Vancouver / Names / E / Ems

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Emses

In the city directories 1940 · ten people at four addresses

The directories print ten people named Ems at four addresses in 1940 in four of the city's neighbourhoods, with the close spelling Emms. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family. The most under one roof: seven Emses at 2679 West 13th in 1940.

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 Emses 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

    1006 Granville Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • Percy Ems 1940

    Next door in 1940: Belmont Grill at 1012. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    2679 West 13th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • A S Emms, a conductor at the CPR 1940
    • Doris M Emms, a domestic 1940
    • Ernest P Emms, an oiler 1940
    • Eva L Emms 1940
    • Grace V Emms, a domestic 1940
    • Reginald S Emms, an oiler 1940
    • Violet P Emms, a student 1940

    Next door in 1940: H C Dougan at 2665. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    628 West 16th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • E E Ems, a tinsmith 1940

    Next door in 1940: J A Neilson at 610 and A G Sparkes at 666. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    3365 West 27th Avenue

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • J Ems, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: G K Holmes at 3357 and A Henry at 3375. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for six of the ten: a domestic (2), an oiler (2), a conductor and a tinsmith.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Downtown, Dunbar-Southlands, Fairview and Kitsilano. 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 Percy Ems at 1006 Granville Street. A S Emms is listed at 2679 West 13th 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 Albert S Emms there as the householder, a conductor at the CPR, with Doris M Emms, a domestic, Ernest P Emms, an oiler, Eva L Emms, Grace V Emms, a domestic, Reginald S Emms, an oiler, and Violet P Emms, a student.

E E Ems is listed at 628 West 16th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Elmo E Ems there as the householder, a tinsmith. J Ems is listed at 3365 West 27th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists John Ems there as the householder, retired.

Today

2679 West 13th still has its building from before 1946, dated 1937 by the City's record; the City no longer lists 1006 Granville, 628 West 16th and 3365 West 27th, 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 Emses

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Ems 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 E. Want a name removed? Tell us.