A family name in Vancouver's city directories
The Freshwaters
In the city directories 1940 · three people at three addresses
The directories print three people named Freshwater at three 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 Freshwaters lived
- 1
1128 East 13th Avenue
Mount Pleasant, 1940
- H C Freshwater, an investigator at the BC Electric Railway 1940
Next door in 1940: Mrs M M Johnson at 1126 and C E Hudson at 1140. The block, door by door
- 2
784 Thurlow Street
West End, 1940
- Elsie Freshwater, a checker for Palomar Ballroom 1940
Next door in 1940: Mrs E I Johnston at 752. The block, door by door
- 3
What they did
The name section prints a trade for all three: a checker, an investigator and a school teacher.
Their neighbourhoods
The addresses are in Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant 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 H C Freshwater at 1128 East 13th 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, where each person's work is printed, lists Henry C Freshwater there as the householder, an investigator at the BC Electric Railway. The 1940 name section lists Elsie Freshwater at 784 Thurlow Street, a checker for Palomar Ballroom.
N G M Freshwater is listed at 1615 Trafalgar Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Norman G M Freshwater there as the householder, a school teacher.
Today
784 Thurlow and 1615 Trafalgar still have their buildings from before 1946, 784 Thurlow on the Vancouver Heritage Register; the City no longer lists 1128 East 13th, so that building is probably gone (inferred).
Every line as printed
All 5 lines printed under the name through 1945, each with its page at the Vancouver Public Library.
- *Freshwater H C1128 East 13th, p. 210
- Freshwater Henry C investigator BCER1128 East 13th, p. 210
- Freshwater Elsie chkr Palomar Ballroom784 Thurlow, p. 210
- Freshwater N G M1615 Trafalgar, p. 156
- Freshwater Norman G M sch tchr Van City1615 Trafalgar, p. 210
British Columbia and Yukon Directory, street section
The book of the Freshwaters
Every directory, as one book
The family book reads the Freshwater 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 F. Want a name removed? Tell us.