Vancouver / Names / B / Barrs

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Barrses

In the city directories 1940 · five people at five addresses

The directories print five people named Barrs at five addresses in 1940 in five of the city's neighbourhoods. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family.

Reserve this family's book, freeThe name in every directory we hold from 1901 to 1945, at every address, each line with its page, to read here or save as a PDF. About $29 when orders open.

Where the Barrses lived

Each pin is on its own block, numbered as the households below. Today's land, parks, main roads and local areas: City of Vancouver Open Data (Open Government Licence – Vancouver).
  1. 1

    8508 Ash Street

    Marpole, 1940

    • F A A Barrs, an architect 1940

    Next door in 1940: R L Brown at 8506 and W R T Fowler at 8512. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    5834 Ormidale Street

    Killarney, 1940

    • George R Barrs 1940

    Next door in 1940: H C Biles at 5818 and Mrs L Smith at 5850. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    717 Powell Street

    Strathcona, 1940

    • Charles J Barrs, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: western weighing co at 733. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    2137 West 5th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • Margaret Barrs, a telephone operator 1940

    Next door in 1940: D E Mathews at 2133 and Mrs G Allan at 2145. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    1455 West 8th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • J A Barrs, a log inspector for N Spencer 1940

    Next door in 1940: Gowen Sutton Co Ltd at 1445 and S McMaster at 1495. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for three of the five: an architect, a log inspector and a telephone operator.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Fairview, Killarney, Kitsilano, Marpole and Strathcona. Each neighbourhood's page shows its trades, its people and every street in it, the way the directory printed them.

The story, address by address

In 1940 the directory lists F A A Barrs at 8508 Ash Street; the 1940 line is marked *: some member of the family owns the property, to the best of our knowledge (the directory's own mark). The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Frank A A Barrs there as the householder, an architect. The 1940 name section lists George R Barrs at 5834 Ormidale Street. The 1940 name section lists Charles J Barrs at 717 Powell Street, retired.

The 1940 name section lists Margaret Barrs at 2137 West 5th Avenue, a telephone operator. J A Barrs is listed at 1455 West 8th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists John A Barrs there as the householder, a log inspector for N Spencer.

Today

1455 West 8th still has its building from before 1946, dated 1912 by the City's record and on the Vancouver Heritage Register; 8508 Ash (1995) and 5834 Ormidale (1980) have newer buildings, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 717 Powell and 2137 West 5th, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 7 lines printed under the name through 1945, each with its page at the Vancouver Public Library.
1940

British Columbia and Yukon Directory, street section

The book of the Barrses

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Barrs name in each Vancouver directory we hold from 1901 to 1945: everyone printed under it at every address, their work from the name sections, who lived next door, and the page behind every line, to read here or save as a PDF to print or give.

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Another name, or a house

Sources

Henderson's and successor city directories for Vancouver, read by us line by line: the street sections for 1905, 1915, 1925, 1935, 1940 and 1945, and the name section for 1930 and 1940 where we've read it (Vancouver Public Library, BC City Directories). Names are shown through 1945, as printed. Close spellings are grouped, as on the house pages, since a family's name was often spelled differently from one year to the next; one name can still be several families, and we join lines only where the first names or initials agree. Many Chinese, Japanese and other residents weren't named by the canvassers, so they can't be listed by name: their houses' pages say where. More family names under B. Want a name removed? Tell us.