The Greater Toronto Airport Authority,
with the agreement of the Archdiocese of Toronto, requested the help of genealogist Brian Gilchrist to establish a genealogical
research program. This program was meant to identify any descendant(s) of the deceased in order to initiate consultation on
the relocation process.
Notices were placed in both secular and Roman Catholic newspapers, as well as in parish bulletins, to attempt to find and inform potential descendants of those buried at the Elmbank Cemetery.
The program also required searches of numerous
historical, written records, including the "Last Will and Testament" or "Letters of Administration" of the deceased. The searches then focussed
on any heirs that were mentioned. These were traced through census records or death notices in a newspaper or through their identification
on gravestones in a cemetery. Other records that were of use included civil registration of births, marriages and deaths as well as census records,
wills, newspapers, city directories, land records and religious registers of baptism, marriage and burial. Newspaper files for birth, engagement,
marriage or death notices were also helpful.
Once family members could be located, other documentation could be utilized. Family Bibles, letters, diaries, military papers, education documents and photographs were helpful in determining relationships and identification of those buried at the Elmbank Cemetery. Also, in the course of the archaeological investigations, other clues were found which lead to further research. Buried tombstones, "cornerstones" or coffin plates identifying the name and date of death of the deceased were some of the things that developed into further research and investigation.
A genealogical project such as this one
is both time and research intensive. There is no "Master" plan - only that the research proceeds from the known to the unknown. One
piece of evidence is found, leading to the next, and so the process is continued until 
a fairly comprehensive outline of a descendant tree
is developed. The list of known descendants has been prepared and posted on this site. The descendants of those individuals were
contacted by Archaeological Services Inc. to be informed of the cemetery relocation project and of their opportunities to participate in the process.
While the relocation has been completed,
the genealogical research continues. Anyone believing himself or herself to be a descendant of an individual that had been buried at the Elmbank Cemetery
is asked to contact Mr. Brian Gilchrist by telephone at (416) 233-9636 or by email at gilchrists@idirect.com