Vancouver / Names / D / de Bruyn

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The de Bruyns

In the city directories 1940 · six people at four addresses

The directories print six people named de Bruyn at four addresses in 1940 in four of the city's neighbourhoods, with the close spellings De Bruyn and de Bruyne. 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 de Bruyns 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

    1234 Barclay Street

    West End, 1940

    • Mrs C de Bruyne, widow of E 1940
    • Alfred G de Bruyne, a clerk at the BC Electric Railway 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs S Nadeau at 1220 and W R Griffiths at 1246. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    3268 Commercial Drive

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • J de Bruyn 1940

    Next door in 1940: V H Carlson at 3256 and A J Kosta at 3290. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    3536 Tanner Street

    Renfrew-Collingwood, 1940

    • G P de Bruyn, a salesman at Spencer's 1940

    Next door in 1940: T J Duncan at 3534 and W C Doidge at 3540. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    3559 West 8th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • A De Bruyn, a service station manager at McGavin 1940
    • Elizabeth De Bruyn 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs L M Van Ness at 3557. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for three of the six: a clerk, a salesman and a service station manager. One is a widow, listed under her own name.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Kensington-Cedar Cottage, Kitsilano, Renfrew-Collingwood 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 Mrs C de Bruyne at 1234 Barclay Street. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Constance de Bruyne there as the householder, widow of E, with Alfred G de Bruyne, a clerk at the BC Electric Railway. In 1940 the directory lists J de Bruyn at 3268 Commercial Drive.

G P de Bruyn is listed at 3536 Tanner Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists G Pieter De Bruyn there as the householder, a salesman at Spencer's. A De Bruyn is listed at 3559 West 8th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Albert De Bruyn there as the householder, a service station manager at McGavin, with Elizabeth De Bruyn.

Today

1234 Barclay (1968), 3536 Tanner (2004) and 3559 West 8th (1987) have newer buildings, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 3268 Commercial Drive, so that building is probably gone (inferred).

The Sutherland wedding party with their flowers at 1901 Barclay Street
9 September 1932 The Sutherland wedding party with their flowers at 1901 Barclay Street. Not at the house at 1234 Barclay: no archive photo of the 1200 block is known that we can show. City of Vancouver Archives, CVA 99-4256. Public domain.

Every line as printed

All 9 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 de Bruyns

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the de Bruyn 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.