Alderwood in Toronto, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

The O’Connor-Lafferty House

Photographed by Tim Boyd, September 7, 2026

1. The O’Connor-Lafferty House Marker

Inscription. The farmhouse that once stood near this site was built by a Black man, William Lafferty and his sons between 1851 and 1856. He came to Upper Canada from the United States in the 1830's. William settled in the town of York (now Toronto) where he became a grocer and owned several properties. His son, William Dennis Lafferty resided here until 1878 when John O'Connor purchased the property and established his eldest son, John Joseph and his bride, Ellen, on the farm. They had one son and eight daughters. The daughters formed the famous O'Connor Sisters act and performed in Vaudeville, radio and television. The house remained in the O'Connor family until 1989 when it was sold to a developer and demolished.

The house had walls three feet thick, made entirely of fieldstones found on the farm. The 50 acres of farmland consisted largely of orchards, developed by the Lafferty family. The O'Connor's maintained the orchards until the 1920's, when most of the farm was turned into residential housing.

Although the house originally faced on to Horner Avenue, development saw the house designated as 12 Connorvale.

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Connorvale Avenue was originally called O'Connor Avenue, until 1956, when amalgamation within the Corporation of Metropolitan Toronto forced the renaming of the street.

Erected by Heritage Etobicoke.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture. A significant historical year for this entry is 1851.

Location. 43° 36.374′ N, 79° 31.764′ W. Marker is in Toronto, Ontario. It is in Alderwood. It is on Connorvale Avenue 0.1 kilometers north of Horner Avenue, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 12b Connorvale Avenue, Toronto ON M8W 4A1, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Toronto

and on the Golden Horseshoe.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within

Photographed by Tim Boyd, September 7, 2026

2. The O’Connor-Lafferty House Marker

Facing south

5 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Long Branch Race Track (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Sir Adam Beck School and the Summer of ‘36 (approx. 1.6 kilometers away); Bell Telephone Company Building (approx. 2 kilometers away); The Toronto Purchase (approx. 2.5 kilometers away); New Toronto Filtration Plant/Lakeshore Pumping Station (approx. 2.5 kilometers away); Queensway Market Gardens (approx. 3 kilometers away); Eden Court (approx. 3 kilometers away); Flight Lieutenant David Ernest Hornell, V.C. (approx. 3.6 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Toronto.

Also see . . . From Immigrant to Establishment A Black Family’s Journey. A 2007 article on the Lafferty Family in the journal Ontario History<blockquote>This is the remarkable story of a Black family who came to Toronto in the 1830s, escaping from bondage and racism in the United States. The Lafferty family achieved levels of education and professional prominence that could only be dreamed of by free Blacks south of the border. One of their sons in particular – Alfred Lafferty, born in Toronto in 1839 – would rise

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to the position of principal of several grammar schools in different parts of the province, and become the first Black lawyer in Chatham, Ontario. (Submitted on September 11, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)

Credits. This page was last revised on September 11, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 11, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 4 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 11, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.