1859

Widow Margaret Biscoe appears in directory

The 1856 Toronto City Directory lists the Campbell’s former house at 23 Duke Street as vacant, and there are no surviving copies of directories from 1857 or 1858. The 1859-60 Caverhill Directory lists a Mrs Margaret Biscoe, widow, at 38 Duke Street. The properties were renumbered prior to Mrs Biscoe’s moving in. There is no surviving directory for 1860 specifically, and the 1861 edition lists the house as unoccupied again.

Mrs. Biscoe would have had to be of some means to afford this house. According to Sir Daniel Lyson’s Early Reminiscences, there was a lieutenant with the 66th Regiment named Biscoe stationed in Toronto in 1836.

1856 Cover
1856 Duke St.
1859-60 Directory Cover
1859-60 Duke St.
Early Reminiscences p. 60

Sources:

  • Directories – Toronto Public Library (http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?R=DC-1454403; http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMDC-146894&R=DC-146894)
  • Regiment – Sir Daniel Lysons –Early Reminiscences – p. 59 – 1896 – (https://archive.org/details/earlyreminiscenc00lysouoft)