Vancouver / Names / D / Davidson / West 12th Avenue

A family name on West 12th Avenue, Fairview, Mount Pleasant, Kitsilano and West Point Grey

The Davidsons

In the city directories 1940 · eight people at five addresses

The directories print eight people named Davidson at five addresses in 1940, all on West 12th Avenue. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family. The most under one roof: three Davidsons at 3732 West 12th in 1940. The directories print the name on 112 other streets too, all listed on the Davidson 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 Davidsons 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

    1226 West 12th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • Gordon A Davidson, a guard at the Oakalla Prison Farm 1940

    Next door in 1940: Hathaway at 1236. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    1556 West 12th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • Mrs D E Davidson, a stenographer at Anderson Bros 1940

    Next door in 1940: santa monica at 1546 and marion (the) at 1568. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    1946 West 12th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • Mrs Z M Davidson, widow of R S 1940

    Next door in 1940: Dr D A Dunbar at 1936 and C Isman at 1956. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    3330 West 12th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • Mrs M Davidson, widow of J 1940
    • Margaret H Davidson, a bookkeeper at Leek & Co 1940

    Next door in 1940: A V Biggar at 3310 and W J Hooper at 3336. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    3732 West 12th Avenue

    West Point Grey, 1940

    • M Davidson, a rental manager for A E Austin 1940
    • Janet M Davidson, a stenographer at Grant & Sons 1940
    • Jean S Davidson, a stenographer at Collins Green & Eades 1940

    Next door in 1940: P Hewitt at 3720 and Mrs S A Merritt at 3744. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for six of the eight: a stenographer (3), a bookkeeper, a guard and a rental manager. Two are widows, listed under their own names.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Fairview (2), Kitsilano (2) and West Point Grey. 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 Gordon A Davidson at 1226 West 12th Avenue, a guard at the Oakalla Prison Farm. Mrs D E Davidson is listed at 1556 West 12th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Mrs Doris E Davidson there as the householder, a stenographer at Anderson Bros.

Mrs Z M Davidson is listed at 1946 West 12th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Zoe M Davidson there as the householder, widow of R S. Mrs M Davidson is listed at 3330 West 12th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Margaret Davidson there as the householder, widow of J, with Margaret H Davidson, a bookkeeper at Leek & Co.

M Davidson is listed at 3732 West 12th 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 Math Davidson there as the householder, a rental manager for A E Austin, with M Dorothy Davidson, a stenographer at the Dominion Bank, Janet M Davidson, a stenographer at Grant & Sons, and Jean S Davidson, a stenographer at Collins Green & Eades.

Today

1946 West 12th, 3330 West 12th and 3732 West 12th still have their buildings from before 1946, 3732 West 12th on the Vancouver Heritage Register; the City no longer lists 1226 West 12th and 1556 West 12th, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 13 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 Davidsons

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Davidson 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 D. Want a name removed? Tell us.