Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1836-1928 (Creation)
Level of description
Manuscript Collection
Extent and medium
23 boxes (3 metres)
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
William Tyrrell was born in 1816 in County Kildare, Ireland. In 1836, he emigrated to Toronto where he worked for a short period as a cabinet maker. He spent much of his life as a builder and contractor on a variety of projects, including both public works and private houses. In 1851, he began his career in municipal politics as an elected member of the York Township Council, and held various posts for the next twenty years, including Justice of the Peace, Warden of York County Council and Reeve of the newly incorporated township of Weston. He died in 1904.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The collection consists of both private family correspondence and business papers. Included in the family correspondence are letters from William and his wife Elizabeth to their children, as well letters from relatives in Ireland, family friends and from important figures of the day who were acquaintances of Tyrrell. There is also material relating to Tyrrell's career in local politics and his activities as Justice of the Peace in Weston, Ont. The collection also contains business papers that relate to Tyrrell's contracting and building business.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Material may be requested in person at the Fisher Library Reference Desk, or in advance using our online stack retrieval request form: https://fisher.library.utoronto.ca/stack-retrieval-request
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
- English