Victorian Ontario included people from all walks of life from homeless beggars to wealthy gentry. In Much To Be Done we glimpse how life was lived in 19th-century Ontario, not only in the grand mansions, but also in the farm houses and streets where our ancestors lived.

This publication could be your great-grandmother’s story, following the cycle of life from courtship to childbirth to celebration and death. Diaries, with some contributions from letters, newspapers and reminiscences, provide a fresh and contemporary viewpoint. Much To Be Done promotes a historical understanding which links people of today with the Ontario of the past.

Frances Hoffman was born and raised in the north of England. Some of her female relatives, particularly a great-aunt whose home was a 350-year-old farmhouse nestled in the Derbyshire Pennines, encouraged and set the scene for developing her interest in social history.

Having come to Canada in 1966, Frances lives in a log house on the banks of the Grand River in the heart of Mennonite country near Waterloo, Ontario. It was while entertaining Old Order Mennonite neighbors, and in coming to appreciate the "old world" quality that pervades much of their lives, that the idea of writing Much to Be Done was conceived.

Frances Hoffman recently retired from her position as oral historian with the Kitchener Public Library. She is a keen researcher of family history and is a past Chair of the Waterloo-Wellington Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. Over many years, Frances has held a number of volunteer positions relating to the areas of genealogy and local history. She is a former Board member of the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation. She has produced an extensive array of genealogical reference publications and co-authored, with Ryan Taylor, Across the Waters: Ontario Immigrants' Experiences 1820-1850. Her keen interest in culinary history led to the writing of Steeped In Tradition: A Celebration of Tea. Various areas of culinary studies, including those related to tea, continue to inspire a number of her research projects. She has lectured extensively and presented workshops on a variety of topics.

Frances Hoffman's profile page

Ryan Taylor's profile page