuscripts. So it just amazed me to find a a site like yours. Thanks for a good read, looking forward for more. (M.D., May 2016)
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Mr. Gladstone,
I was searching for some information on my family recently and came across Gas Light and Radiant Stars, an article you put together online in December 2011. The original was published in the Toronto Telegram in 1924 and was written by Thomas H. Scott Sr. Well, Thomas H. Scott Sr. was my great-grandfather!
I was very please to see what you put together and I do appreciate seeing some interest in this part of Toronto’s history. I wondered if you would have any interest in taking this story further. It is an interesting part of Toronto’s history and my great-grandfather was an interesting character. I would very much enjoy hearing back from you. (D.C.S., May 2016)
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Hi Bill,
I just read your article on writing and publishing the family history (Publish your family history). Very nice! I agree wholeheartedly. I have also found it’s [publishing your book] a great way to get responses from relatives who ignored your plea. Once they see the book, they contact you to complain about being “left out.” 🙂 J.N., April 2016
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Hi Bill!
I just read your article on the Jewish Public Library (Books gather dust in Toronto’s ghostly Jewish public library) . . . . I was the president of the Library for many years and withdrew my involvement when I felt I was getting nowhere with the board and with our benefactor and with Federation. It is so sad to see this no longer a part of the Jewish community. (J.N., April 2016)
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Dear Mr. Gladstone,
Dear Mr. Gladstone,
I’m writing to you in regard to a piece you ran a few years ago about Ruth Lowe‘s son Tom Sandler. I would appreciate your passing this message along to Mr. Sandler, too.
I live in the Chicago area, and back in the late 1970s I spent many evenings at a wonderful steak & seafood restaurant, in the northern suburb of Lincolnwood, called Myron and Phil’s. Many well-known Jewish celebs frequented the place.
One night in 1978 or thereabouts, a woman sat down at the bar next to me, and we struck up a conversation. I was a young man of 29 at the time, and had been a record collector and music lover since my youth. The woman said her name was Ruth, and when I told her how much I enjoyed good music, she said that she had written I’ll Never Smile Again. I immediately recognized it as one of my favourite Platters hits of the late 1950s, and she was happy to see that in spite of my being “youngish” I knew my music fairly well.
While going through some old photos I has taken of myself at the restaurant, the memory of that conversation came to mind, so I decided to do a little research and learn more about Ms. Lowe.
I don’t remember much detail of our short conversation, but I will say that I enjoyed meeting this nice lady and was sad to learn that she’d left us only three years after our meeting. (M.W., Feb 2016)
Dear Mr. Gladstone,
In researching the origin of the attached painting, I stumbled across your site. If indeed you are related to E. Glicenstein, (Romano), I would be deeply appreciative of any information you can give me. (R.L., Feb 2016)
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Hello,
My name is C– J– and I recently found out that I was related to Mr. Ezekiel Solomon, so I researched him a little and found the blog you posted in 2011 about the family reunion that happened at Fort Michilmackinac. I was wondering if you have any way of contacting any of the descendants of Ezekiel? (C.J., Nov 2015)
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Hello,
I am writing from the PBS television show, Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr. This is a series that investigates the ancestries of prominent media figures. Guests from the show’s previous seasons include actress/comedian Tina Fey, musician Sting, and former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Hi Bill,
Hello,
I understand that you have done a great deal of research about an area in Toronto known as the Ward (St. John’s Ward). I was hoping if you could help me? I am trying to find out about a man named Guiseppe Bernardelli (alias Joe Berlido ) who was a resident in the ward until Sept. 1919, when he was murdered by a man named Frank Lombardi (taxi driver). From what little I could find out Guiseppe he had somewhat of a bad reputation in the area as a “bad man” who was handy with a razor. I would appreciate any help you can give me. (J.L., April 2015)
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Hi Bill,
I noticed in the article about labour organizer Jimmy Blugerman that a photo was included of tailors working in the Eaton’s factory, circa 1910. I have been trying to locate the source of this image for months, but to no avail. I’ve checked with the Archives of Ontario, the City of Toronto Archives and the Toronto Public Library but without a citation or reference number I have not been able to track down this image. I am a fashion designer researching the early history of Toronto garment making industry (menswear). (N.M., Jan 2015) (Replied with correct citation – OA F 229-1-0-21.)
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Dear Mr. Gladstone,
I’m a grad student at UBC, looking at Russian Jewish immigration to Vancouver, 1880s to the present. As part of my work, Toronto is the most obvious point of contrast, being so very much larger and institutionally complete. I would like to write about the absence of landsmanshaften here, and after seeing your website I was hoping to ask you about the situation in Toronto. My impression is that most landsmanshaften were established by immigrants from Poland – is that correct please? Or did Jews from the Russian empire also have such organizations? How many landsmanshaften were there in Toronto, and did they work in conjunction with HIAS at all? (B.S., Dec 2014)
(Referred writer to article on Landsmanschaften, as well as a pamphlet by Louis Rosenberg at the Ontario Jewish Archives.)
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