A family name on East 12th Avenue, Mount Pleasant, Kensington-Cedar Cottage and Renfrew-Collingwood
The Cowans
In the city directories 1940 · three people at two addresses
The directories print three people named Cowan at two addresses in 1940, all on East 12th Avenue. No first name or initials tie one address to the other: we can't tell if they're one family. The directories print the name on 48 other streets too, all listed on the Cowan name's own page.
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 Cowans lived
Cedar Cottage
- 1
1286 East 12th Avenue
Mount Pleasant, 1940
- D S Cowan, a motorman at the BC Electric Railway 1940
Next door in 1940: W H Stuckey at 1284 and Galt Pharm at 1290. The block, door by door
- 2
1329 East 12th Avenue
Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940
- W Cowan, a waiter at the Invermay Hotel 1940
- Margaret H Cowan, who worked for the BC Telephone 1940
Next door in 1940: J A Hartley at 1323 and W Scott at 1335. The block, door by door
What they did
The name section prints a trade for all three: an employee, a motorman and a waiter.
Their neighbourhoods
The addresses are in Kensington-Cedar Cottage and Mount Pleasant. 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 D S Cowan at 1286 East 12th Avenue. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Don S Cowan there as the householder, a motorman at the BC Electric Railway. In 1940 the directory lists W Cowan at 1329 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 lists Walter Cowan there as the householder, in stores at Canadian National Steamships, with Walter J Cowan, a waiter at the Invermay Hotel, and Margaret H Cowan, who worked for the BC Telephone.
Today
1329 East 12th still has its building from before 1946, dated 1912 by the City's record; the City no longer lists 1286 East 12th, so that building is probably gone (inferred).
Every line as printed
All 6 lines printed under the name through 1945, each with its page at the Vancouver Public Library.
- Cowan D S1286 East 12th, p. 206
- Cowan Don S mtrmn BCER1286 East 12th, p. 132
- *Cowan W1329 East 12th, p. 206
- Cowan Margt H emp BC Tel1329 East 12th, p. 132
- Cowan Walter stores CNSS1329 East 12th, p. 132
- Cowan Walter J waiter Invermay Hotel1329 East 12th, p. 132
British Columbia and Yukon Directory, street section
The book of the Cowans
Every directory, as one book
The family book reads the Cowan 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.
We're opening orders soon. Join the list to be first in line; we expect about $29 a family.
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 C. Want a name removed? Tell us.