Indexes and Transcripts
The following lists are links to indexes and transcriptions from Upper Canada and Canada West and other related publications, manuscripts and documents. The intent is to make available data which does not appear to be presently indexed on-line. As time permits, this resource will be expanded upon.
Contents
INSANE ASYLUM PATIENT REGISTERS
Queen Street Mental Health Centre, Toronto, Canada West/Ontario.
• Introduction.
• Volume 1, General Register, 21 January 1841 – 23 July 1853, #1-1398, pp 1-93.
• Volume 2, General Register, 20 June 1853 – 13 December 1862, #1382-2805, pp 1-95.
• Volume 3, General Register, 18 December 1862 – 28 May 1875, #2806-4350, pp 1-103.
• Volume 4, General Register, 31 May 1875 – 12 June 1884, #4351-5775, pp 1-95.
• Volume 5, General Register, 13 June 1884 - 18 June 1892, #5776-7274, pp 1-100.
• Volume 6, General Register, 21 June 1892 - 30 October 1901, #7275-8804, pp 1-103.
MEDICAL DOCTORS & STUDENTS PRE CONFEDERATION CANADA [1867]
McGill College Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Quebec.
• Introduction.
• Annual Announcement of the Medical Faculty of M’Gill College, Montreal, for Session, 1852-53.
• Annual Announcement of the Medical Faculty of M’Gill College, Montreal, for Session, 1853-54.
• Annual Announcement of the Medical Faculty of McGill College, Montreal, for Session, 1854-55.
• Annual Announcement of the Medical Faculty of McGill College, Montreal, for Session, 1855-56.
INSANE ASYLUM PATIENT REGISTERS
Queen Street Mental Health Centre, Toronto, Canada West/Ontario.
Lunatic Asylum, Queen Street West, south side opposite Ossington Avenue. Photograph of a watercolor architectural rendering, found in Colborne Lodge, Toronto, by John George Howard, 1849.
Courtesy Toronto Public Library JRR 832.
Originally known as the Temporary Asylum, the first Provincial Lunatic Asylum opened in January 1841 operating in the second old York Jail (on north-east corner of King and Toronto Streets) before moving to the present day 999/1001 Queen Street West location in 1850.1
Construction of the Asylum commenced in 1846 on the 50 acre portion of the Garrison Reserve (a Military Property). The architect was John George Howard:2 it was his major work, a magnificent edifice of locally made white brick.3 Officially opening January 26 1850, 211 patients were transferred from the Temporary Asylum.2 In order to alleviate severe overcrowding, the east and west wings to the main building were built between 1866 and 1869, designed by architect Kivas Tully.4
By 1871, the name of the Asylum was changed to Asylum for the Insane, Toronto; in 1907, the Hospital for the Insane; and in 1919, the Ontario Hospital, Toronto. Eventually, it was renamed Queen Street Mental Health Centre in 1966.1.2
Prior to 1888, twenty three acres of the site was sold for re-development. It has remained the same twenty seven acres to present day. Replaced by new facilities in the 1950’s, the 1850’s building was demolished in 1976.2 Desire to erase the stigma associated with the treatment of the mental health patients negated any possibility of reusing of the building.1
1. Queen Street Mental Health Centre: History and Function. Archives of Ontario Descriptive Database.
2. CAMH, Historical Chronology of CAMH’s Queen Street Site. http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/about_camh/ CAMH_redevelopment/history_of_queen_street_site/Pages/Historical_Chronology.aspx
3. Edith G. Firth “Howard, John George.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 11, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–. http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/howard_john_george_11E.html.
4. Stephen A. Otto “Tully, Kivas.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 13, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–. http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/tully_kivas_13E.html.
Further reading -
Edna Hudson, Ed. The Provincial Asylum in Toronto: Reflections on social and architectural history. Toronto Region Architectural Conservancy. 2000.
Nathan Fils. "Images of the Toronto Provincial Asylum, 1846-1890." Scientia Canadensis: Canadian Journal of the History of Science, Technology and Medicine / Scientia Canadensis : revue canadienne d'histoire des sciences, des techniques et de la médecine, vol. 32, no.
1, 2009, p. 21-50.
Queen Street Mental Health Centre Patient Registers, RG 10-271, Archives of Ontario.
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• Volume 1, General Register, 21 January 1841 – 23 July 1853, #1-1398, pp 1-93.
