Vancouver / Names / J / John

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Johns

In the city directories 1940 · five people at five addresses

The directories print five people named John at five addresses in 1940 in four 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 Johns lived

Each pin is on its own block, numbered as the households below. One address isn't on today's map, so it has no pin. Today's land, parks, main roads and local areas: City of Vancouver Open Data (Open Government Licence – Vancouver).
  1. 1

    1622 East 10th Avenue

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • W O John, a branch manager at Superior Stores 1940

    Next door in 1940: W E Clements at 1610 and Mrs A McDonnell at 1628. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    1748 East 5th Avenue

    Grandview-Woodland, 1940

    • Mrs E John, widow of J J 1940

    Next door in 1940: W Phillips at 1742. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    2210 East Broadway

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • William J John, a clerk 1940

    Next door in 1940: C A Barnett at 2216. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    381 East Hastings Street

    Strathcona, 1940

    • Jack Gam John 1940

    Next door in 1940: S Saminara at 373 and Mrs T Zarelli at 383. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    1009 West 10th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • W S John, a clerk at M-W Ltd 1940

    Next door in 1940: H E J Holloway at 1031. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for three of the five: a clerk (2) and a branch manager. One is a widow, listed under her own name.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Kensington-Cedar Cottage (2), Fairview, Grandview-Woodland and Strathcona. 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 W O John at 1622 East 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, where each person's work is printed, lists William O John there as the householder, a branch manager at Superior Stores. In 1940 the directory lists Mrs E John at 1748 East 5th Avenue; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Emily John there as the householder, widow of J J.

The 1940 name section lists William J John at 2210 East Broadway, a clerk. Jack Gam John is listed at 381 East Hastings Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Jack Gam John there as the householder.

W S John is listed at 1009 West 10th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Walter S John there as the householder, a clerk at M-W Ltd.

Today

1622 East 10th, 1748 East 5th, 381 East Hastings and 1009 West 10th still have their buildings from before 1946, 1009 West 10th on the Vancouver Heritage Register; the City no longer lists 2210 East Broadway, so that building is probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 9 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 Johns

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the John 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.

One email, when it's ready. We use your email for nothing else and never share it. Privacy

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 J. Want a name removed? Tell us.