Vancouver / Names / B / Biggins

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Bigginses

In the city directories 1940 · five people at four addresses

The directories print five people named Biggins at four addresses in 1940 in four 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 Bigginses 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

    1902 Charles Street

    Grandview-Woodland, 1940

    • R C Biggins, a driver 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs E Olsen at 1920. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    480 East 49th Avenue

    Sunset, 1940

    • F Biggins, an accountant 1940

    Next door in 1940: Malla at 470 and E E Stanway at 488. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    2080 Haro Street

    West End, 1940

    • Bernard Biggins, a clerk at the Post Office 1940

    Next door in 1940: E V Wakelin at 2036. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    5586 Inverness Street

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • T I Biggins, a driver at Peerless Laundry 1940
    • Edna Biggins, a laundress at Peerless Laundry 1940

What they did

The name section prints a trade for all five: a driver (2), an accountant, a clerk and a laundress. Two of them worked for Peerless Laundry.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Grandview-Woodland, Kensington-Cedar Cottage, Sunset 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

In 1940 the directory lists R C Biggins at 1902 Charles Street. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Robert C Biggins there as the householder, a driver. In 1940 the directory lists F Biggins at 480 East 49th Avenue. The 1940 name section lists Frederick Biggins there as the householder, an accountant.

The 1940 name section lists Bernard Biggins at 2080 Haro Street, a clerk at the Post Office. T I Biggins is listed at 5586 Inverness Street 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 Thomas I Biggins there as the householder, a driver at Peerless Laundry, with Edna Biggins, a laundress at Peerless Laundry.

Today

1902 Charles still has its building from before 1946, dated 1912 by the City's record; 480 East 49th (1963) and 5586 Inverness (1983) have newer buildings, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 2080 Haro, so that building is probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 8 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 Bigginses

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Biggins 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.