Canada, Ontario, Toronto Trust Cemeteries - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
This collection covers cemetery records from 1826 to 1935.

Collection History
The first non-sectarian cemetery in the city of Toronto was created following the city council’s 1825 decision to purchase a plot of land for this purpose. This was ratified by Parliament in 1826 and the first public cemetery was named the York General Burying Grounds but became better known as “Potter’s Field.” This site would be sold off in 1855 and the remains moved to the newly purchased Toronto Necropolis.

As the city increased in population the trustees of the Toronto General Burying Ground would purchase the Toronto Necropolis from its owners in 1850. With continued increase in population in 1876 the Mount Pleasant Cemetery was added. Finally, in 1890 the Prospect Cemetery was added to serve the city’s growing west end.

Why the Record Was Created
This collection was created to provide a list of those buried in the Toronto Trust Cemeteries: Potter’s Field, Toronto Necropolis, Mount Pleasant Cemetery, and Prospect Cemetery.

Record Reliability
This collection is a reliable record of individuals buried in the cemeteries, barring human error or deliberate falsification.

Collection Description
The registers are hand-written on a preprinted form. The names are arranged alphabetically by surname.

Record Content



 * Surname and given name of the deceased.
 * Age at death
 * Location in cemetery

Some records contain:


 * Cause of death
 * Marital status
 * Where born
 * Where died
 * Date of death
 * Date of internment

How to Use the Collection
This collection can be used to find the pertinent information about individuals buried in the Toronto Trust Cemeteries. Often cemetery records contain the birth and death date of individuals, their marital status, where they were born and the cause of death. This information can also be used to locate the grave marker or plot of an individual within the cemetery.

Related Websites

 * Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid
 * Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries

Related Wiki Articles

 * Canada
 * Canada Cemeteries
 * Ontario Cemeteries

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from the record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find th record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you do not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched in found in the Wiki Article: How to Create Source Citations for FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.

Example of a Citation for a Record in This Collection
"Canada, Ontario, Toronto Trust Cemetaries, 1826-1935." index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 2 June 2011). entry for James Harman. buries 19 April 1866; citing Cemetery Records, FHL 1,617,040; York General Burying Ground, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Instructions for citing this source can be found at: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Sources of Information for This Collection
"Burial Registers, 1826-1855/York General Burying Ground (Toronto, Ontario)," database, FamilySearch Record Search (http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch); from York General Burying Ground, Toronto, Ontario. FHL microfilm, 1 reel. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.