Vancouver / Names / B / Beech

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Beeches

In the city directories 1940 · 15 people at nine addresses

The directories print 15 people named Beech at nine addresses in 1940 in six of the city's neighbourhoods. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family. The most under one roof: three Beeches at 937 West 17th in 1940.

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Where the Beeches 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

    4741 Blenheim Street

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • Marjorie A Beech, a maid for T H Clark 1940

    Next door in 1940: C E Rooke at 4725 and D C A Gill at 4757. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    928 East 17th Avenue

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • N Beech, a mechanic 1940
    • Vivian Beech, a plumber 1940

    Next door in 1940: J R Angus at 936. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    3127 Heather Street

    Fairview, 1940

    • S Beech, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: J B Drain at 3121 and F H Gifford at 3135. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    1147 Nelson Street

    West End, 1940

    • S E Beech, proprietor of the Vancouver Tamale Parlor 1940

    Next door in 1940: S Vassey at 1121 and J Middleton at 1155. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    1150 West 12th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • W K Beech, a school principal 1940

    Next door in 1940: G N Wylde at 1136 and R Nuttall at 1154. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    937 West 17th Avenue

    South Cambie, 1940

    • H Beech, retired 1940
    • Gerald Beech, a salesman 1940
    • Maureen Beech, a clerk 1940

    Next door in 1940: W E Townsend at 935 and A Ronney at 949. The block, door by door

  7. 7

    3059 West 29th Avenue

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • Miss M Beech 1940
    • Maude Beech, a clerk at the BC Electric Railway 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs J A Gowanlock at 3021 and J S Carter at 3071. The block, door by door

  8. 8

    2145 West 37th Avenue

    Arbutus Ridge, 1940

    • G A Beech, a collector at Spencer's 1940
    • George E Beech, a wiper at Hammonds 1940
    • Margaret R Beech, a nurse at the St Pauls Hospital 1940

    Next door in 1940: D Galloway at 2135 and J F Jones at 2155. The block, door by door

  9. 9

    3249 West 37th Avenue

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • Mrs E Beech, widow of W 1940

    Next door in 1940: Miss N Bain at 3239 and G B Black at 3257. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for eleven of the 15: a clerk (2), a collector, a maid, a mechanic, a nurse and a plumber, among others. One is a widow, listed under her own name.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Dunbar-Southlands (3), Fairview (2), Arbutus Ridge, Kensington-Cedar Cottage, South Cambie and West End. 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

The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Marjorie A Beech at 4741 Blenheim Street, a maid for T H Clark. N Beech is listed at 928 East 17th Avenue in 1940; 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 lists Norman Beech there as the householder, a mechanic, with Vivian Beech, a plumber.

S Beech is listed at 3127 Heather Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Sam Beech there as the householder, retired. S E Beech is listed at 1147 Nelson Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Sid E Beech there as the householder, proprietor of the Vancouver Tamale Parlor.

W K Beech is listed at 1150 West 12th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists W Ken Beech there as the householder, a school principal. H Beech is listed at 937 West 17th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Herbert Beech there as the householder, retired, with Gerald Beech, a salesman, and Maureen Beech, a clerk.

Miss M Beech is listed at 3059 West 29th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Maude Beech there as the householder, a clerk at the BC Electric Railway. G A Beech is listed at 2145 West 37th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists George A Beech there as the householder, a collector at Spencer's, with George E Beech, a wiper at Hammonds, and Margaret R Beech, a nurse at the St Pauls Hospital.

Mrs E Beech is listed at 3249 West 37th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Ethel Beech there as the householder, widow of W.

Today

4741 Blenheim, 928 East 17th and 937 West 17th still have their buildings from before 1946; 1147 Nelson (1986), 1150 West 12th (1959) and 3249 West 37th (2013) have newer buildings, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 3127 Heather, 3059 West 29th and 2145 West 37th, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 22 lines printed under the name through 1945, each with its page at the Vancouver Public Library.
1940

British Columbia and Yukon Directory, name section, where each person's work is printed

The book of the Beeches

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Beech 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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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.