Vancouver / Names / B / Birmingham

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Birminghams

In the city directories 1940 · seven people at four addresses

The directories print seven people named Birmingham at four addresses in 1940 in three 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: four Birminghams at 1726 Nanton in 1940.

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 Birminghams lived

Each pin is on its own block, numbered as the households below. One address isn't on today's map, so it has no pin. Today's land, parks, main roads and local areas: City of Vancouver Open Data (Open Government Licence – Vancouver).
  1. 1

    6062 Adera Street

    Kerrisdale, 1940

    • H D'A Birmingham, a surveyor at the Customs 1940

    Next door in 1940: J McGraw at 6038 and A V Lewis at 6088. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    1726 Nanton Avenue

    Shaughnessy, 1940

    • J A Birmingham, a division manager for Mutual Life 1940
    • Verna E Birmingham, a student at UBC 1940
    • Virginia S Birmingham 1940
    • William H Birmingham, an architect 1940
  3. 3

    1138 Nelson Street

    West End, 1940

    • Dorothy Birmingham, a stenographer at the Vancouver General Hospital 1940

    Next door in 1940: Miss G Morton at 1132 and T W Pluto at 1144. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    1933 West 37th Avenue

    Shaughnessy, 1940

    • A W Birmingham, proprietor of Birmingham Cartage & Supplies 1940

    Next door in 1940: W E Long at 1927 and T D O'Brien at 1941. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for five of the seven: an architect, a division manager, a proprietor, a stenographer and a surveyor.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Shaughnessy (2), Kerrisdale 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 H D'A Birmingham at 6062 Adera 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 Henry D'A Birmingham there as the householder, a surveyor at the Customs. In 1940 the directory lists J A Birmingham at 1726 Nanton Avenue; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists John A Birmingham there as the householder, a division manager for Mutual Life, with Verna E Birmingham, a student at UBC, Virginia S Birmingham, and William H Birmingham, an architect.

The 1940 name section lists Dorothy Birmingham at 1138 Nelson Street, a stenographer at the Vancouver General Hospital. A W Birmingham is listed at 1933 West 37th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Allan W Birmingham there as the householder, proprietor of Birmingham Cartage & Supplies.

Today

1726 Nanton still has its building from before 1946, dated 1926 by the City's record; 1933 West 37th (2005) has a newer building, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 6062 Adera and 1138 Nelson, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 10 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 Birminghams

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Birmingham 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.