All houses have a history, and number 69 Seaton Street, Toronto, had my family members living in it for more than 60 of its 150-year life. It was part of a five-row house. Houses in the Cabbage Town area were built in the 1850s to the 1880s for the workers. The houses were small, usually three or four rooms, built quickly, but still many of them have survived to this day.

William Eagle, my great-grandfather, purchased the house in 1903. William came from County Monaghan, Ireland. It says so on his tombstone. I don’t know when he immigrated but he, his father Alexander, mother Martha McClelland, sister Elizabeth, and brothers Alexander and James all ended up in Canada, where records of them exist, some dating before 1861.

William became a wagonmaker following in the footsteps of his uncle and brother-in-law. Being a wheelwright or wainwright was an important job in the 19th  century as wagons, carriages and sleighs were the main modes of transportation. There was great demand for wagonmakers’ services, and a skilled craftsman could make a very comfortable living in the trade. It seems that William did just that.

Family was important to him. He felt his family responsibilities strongly. William lived with and looked after his mother after his father’s death and then kept an eye on his brother’s family after his brother’s death. He postponed his marriage to Eliza Jane Bailey as he didn’t want his wife to be his mother’s nursemaid. They eventually married in 1881.

William and Eliza Jane first lived on Ontario St in a small cottage, almost back-to-back with the house on Seaton Street. They only moved to the larger house in 1905. Unfortunately, William died the next year. His will, written two days before he died, left everything he had to his wife Eliza Jane. It was signed on his deathbed with an X, after he indicated he understood what the will said. The will had to go through probate and the results were published in the newspapers. It was there that I learned that he owned not one but two houses! He had purchased both 71 and 69 Seaton, attached houses.

Number 71 was rented out, so the income received would have helped support Eliza Jane and her two daughters. They continued to live in #69. When Eliza Jane died in 1931, her estate went to her daughters Amy and Minnie. At this time, Minnie, my grandmother, had married and was living in Montreal. Amy, still single, lived in the house. Minnie sold her share of #71 to Amy for $100 and “Natural Love and Affection.” This rather unusual sale was recorded as such in the Toronto Land Records. This transaction was consented to by the Provincial Treasury, as the house was worth more than $100.

Amy sold #71 in 1945 for $6,000, $3,500 cash and a mortgage of $2,500. It seems she was the mortgage holder until it was paid off in 1950. This money enabled Amy to continue living in her other house until her death in 1965. After her death, the house was finally sold for $8,000.

This was a small house, just 13.02 feet wide but on a lot 95.5 feet deep. When William bought it, the ground floor had a parlour, a dining room with the kitchen off the back. The second floor had two bedrooms and a bathroom. The toilet had a wooden tank on the wall with a pull chain, that intregued us when we visited as children. The attic had two rooms, one with a window a facing west toward City Hall. This was the vantage point for watching the New Year’s fireworks.

The house is still standing and when recently sold, was advertised as a duplex with the possibility of a third occupant. The selling price was $1,099,900!

NOTES:

The Estate of Waggonmaker, The Toronto Telegram (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) · Fri, Oct 19, 1906 . Page 15. Newspapers.com downloaded on May 19, 2026.

I started with Newspapers.com when Gail Devers mentioned on her blog, Genealogy a la Carte, that the Toronto Telegram was online. That was the first hint that William owned two houses, since The Toronto Star reported only the estate’s total value.

Full-text searches for William Eagle Toronto on FamilySearch.org revealed some interesting documents related to his will, the probate and house purchases.

William Eagle’s Will: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3M4-W3TT-4?view=fullText

Toronto Land Records 1800-1958 Plan 127 – Lot 24 East Side of Seaton Street https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3H6-PGDL?view=fullText

Searches for recent sales of 69 Seaton Street brought up pictures of the house, current values and this description of the house and its location. An original small house could could become a triplex!

“Welcome to 69 Seaton Street a rare gem in the city, fronting on to Seaton St with its 2 distinct upper & lower address; while backing onto Nighthawk Lane, with a possible third separate residence (if you wish to rent or entertain hanging a shingle and having a business at home). This downtown core Cabbage Town century-old Victorian charmer in the heart of the city of Toronto is close to all amenities, situated near the universities, arts, entertainment, business, and theatre districts while bordering all the cosmopolitan businesses in all areas of Toronto. This legal conforming duplex with the potential as a legal Triplex in its duality is a rare & unique find in this or any city. Built in the late 1800’s & fully renovated this Victorian charmer is a rare gem in deed.”