Unrecognized Contribution

Elizabeth Gillan Muir has taught Canadian history at the University of Waterloo and Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto. She has written extensively about women in Upper Canada and the role of women in the Christian Church. Elizabeth holds degrees from Queen’s University, the Harvard Business School, and a Ph.D. from McGill University. She lives in Toronto.

• ContentsPreface 11 Toronto: A “New World” City 32 Women in Nineteenth-Century Toronto: Their Work and Station 93 Early Settlers 274 Adventurers 535 The De Grassi Girls and Other Spies 656 Women and Religion 737 Proprietors of Boarding Houses, Taverns, and Hotels 1078 Visual, Literary, and Performing Artists 1179 Professionals 15310 Reforming Philanthropists 17911 Epilogue 191Acknowledgements 195Appendix A: Selected Toronto and Area Streets Commemorating or Connected to Nineteenth-Century Women 199Appendix B: Historical Plaques in Toronto and Area Commemorating or Connected to Nineteenth-Century Women 205Notes 211Bibliography 225Image Credits 237Index 239About the Author 257

Elizabeth Muir sets out to restore the faces of women who worked and struggled in nineteenth-century Toronto, some famous and some not. Her research turns up surprises every few pages, introducing us to songwriters, reformers, owners of brickyards and corset factories, and others whose presence is still felt in the names of Toronto streets. A fascinating read.