Discover Toronto's history as told through its plaques
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Grace Bagnato 1891-1950
Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted May, 2008
On the southeast corner of Grace Street and Mansfield Avenue is this City of Toronto plaque which has this to say:
Coordinates: 43.653031 -79.414544 |
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The Canada of today has been created by thousands of immigrants from every corner of the world. Some of these became leaders in their communities and co-creators of the national life. Grace Bagnato was one of them. She was born in the United States in 1891 to Italian parents, who immigrated to Toronto in 1905. They lived in "The Ward", an area of struggling immigrant families, located near the Courthouse and Old City Hall.
Grace grew up in the Ward and in this neighbourhood. At age 14 married Joseph Bagnato, a leader in the Italian community. They had 13 children. Wanting to communicate with her neighbours, Grace learned their languages; Ukrainian, Yiddish, Polish... Grace became the district's interpreter, building bridges of understanding between new immigrants and the English speaking world of government, law courts and society. In 1921 she became the first Italian Canadian woman court interpreter in Ontario and continued the task of weaving the cultures of Toronto's ethnic neighbourhoods into the fabric we now know as Canada.
Related webpages
Grace Bagnato
Italian Canadians
The Ward
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Here are the visitors' comments for this page.
> Posted July 2, 2010
Ciao, My name's Antonio and write from Italy. I'm searching info about Vince Bagnato. If someone can help me please write to: [email protected]
Grazie, Antonio
> Posted April 27, 2010
Grace Bagnato was related only by marriage to Jo-Jo Crysdale, my father. JC Jr., Toronto.
> Posted October 9, 2009
Grace Genovese Bagnato was married to Joe Bagnato, of the boxing Bagnato's, her brother-in-laws were Billy, Jimmy, Roy and Charlie Bagnato who was my great-grandfather....
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