James Mitchell
Toronto Daily Star, 18 July 1931
A gift of "two paid up shares of the firm's stock" might not seem very generous, but Bell stock was actually reasonably expensive at that time. Here's the closing prices for the Toronto Stock Exchange on that day:
One share of Bell stock was $139, so two shares would have been $278, which was not a small sum in 1931.
Out of curiosity, I looked Mr. Mitchell up in the Toronto city directories. It turns out that "floor man" is a euphemism: the 1931 city directory lists a Jas P Mitchell as a janitor at Bell Tel, and his address as 112 Macdonell Avenue.
I looked back, and found him in the 1891 city directory:
So he really had been there a long time.
I also looked up how long he got to enjoy his retirement - sadly, the answer is not long. He appears in the 1935 city directory at 112 Macdonell Avenue, but the 1936 directory lists his widow, Elizabeth.
112 Macdonell Avenue still stands – it’s a small house in a leafy part of Parkdale.
Created June 17, 2025.