A family name in Vancouver's city directories
The Desmonds
In the city directories 1940 · five people at five addresses
The directories print five people named Desmond at five 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.
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 Desmonds lived
- 1
1129 Barclay Street
West End, 1940
- Lorne Desmond 1940
Next door in 1940: W Hayes at 1127 and J Graham at 1131. The block, door by door
- 2
1568 Charles Street
Grandview-Woodland, 1940
- Thomas Desmond, a longshoreman 1940
Next door in 1940: H Rentmeester at 1564. The block, door by door
- 3
2455 West 10th Avenue
Kitsilano, 1940
- Mrs K F Desmond, a cashier at the Hudson's Bay Company 1940
Next door in 1940: Miss F Winning at 2445 and K Momose at 2475. The block, door by door
- 4
- 5
1593 West 3rd Avenue
Fairview, 1940
- Lawrence Desmond, a pipe fitter 1940
Next door in 1940: S Kadonaga at 1547 and J W Nelson at 1597. The block, door by door
What they did
The name section prints a trade for four of the five: a cashier, a longshoreman, a pipe fitter and a proprietor.
Their neighbourhoods
The addresses are in Fairview, Grandview-Woodland, Kitsilano, West End 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 Lorne Desmond at 1129 Barclay Street. The 1940 name section lists Thomas Desmond at 1568 Charles Street, a longshoreman. In 1940 the directory lists Mrs K F Desmond at 2455 West 10th 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 Mrs Kate F Desmond there as the householder, a cashier at the Hudson's Bay Company.
The 1940 name section lists G Desmond at 4390 West 10th Avenue, proprietor of Varsity Cleaners. The 1940 name section lists Lawrence Desmond at 1593 West 3rd Avenue, a pipe fitter.
Today
2455 West 10th still has its building from before 1946, dated 1930 by the City's record; 1568 Charles (1989) has a newer building, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 1129 Barclay, 4390 West 10th and 1593 West 3rd, so those buildings are 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.
- Desmond Lorne1129 Barclay, p. 157
- Desmond Thos lngshmn1568 Charles, p. 157
- *Desmond Mrs K F2455 West 10th, p. 200
- Desmond Mrs Kate F cash HBC2455 West 10th, p. 157
- Desmond G prop Varsity Clnrs4390 West 10th, p. 157
- Desmond Lawrence pipe ftr1593 West 3rd, p. 157
British Columbia and Yukon Directory, name section, where each person's work is printed
The book of the Desmonds
Every directory, as one book
The family book reads the Desmond 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 D. Want a name removed? Tell us.