Vancouver / Names / D / Dorsett

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Dorsetts

In the city directories 1940 · five people at five addresses

The directories print five people named Dorsett at five addresses in 1940 in three 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 Dorsetts 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

    1721 Davie Street

    West End, 1940

    • J Dorsett, a salesman 1940

    Next door in 1940: J McCarrison at 1719 and Carrol (no first name printed) at 1723. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    2878 East 7th Avenue

    Hastings-Sunrise, 1940

    • T Dorsett, a conductor at the BC Electric Railway 1940

    Next door in 1940: T G Griffin at 2802. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    3467 Oxford Street

    Hastings-Sunrise, 1940

    • James Dorset, a watchmaker for F Hincheliffe 1940

    Next door in 1940: P B Primrose at 3433 and F Bartlett at 3469. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    2317 Renfrew Street

    Hastings-Sunrise, 1940

    • T J Dorsett, a motorman at the BC Electric Railway 1940

    Next door in 1940: H T White at 2311 and R W Armstrong at 2351. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    846 West 8th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • Arthur Dorsett, a logger 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs S Lewis at 838 and W J Higgins at 856. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for all five: a conductor, a logger, a motorman, a salesman and a watchmaker. Two of them worked for BC Electric Railway.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Hastings-Sunrise (3), Fairview 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 J Dorsett at 1721 Davie Street. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists John Dorsett there as the householder, a salesman. In 1940 the directory lists T Dorsett at 2878 East 7th 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 Tom Dorsett there as the householder, a conductor at the BC Electric Railway.

The 1940 name section lists James Dorset at 3467 Oxford Street, a watchmaker for F Hincheliffe. T J Dorsett is listed at 2317 Renfrew Street in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Thomas J Dorsett there as the householder, a motorman at the BC Electric Railway. The 1940 name section lists Arthur Dorsett at 846 West 8th Avenue, a logger.

Today

2878 East 7th (1980) and 2317 Renfrew (1974) have newer buildings, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 1721 Davie, 3467 Oxford and 846 West 8th, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 8 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 Dorsetts

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Dorsett 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.