Vancouver / Names / B / Bliss

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Blisses

In the city directories 1940 · 14 people at 13 addresses

The directories print 14 people named Bliss at 13 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.

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 Blisses 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

    1823 Comox Street

    West End, 1940

    • Cameron Bliss 1940

    Next door in 1940: M H McGeough at 1833. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    2855 East 15th Avenue

    Renfrew-Collingwood, 1940

    • S Bliss 1940

    Next door in 1940: C J Burnett at 2841 and D S LeRoy at 2871. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    476 East 38th Avenue

    Riley Park, 1940

    • F E Bliss 1940

    Next door in 1940: F J Varcoe at 472. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    41 East 40th Avenue

    Riley Park, 1940

    • Mrs A M Bliss 1940

    Next door in 1940: M Ferguson at 35 and E Spence at 57. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    722 East 6th Avenue

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • D D Bliss, a painter 1940

    Next door in 1940: T O Littler at 716 and E Gasperdone at 742. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    8207 Fremlin Street

    Marpole, 1940

    • D L Bliss, a fireman at H M Shingle 1940

    Next door in 1940: Y Nishizaki at 8235. The block, door by door

  7. 7

    1308 Haro Street

    West End, 1940

    • William Bliss, a salesman at Singer Sewing Machinery 1940

    Next door in 1940: C Foster at 1306 and E L Bourne at 1342. The block, door by door

  8. 8

    8742 Montcalm Street

    Marpole, 1940

    • A J S Bliss 1940
    • A T Syd Bliss, a fireman at H M Shingle 1940

    Next door in 1940: J Reid at 8726 and W Keech at 8758. The block, door by door

  9. 9

    1622 Nelson Street

    West End, 1940

    • Kath Bliss, a saleswoman at Woolworths 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs H Bellamy at 1616 and W T Frith at 1632. The block, door by door

  10. 10

    8685 Osler Street

    Marpole, 1940

    • C J Bliss, a packer at H M Shingle 1940

    Next door in 1940: J Sunohara at 8669 and G B Wadhams at 8693. The block, door by door

  11. 11

    3542 Point Grey Road

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • D L Bliss, on active service 1940

    Next door in 1940: R Gardner at 3536 and C A Folwell at 3550. The block, door by door

  12. 12

    1642 Robson Street

    West End, 1940

    • Stella Bliss 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs M L Low at 1636 and C E Prince at 1648. The block, door by door

  13. 13

    1635 West 68th Avenue

    Marpole, 1940

    • A S Bliss, a stockman at Dueck Nicoll Motors 1940

    Next door in 1940: D J Taylor at 1625 and A S Vroom at 1645. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for eight of the 14: a fireman (2), an on active service, a packer, a painter, a salesman and a saleswoman, among others. Three of them worked for H M Shingle.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Marpole (4), West End (4), Riley Park (2), Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant and Renfrew-Collingwood. 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 Cameron Bliss at 1823 Comox Street. S Bliss is listed at 2855 East 15th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Syd Bliss there as the householder.

F E Bliss is listed at 476 East 38th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Fred E Bliss there as the householder. Mrs A M Bliss is listed at 41 East 40th 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 Mrs Alice M Bliss there as the householder.

D D Bliss is listed at 722 East 6th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Daniel D Bliss there as the householder, a painter. D L Bliss is listed at 8207 Fremlin Street in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Daniel L Bliss there as the householder, a fireman at H M Shingle.

The 1940 name section lists William Bliss at 1308 Haro Street, a salesman at Singer Sewing Machinery. In 1940 the directory lists A J S Bliss at 8742 Montcalm Street; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists A T Syd Bliss there as the householder, a fireman at H M Shingle. The 1940 name section lists Kath Bliss at 1622 Nelson Street, a saleswoman at Woolworths.

C J Bliss is listed at 8685 Osler Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Cyril J Bliss there as the householder, a packer at H M Shingle. D L Bliss is listed at 3542 Point Grey Road in 1940. The 1940 name section lists David L Bliss there as the householder, on active service.

The 1940 name section lists Stella Bliss at 1642 Robson Street. In 1940 the directory lists A S Bliss at 1635 West 68th Avenue. The 1940 name section lists Albert S Bliss there as the householder, a stockman at Dueck Nicoll Motors.

Today

476 East 38th and 3542 Point Grey Road still have their buildings from before 1946; 41 East 40th (1970), 8207 Fremlin (2021), 8685 Osler (1969), 1642 Robson (1976) and 1635 West 68th (1995) have newer buildings, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 1823 Comox, 722 East 6th, 1308 Haro, 8742 Montcalm and 1622 Nelson, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred); for 2855 East 15th, its page says what we could and couldn't match to today's buildings.

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 Blisses

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Bliss 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.