Baldwin Room Manuscripts

Mississauga-French dictionary

A historical collection of letters, diaries, maps, plans, account books and other unpublished documents - records of the public and private lives of Canadians from the 18th century to our own time - can be found on the 4th floor of the Toronto Reference Library.

In 1886 our first Chief Librarian, Dr. James Bain, purchased an account of the Seven Years' War in America written by an anonymous officer. With this, Dr. Bain started the Baldwin Room Manuscript Collection to preserve Canadiana and make it accessible.

The core of the collection consists of the personal papers of several major figures in the history of Upper Canada, including William Dummer Powell, his wife Anne, Samuel Peters Jarvis and William Allan. The correspondence of Robert Baldwin and his father, Dr. William Warren Baldwin, record the reform movement.

Term of Capitulation of Town of York, 27 April 1813

Items of Historical Significance

• The journals of George Nelson, an employee of the Northwest Company
• The terms of capitulation of the town of York during the War of 1812
• Simon Fraser's journal of exploration to the river that bears his name

Current Focus and Strengths

• Material about Toronto
• Papers from the First World War
• Papers of prominent Canadian women such as Jean Minhinnick, Helen Cleveland, Phyllis Clarke and others

Dr. Donald T. Fraser in uniform c 1915

For Your Research

Access to the Baldwin Room Manuscript Collection is by card catalogue.

More detailed finding aids are also available.

Photographic and Digital Reproduction Services are available. Some restrictions may apply.