• Volume 2, General Register, 20 June 1853 – 13 December 1862, #1382-2805, pp 1-95. • Volume 3, General Register, 18 December 1862 – 28 May 1875, #2806-4350, pp 1-103. • Volume 4, General Register, 31 May 1875 – 12 June 1884, #4351-5775, pp 1-95. • Volume 5, General Register, 13 June 1884 - 18 June 1892, #5776-7274, pp 1-100. • Volume 6, General Register, 21 June 1892 - 30 October 1901, #7275-8804, pp 1-103. Images at left: Volume 1, folio 1. These General Registers are partially transcribed, cross-referenced and listed by the admissions numbers. Patients were often admitted more than once, thus more than one admission number can be found for an individual. The additional information included in this partial transcript is: Place of nativity, Place of residence, Age and Date of Admission[s]. Volumes 1-6 are linked to this webpage. The information contained in the general registers of patients is as follows. The amount of information entered varies from person and time period and rarely is all the data is entered: Admission Number; Name, Nativity and Residence; By whom Supported; Sex; Age; Stature; Color of Hair; Color of Eyes; Temperament; Original Disposition and Intellect; Single or Married; Number of Children; Occupation; Degree of Education; Profession of Religion; Habits of Life; Number of Admission; Date of Admission; Time in the Asylum; Duration of Disorder on Admission: Age at first Attack, Number of previous attacks and their Duration, Duration of present Attack, Class in regard to Duration; Apparent or Alleged Causes of Disorder: Predisposing / Hereditary, Predisposing / Other, Exciting; Form of Mental Disorder; Particular Propensities and Hallucinations; Accompanying Bodily Disorder; Changes in the form of disorder, before Discharge; Result; Supposed cause of Death: P. M. signifies that a Post Mortem Examination was made; Observations. |
The Archives of Ontario collection of the Queen Street Mental Health Centre Records include: RG 10-268 Admission warrants and histories; RG 10-269 Patients’ clinical casebook; RG 10-270 Clinical case files; RG 10-271 Patient registers; RG 10-272 Records of the Medical Superintendent; RG 10-273 Records of the Bursar; RG 10-274 Records of the Commission for Erecting the Lunatic Asylum; RG 10-275 Records of the Board of Commissioners of the Temporary Lunatic Asylum; RG 10-276 Miscellaneous historical materials. See the Archives of Ontario’s on-line Descriptive Database for detailed descriptions. These records are governed by the Freedom of Information and the Protection of Privacy Act. Written request for access to records 100 years old or less must be submitted to the Information and Privacy Unit of the Archives of Ontario.
Copyright to the Queen Street Mental Heath Centre records is primarily held by the Crown. Permission was granted from the Archives of Ontario to produce this index.
Having easy access and an extensive familiarity with the records of the Archives of Ontario, Lee Dickson is available to assist with your research. See Services.
MEDICAL DOCTORS & STUDENTS PRE CONFEDERATION CANADA [1867]
McGill College Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Quebec.
McGill University, buildings of the Medical Faculty. McGill University Annual Calendar Faculty of Medicine: 55th
Session,1887-88. Montreal: Gazette Printing Co. 1887. Courtesy Toronto Public Library BR 610.71 M112.
Established in 1823 as the Montreal Medical Institution, it became the first Faculty of Medicine of M’Gill [McGill] College in 1829 and the first medical faculty to be established in Canada. It was the only medical school in Canada to offer a four year course awarding M.D., C.D. degrees, i.e. Doctor of Medicine and Surgery.1 William Logie of Lower Canada, was the first graduate in 1833. By the 1850’s, the lion's share of students were from Canada West.2
The annual publications describe the structure of the faculty and its general development; outline extracts of its Statutes and contain detailed lists of the professors, their courses; and students, their thesis if graduated and from whence they hail. Later annuals make note of doctors who have died. The title Annual announcement of the Medical Faculty of M’Gill College, Montreal, for Session... appears to span 1842-1863: continued by Annual announcement of the Faculty of Medicine of the M'Gill University, Montreal, for the...season.3
The following links contain transcripts of the lists of faculty and students including some additional details.
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McGill_University_Faculty_of_Medicine.
2. Annual Announcement of the Medical Faculty of M’Gill College, Montreal, for Session, 1855-56. Montreal: John Lovell. 1855: 15.
3. Toronto Public Library Catalogue.
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• Annual Announcement of the Medical Faculty of M’Gill College, Montreal, for Session, 1852-53. [20th] Montreal: John Lovell. 1852.
• Annual Announcement of the Medical Faculty of M’Gill College, Montreal, for Session, 1853-54. [21st] Montreal: Moore, Owler & Stevenson. 1853. • Annual Announcement of the Medical Faculty of McGill College, Montreal, for Session, 1854-55. [22nd] Montreal: Moore, Owler & Stevenson. 1854. • Annual Announcement of the Medical Faculty of McGill College, Montreal, for Session, 1855-56. [23rd] Montreal: John Lovell. 1855. Annual Announcement of the Medical Faculty of McGill College, Montreal, for Session, 1857-58. [25th] Montreal: John Lovell. 1857. Annual Announcement of the Medical Faculty of McGill College, Montreal, for Session, 1858-59. [26th] Montreal: John Lovell. 1858. Annual Announcement of the Medical Faculty of McGill College, Montreal, for Session, 1859-60. [27th] Montreal: J. C. Becket. 1859. Annual Announcement of the Medical Faculty of McGill College, Montreal, for Session, 1860-61. [28th] Montreal: J. C. Becket. 1860. |