Our Stories

The staged picture entitled “Public health nurse Janet Neilson (right) on a home visit” shows the uniform she had to wear: it includes a black bonnet with white streamers. She carried supplies in a market basket.

Janet Neilson: Canada’s First Public Health Nurse

1873–1953 Toronto Necropolis Section B, Lot 169 In 1907, Janet Neilson broke new ground as Toronto’s first official public health nurse, launching a
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Interior view of a Jack Fraser department store showing long display tables stacked with folded clothing, sales signs hanging above the aisles, and staff standing behind counters under bright ceiling lights.

Jack Fraser: A Toronto Retail Icon

lithograph of a black man in a box surrounded by four men

Henry “Box” Brown: From Enslavement to a Powerful Toronto Legacy

a chicken roaming free

Clucking Through the Silence: A Necropolis Tale

Black-and-white photograph of three young people standing side by side in a grassy field. They are wearing heavy work clothes with long sleeves and overalls, suggesting farm or manual labor. All three of them are wearing medical masks. The field slopes gently behind them, with open land and sky in the background. The scene has a stark, historical feel, with simple clothing and a rural setting.

Silent Witness: The Spanish Flu Tragedy

Snow‑covered cemetery scene at dusk featuring a tall stone grave marker in the foreground commemorating James Aikins. The monument is topped with a rounded cap and surrounded by evergreen trees and bare branches, with additional headstones visible along a snow‑covered path in winter light.

James C. Aikins: Statesman, Visionary and Guardian of Toronto’s Cemeteries

a butterfly in the palm of a hand

Annual Butterfly Release: A Celebration of Life

hockey player from many years ago surrounded by fans

Charlie Conacher: The Big Bomber of Maple Leaf Gardens

William Peyton Hubbard historical plaque

William Peyton Hubbard: Toronto’s Trailblazer for Equality and Public Power

short graves surrounded by trees

City of Toronto Soldiers’ Lot: A Tribute to Service and Sacrifice

Snow‑covered cemetery landscape with an upright headstone in the foreground bearing the name “Clark Heweston.” The stone is surrounded by trees and additional grave markers, with evergreen and bare branches visible in winter light

Rosa and Spencer Clark: Preserving Beauty in a Changing City

boulder with trees and shrubs

The Children’s Garden: A Place of Memory and Peace 

grey haired man with microphones in his face

John Turner: A Statesman of Principle and Quiet Strength

Portrait of Corporal Ainsworth Dyer in military uniform, wearing a maroon beret and standing in front of flags, photographed from the chest up.

Corporal Ainsworth Dyer: A Life of Service and Sacrifice

Snow‑covered cemetery scene with a round grave marker in the foreground bearing the name “Chalmers.” The headstone is partially buried in snow, with leafless trees and additional grave markers visible in the background during winter.

Wallace Gordon Chalmers: Engineering Visionary with a Tire-Shaped Legacy

grave peeking out of the ground

Andrew Porteous: The First Burial at Toronto Necropolis

old Canadian Tire store at a busy intersection

John William Billes: The Visionary Behind Canadian Tire

Stone grave marker for Captain Stewart Boulter featuring a carved cross set into the centre of the monument, with engraved text commemorating his military service and death in action during the First World War, standing on a stone base in a grassy cemetery surrounded by trees.

Captain Stewart Boulter: A Cross from Vimy Ridge

A detailed black-and-white illustration of a grave monument featuring a tall Celtic cross atop a pedestal in a cemetery setting. The inscription on the monument reads “Jane Ewart, wife of Sir Oliver Mowat,” with dates below, and the base is engraved “MOWAT.” Leafless trees and shrubs surround the grave, and another monument marked “Eaton” appears in the background,

Oliver Mowat: Architect of Ontario’s Autonomy

man playing piano

Glenn Gould: The Pianist Who Redefined Classical Music

Autumn landscape showing a large silver maple tree with yellow and brown leaves dusted by fresh snow, standing in an open grassy park. Fallen leaves scatter across the snow‑covered ground, with additional trees and open space visible in the background.

The Earlscourt Silver Maple: A Living Memorial