Vancouver / Names / C / Colwell

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Colwells

In the city directories 1940 · 19 people at eleven addresses

The directories print 19 people named Colwell at eleven 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. The most under one roof: four Colwells at 568 East 12th 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 Colwells 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

    568 East 12th Avenue

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • A Colwell, a barber 1940
    • Lawrence L Colwell 1940
    • Mabel I Colwell, a saleswoman at Woodward's 1940
    • William A Colwell, a glazier at Hobbs Glass 1940

    Next door in 1940: D Hargreaves at 562 and R J McCabe at 580. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    657 East 15th Avenue

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • A Colwell, a barber 1940

    Next door in 1940: J C Bradbury at 655 and W L McGregor at 661. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    1329 East 24th Avenue

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • W E Colwell, a conductor at the BC Electric Railway 1940

    Next door in 1940: A W Fyffe at 1323 and R B Nicoll at 1339. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    2953 Ontario Street

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • Howard Colwell, a cleaner at R Stevens Tri-Cleaning 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs L B Chouinard at 2919 and H Stuhrmann at 2957. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    746 Richards Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • Colwell (no first name printed) 1940

    Next door in 1940: A J Hood at 742 and Ryan Bros Ltd at 748. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    1058 Seymour Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • Walter S Colwell, an engineer at the CPR 1940

    Next door in 1940: W B Penney at 1052 and L Tenen at 1062. The block, door by door

  7. 7

    7396 Sherbrooke Street

    Sunset, 1940

    • R B Colwell, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: N J B Anderson at 7356. The block, door by door

  8. 8

    3201 West 4th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • Mrs M G Colwell, widow of H W 1940

    Next door in 1940: J C Knox at 3285. The block, door by door

  9. 9

    2044 West 5th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • Harry Colwell, a warehouseman at Pilkington Bros 1940

    Next door in 1940: W Thompson at 2038 and Mrs M Bateson at 2050. The block, door by door

  10. 10

    4570 Windsor Street

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • B M Colwell, a manager at Canadian Bakeries and Stevensons Ltd 1940
    • G Hartley Colwell, a traffic manager 1940
    • Harold E Colwell, a warehouseman at Vancouver Pacific Paper 1940

    Next door in 1940: T W Rickards at 4568 and A Stamnes at 4590. The block, door by door

  11. 11

    4597 Windsor Street

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • Mrs A Colwell, widow of G H 1940
    • A Maud Colwell 1940
    • Ethel B Colwell, a school teacher 1940
    • F Harold Colwell, a salesman at Buckerfields 1940

    Next door in 1940: J Thomson at 4591. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for twelve of the 19: a warehouseman (2), a barber, a cleaner, a conductor, an engineer and a glazier, among others. Two are widows, listed under their own names.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Kensington-Cedar Cottage (3), Mount Pleasant (3), Downtown (2), Kitsilano (2) and Sunset. 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 A Colwell at 568 East 12th Avenue; 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 Andrew Colwell there as the householder, a barber, with Lawrence L Colwell, Mabel I Colwell, a saleswoman at Woodward's, and William A Colwell, a glazier at Hobbs Glass. In 1940 the directory lists A Colwell, a barber, at 657 East 15th Avenue.

W E Colwell is listed at 1329 East 24th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists William E Colwell there as the householder, a conductor at the BC Electric Railway. The 1940 name section lists Howard Colwell at 2953 Ontario Street, a cleaner at R Stevens Tri-Cleaning. The 1940 name section lists Colwell (no first name printed) at 746 Richards Street.

The 1940 name section lists Walter S Colwell at 1058 Seymour Street, an engineer at the CPR. In 1940 the directory lists R B Colwell at 7396 Sherbrooke Street; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Richard B Colwell there as the householder, retired.

In 1940 the directory lists Mrs M G Colwell at 3201 West 4th Avenue. The 1940 name section lists Margaret G Colwell there as the householder, widow of H W. The 1940 name section lists Harry Colwell at 2044 West 5th Avenue, a warehouseman at Pilkington Bros.

B M Colwell is listed at 4570 Windsor Street in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Berton M Colwell there as the householder, a manager at Canadian Bakeries and Stevensons Ltd, with G Hartley Colwell, a traffic manager, and Harold E Colwell, a warehouseman at Vancouver Pacific Paper. Mrs A Colwell is listed at 4597 Windsor Street in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Almeda Colwell there as the householder, widow of G H, with A Maud Colwell, Ethel B Colwell, a school teacher, and F Harold Colwell, a salesman at Buckerfields.

Today

568 East 12th, 657 East 15th, 2953 Ontario, 2044 West 5th and 4597 Windsor still have their buildings from before 1946; 1329 East 24th (1993), 7396 Sherbrooke (1975) and 4570 Windsor (1993) have newer buildings, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 746 Richards, 1058 Seymour and 3201 West 4th, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 25 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 Colwells

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Colwell 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 C. Want a name removed? Tell us.