John Meriweather Tinsley was a free Black man from Virginia who came to Toronto in the 1840s. Tinsley purchased property in St. John’s Ward. He built a pair of attached houses for his family near the corner of Terauley (now Bay) and Agnes (Dundas) Streets and started his own construction company. Tinsley added to his real estate holdings over time by constructing a series of cottages and tenements in the district. He often employed newly arrived freedom seekers in his business. When he passed away in 1892, he was recognized as a prominent citizen of the city.