Our Stories

old Canadian Tire store at a busy intersection

John William Billes: The Visionary Behind Canadian Tire

1897–1956 York Cemetery Section 8 Lot 397 Born in 1897 in Toronto, John William Billes, known as J.W., left school early to help support his family
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View of the Toronto Crematorium Chapel, a Gothic‑style stone building with a tall central tower, seen through tree branches and a wrought‑iron fence in a leafy, sunlit setting.

Cremation Centre: A Turning Point in Ontario’s Funeral History

Black‑and‑white photograph of Sidney Lambert seated in a wicker chair, wearing a First World War military uniform with a buttoned tunic and insignia, resting one arm on the chair, with an indoor setting and standing lamp visible behind him.

Reverend Sidney Lambert: Soldier, Survivor and Advocate

Studio portrait of a military officer wearing a formal uniform with a peaked cap, medal ribbons, and aviation wings, posed against a plain teal backdrop and shown from the waist up.

Oliver Milton Martin: Indigenous Leader and Canadian Military Figure

The artist named Sigi Puchta stands beside the sundial. It is a circular stone feature surrounded by red flowers in an open cemetery landscape, with graves, trees, and grassy fields extending into the distance.

Tracing Time: The Sundial Collection at Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries

Vintage cylindrical tin of Pablum infant cereal with a blue label and gold lettering, showing detailed product information and nutritional claims, photographed against a plain background.

Dr. Alan Brown: A Pioneer in Child Health and Nutrition

A street scene featuring colorful storefronts, including Sam the Record Man and Steele’s Tavern. Pedestrians walk across the street in the foreground, while others stand near the shop entrances. Bright signage and busy façades create a lively urban atmosphere.

Steele Basil: The Man Behind Toronto’s Legendary Tavern

old street and horse drawn carriage

Charles Empringham: Scarborough’s Blacksmith and Carriage Maker

big wheat field

From Farm to Cemetery: The Gummerson Story

view of the Royal York hotel

Gino “Empry” Emperatori: Toronto’s Mr. Entertainment

Tall stone war memorial monument standing in a snow‑covered park, surrounded by trees in winter. The monument rises vertically from a landscaped base, with wreaths placed at the foot and bare branches and evergreens in the background.

The 48th Highlanders’ Memorial: Faithful Forever

Black‑and‑white photograph of John M. Lyle standing in front of a large sculptural relief, wearing a suit and tie and holding carving tools in his hands, suggesting an artist or architectural studio setting.

John M. Lyle: Architect of a Canadian Identity

sepia image of black man in uniform

Dr. Anderson Ruffin Abbott: Canada’s First Black Physician and Civil Rights Advocate

Poet Gwendolyn MacEwen

Gwendolyn Margaret MacEwen: A Voice of Magic and Mystery

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Tamara Jaworska: From Arkhangelsk to Toronto, A Life Woven in Art

Snow‑covered cemetery scene featuring the McCain family marker, a low black granite headstone set against a wooded hillside. A green memorial wreath with a red bow rests in front of the stone, with trees and snow‑covered ground surrounding the grave in winter.

Wallace McCain: A Legacy of Canadian Enterprise

Portrait of the Very Rev. Dr. Sang Chul Lee wearing a dark suit jacket, white shirt, and patterned tie, shown from the shoulders up against a plain studio background

Rev. Sang Chul Lee: Faith Without Borders

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Mary Carfrae: First Burial at Potter’s Field

A black-and-white photograph of the Freemasons’ burial plot in a historic cemetery, featuring a tall stone column monument topped with a sphere in the foreground. Rows of smaller gravestones and monuments are arranged across a gently sloping grassy landscape, with leafless trees in the background, suggesting a formal memorial setting in late fall or early spring.

Freemasonry and the Shaping of Toronto’s Civic Identity

Black‑and‑white historical photograph showing an embalming surgeon standing beside a covered body laid on a wooden table supported by barrels, set outdoors beneath a canvas tent. Medical equipment and containers rest on the table, and the ground beneath is bare earth, reflecting a field mortuary setting.

Charles Bolton: Civil War Veteran and Pioneer of Embalming in Canada

a chicken roaming free

Clucking Through the Silence: A Necropolis Tale