Our Stories

women running in a race

Ethel Smith Stewart: A Trailblazer in Canadian Sport

1907–1980 Prospect Cemetery Section 31 Lot 78S Ethel May Smith Stewart was born in Toronto where she became a forerunner in Canadian athletics – a
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Man standing inside an auto repair shop with several vans on lifts and open hoods, surrounded by tools and service equipment.

Making the Machines Work for the People: Mark Francis’ MPG Story

Weathered gray stone grave marker with an arched top, partially obscured by pine tree branches, standing in a snowy cemetery; the engraved inscription is faint and difficult to read.

Following the Robinson Family History from Potter’s Field to Mount Pleasant

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

A large early‑20th‑century ocean liner with a black hull and white superstructure steams across calm water, emitting dark smoke from multiple funnels, viewed broadside against a pale sky and distant shoreline.

Empress of Ireland Memorial: A Silent Tribute 

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.

William Mellis Christie: Canada’s Cookie King

William Lyon Mackenzie King

William Lyon Mackenzie King: Canada’s Longest-Serving Prime Minister

grave peeking out of the ground

Andrew Porteous: The First Burial at Toronto Necropolis

Black‑and‑white studio portrait of John Rutsey with long hair, wearing a patterned jacket over a light‑coloured shirt, posed against a dark background.

John Rutsey: The Beat that Started it All

Flowering magnolia tree covered in pale pink blossoms standing in a grassy cemetery landscape. Fallen petals scatter across the lawn beneath the tree, with surrounding evergreens and stone monuments visible in the background.

A Living Tapestry: Mount Pleasant’s Arboretum and the Beloved Star Magnolia

Sepia-toned outdoor group portrait of an extended family posed in front of a house covered in climbing ivy. The group includes adults and children arranged in seated and standing rows. Women wear long dresses with high collars and decorative detailing, while men wear dark suits with ties. A central older woman sits in front, flanked by seated men, with younger and older family members standing behind. The setting and formal attire convey a posed family gathering from the early 20th century.

Richard Amos Ball: Faith, Music and the Fight for Freedom

Margaret Marshall Saunders

Margaret Marshall Saunders: Best-selling Author and Animal Rights Advocate

Black‑and‑white photograph of a city street intersection in 1957, showing brick commercial buildings, overhead streetcar wires, parked cars, and storefront signage. An “Imperial Esso Dealer” sign stands on the sidewalk, with utility poles, a fire hydrant, and early automobiles visible along Parliament Street in Toronto.

Hugh Garner: Toronto’s Chronicler of Cabbagetown

Historic black-and-white photograph of a veterans’ burial plot with rows of small grave markers spread across a grassy field, centered on a tall Cross of Sacrifice with a flag. Mature trees line the background

Canada’s Oldest Veterans’ Service

man in suit with glasses

Dr. Frederick F. Tisdall: Innovator and Controversial Figure in Child Nutrition

A commemorative plaque mounted on a large rock at Thornton Cemetery marks the opening of the crematorium and mausoleum, surrounded by yellow flowers and fallen leaves outdoors.

Sealing a Promise: The Opening of Thornton Cemetery

Alt text: Historic postcard photograph of Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto showing the stone Gothic-style public vault partially framed by trees, with handwritten message text and a small British flag illustration on the right side.

Receiving Winter Vault “The Dead House”: Victorian Design for a Practical Need

two plaques with text

Thornton and Lucie Blackburn: Toronto’s First Taxi and Champions of Freedom

big brick house by train tracks

Allan Royce: From English Roots to Toronto Legacy

Historic postcard view of Chalmers Presbyterian Church and Sunday School in Toronto, showing a large Romanesque‑style brick church with arched windows, a central tower, and corner turrets. Overhead utility wires cross the scene, and handwritten postcard notes appear along the top and right margins.

Chalmers York Town Line Church: A Lost Cemetery Remembered

sepia image of black man in uniform

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