The MARTIN family of Toronto - they vanish into thin air?...

[Mayflower2023]

The MARTIN family of Toronto – help please – they seem to just vanish!
I would really appreciate some help with this mystery – the family are:

Joseph Samuel MARTIN born c.1870, Cornwall, England (known as Joseph Samuel and just as Samuel at different times). First emigrated to Canada c.1888

Lillian MARTIN (born c.1868 in the USA (given age can vary quite a bit on her records!) maiden name Lillian SPENCE – She was British and variously gives her birthplace as England / USA on different documents.) Emigrated to Canada between 1901 and 1905.

Samuel and Lillian married in 1913, after having a family together – it appears Samuel had a first marriage (to Annie Jane MCLEAN, m.1895, Toronto) which broke down and he married Lillian after his first wife passed away.

Children:
Twins: Charles and Lillian MARTIN, born August 1906.  It appears Lillian did not survive infancy.
Daughter: Dorothy MARTIN, born 1908, York County, Toronto.

I have this family on the Canadian censuses of 1911 and 1921 (in 1921, they are at 17 Calford Avenue, Todmorden, York Township, Toronto, Ontario).  I even have the Canadian re-entry record (1923) of Samuel returning home to Canada (to the Todmorden address) from England having visited his then very elderly mother Victoria in Cornwall.

But after that – nothing.  Cannot find any of them on the Canadian 1931 census, can’t find any other convincing bmd type records.  What am I missing?

Are there any super sleuths out there who can help?

[eileenwilson]

The Toronto City Directories for the time shows Calford Avenue in the suburban village of Cedarvale. Now of course part of the city itself.  Samuel is in the directory up to 1925 (misidentified as Dan'l instead of Sam'l).  In 1925, Calford Avenue is renamed as Wiley Avenue and Dan'l (sic) is shown at 95 Wiley Avenue.

Samuel is noted as a b'dr (builder?) living at 95 Wiley in the 1926 Directory. In 1927, he is back to Daniel shown as a bricklayer at 95 Wiley. Ditto for 1928. Likely a transcription of handwritten of "Sam'l" that stuck as "Dan'l" then later "Daniel".  Unfortunately, the 1931 Census for that street seems to have skipped 95 Wiley. By 1935, they are no longer listed at this address in the city directories.

I have found a Sam'l Martin, in 1935,  a bricklayer, at 330 Monarch Park Drive, also in East York. Cedarvale would have been absorbed into the larger area of East York several years prior.   Only a few blocks away from where they were.

[eileenwilson]

Dorothy's birth in 1908 was registered as Lillian Victoria Martin, and was corrected to Dorothy in 1964, so Dorothy was still alive somewhere at the time.

[eileenwilson]

Female Baby (first name blank) Martin, of 393 Curzon Street (same address as on birth record) died, aged 7 months, on 19 March 1907. Cause of death was pneumonia.

[eileenwilson]

Canadian Voters' Lists for 1935 show Charles Martin, bricklayer, and Samuel Martin, bricklayer, both living at the rear of 330 Monarch Park Avenue.  Lillian is not noted with them but should be. Dorothy may have already married and left the home or is living elsewhere.

1936 Toronto Directory shows Chas, bricklayer, at 330 Monarch Park Avenue (rear). In 1937, Chas, bricklayer, noted as 305 Chrisholm Avenue (rear). Should be Chisholm.  Samuel, builder, noted at 305 Chisholm Avenue (house).

[Mayflower2023]

Thank you very much for all of this, that's extremely helpful, and very much appreciated.
(And really good to find the probable reason why they didn't appear on the 1931 census; I thought I must be making a mistake with my searches in some way, but couldn't work out what it could be).

Brilliant spot with the 1964 correction to the birthname for Dorothy; I'd seen that record myself but the date of the amendment had *completely* passed me by and so I just assumed it was done soon after the birth - I was so focussed on the name itself.  Thank you again