Vancouver / Names / D / Dobbie

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Dobbies

In the city directories 1940 · 14 people at 13 addresses

The directories print 14 people named Dobbie at 13 addresses in 1940 in eight of the city's neighbourhoods, with the close spelling Dobie. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family.

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Where the Dobbies 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

    2707 Alma Street

    West Point Grey, 1940

    • J W Dobbie, an assistant manager for Metro Life 1940

    Next door in 1940: J V Manley at 2719. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    1052 Barclay Street

    West End, 1940

    • Jean Dobbie, an operator at the BC Telephone 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs L Savage at 1048 and G Thomas at 1056. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    1915 Bayswater Street

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • T S Dobie, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: C E Bailey at 1909 and A Taylor at 1921. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    1300 Bute Street

    West End, 1940

    • Wilhelmine Dobie 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs G Drew at 1330. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    1806 Cornwall Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • A M Dobbie, a laborer at the City of Vancouver 1940

    Next door in 1940: A T Scribbans at 1818. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    20 East 10th Avenue

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • Elizabeth Dobie, a widow 1940

    Next door in 1940: H MacDermott at 24. The block, door by door

  7. 7

    750 East 20th Avenue

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • R W Dobbie, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: A W Smith at 746 and D Andrew at 754. The block, door by door

  8. 8

    1061 Howe Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • Miss M B Dobie, rooms to let 1940
    • James Dobie 1940

    Next door in 1940: A Buttner at 1059 and W Murdoch at 1073. The block, door by door

  9. 9

    588 Richards Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • Mrs Elizabeth Dobbie, of Dobbie & Radford 1940

    Next door in 1940: Excelsior Lndy (office) at 584 and Wardrobe Cinderella at 590. The block, door by door

  10. 10

    1065 West 11th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • Marion P Dobbie, a nurse at the Vancouver General Hospital 1940

    Next door in 1940: H M Dey at 1055 and A B Ward at 1075. The block, door by door

  11. 11

    3929 West 12th Avenue

    West Point Grey, 1940

    • M H Dobie, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs A W Wallace at 3921 and W D Young at 3937. The block, door by door

  12. 12

    3851 West 18th Avenue

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • Wallace E Dobie, an engineer 1940

    Next door in 1940: C I Hinchcliffe at 3847 and E A Hamilton at 3857. The block, door by door

  13. 13

    686 West 8th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • A Dobbie, a salesman 1940

    Next door in 1940: H J Billis at 676. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for six of the 14: an assistant manager, an engineer, a laborer, a nurse, an operator and a salesman. One is a widow, listed under her own name.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Downtown (2), Fairview (2), Kitsilano (2), West End (2), West Point Grey (2), Dunbar-Southlands, 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 J W Dobbie at 2707 Alma Street. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists John W Dobbie there as the householder, an assistant manager for Metro Life. The 1940 name section lists Jean Dobbie at 1052 Barclay Street, an operator at the BC Telephone.

T S Dobie is listed at 1915 Bayswater Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Thomas S Dobie there as the householder, retired. The 1940 name section lists Wilhelmine Dobie at 1300 Bute Street.

In 1940 the directory lists A M Dobbie at 1806 Cornwall Avenue. The 1940 name section lists Andrew M Dobbie there as the householder, a laborer at the City of Vancouver. The 1940 name section lists Elizabeth Dobie at 20 East 10th Avenue, a widow.

R W Dobbie is listed at 750 East 20th 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 Robert W Dobbie there as the householder, retired. Miss M B Dobie, rooms to let, is listed at 1061 Howe Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists James Dobie there.

The 1940 name section lists Mrs Elizabeth Dobbie at 588 Richards Street, of Dobbie & Radford. The 1940 name section lists Marion P Dobbie at 1065 West 11th Avenue, a nurse at the Vancouver General Hospital. M H Dobie is listed at 3929 West 12th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists M Henry Dobie there as the householder, retired.

The 1940 name section lists Wallace E Dobie at 3851 West 18th Avenue, an engineer. In 1940 the directory lists A Dobbie at 686 West 8th Avenue. The 1940 name section lists Alex Dobbie there as the householder, a salesman.

Today

2707 Alma, 1915 Bayswater, 20 East 10th, 750 East 20th, 3929 West 12th and 3851 West 18th still have their buildings from before 1946, 20 East 10th on the Vancouver Heritage Register; 1065 West 11th (1960) has a newer building, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 1052 Barclay, 1300 Bute, 1806 Cornwall, 1061 Howe, 588 Richards and 686 West 8th, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 20 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 Dobbies

Every directory, as one book

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