Vancouver / Names / M / MacIsaac

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The MacIsaacs

In the city directories 1940 · twelve people at ten addresses

The directories print twelve people named MacIsaac at ten addresses in 1940 in six of the city's neighbourhoods, with the close spelling McIsaac. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family. The most under one roof: three MacIsaacs at 1785 East 2nd in 1940.

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Where the MacIsaacs 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

    1288 Comox Street

    West End, 1940

    • Malcolm McIsaac, an electrician at Canadian Westinghouse 1940

    Next door in 1940: J H Law at 1256. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    1173 Davie Street

    West End, 1940

    • A J MacIsaac, rooms to let 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs M E Shepherd at 1165 and Mrs M J Carroll at 1181. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    1785 East 2nd Avenue

    Grandview-Woodland, 1940

    • Mrs M MacIsaac, widow of R 1940
    • Allison C MacIsaac 1940
    • Don J MacIsaac, a bookkeeper at Vancouver Motors 1940

    Next door in 1940: B C Daly at 1777. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    1753 East 36th Avenue

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • A MacIsaac, a trackman at the BC Electric Railway 1940

    Next door in 1940: G J Hazard at 1747 and P Strembiski at 1757. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    635 Granville Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • Arthur McIsaac, a miner 1940

    Next door in 1940: Chapman E Ltd at 633 and Tip Top Tailors at 637. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    4462 Prince Albert Street

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • H McIsaac, a trackman at the BC Electric Railway 1940

    Next door in 1940: J L Lessard at 4452 and G Lounsbury at 4470. The block, door by door

  7. 7

    2845 Quebec Street

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • D A MacIsaac, a motorman at the BC Electric Railway 1940

    Next door in 1940: W J Pigott at 2841 and C Kolberg at 2849. The block, door by door

  8. 8

    3868 Victoria Drive

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • M McIsaac, a boomman 1940

    Next door in 1940: W Parker at 3856 and E V N Everard at 3876. The block, door by door

  9. 9

    3587 West 32nd Avenue

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • J A MacIsaac, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: G C Robertson at 3575 and E V Liversidge at 3593. The block, door by door

  10. 10

    3939 West King Edward Avenue

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • R J MacIsaac 1940

    Next door in 1940: E W Whatmough at 3933 and E V Shaw at 3947. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for seven of the twelve: a trackman (2), a bookkeeper, a boomman, an electrician, a miner and a motorman. Three of them worked for BC Electric Railway. One is a widow, listed under her own name.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Kensington-Cedar Cottage (3), Dunbar-Southlands (2), West End (2), Downtown, Grandview-Woodland 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

The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Malcolm McIsaac at 1288 Comox Street, an electrician at Canadian Westinghouse. A J MacIsaac, rooms to let, is listed at 1173 Davie Street in 1940. In 1940 the directory lists Mrs M MacIsaac at 1785 East 2nd 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 Marion MacIsaac there as the householder, widow of R, with Allison C MacIsaac, and Don J MacIsaac, a bookkeeper at Vancouver Motors.

In 1940 the directory lists A MacIsaac at 1753 East 36th Avenue; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Angus MacIsaac there as the householder, a trackman at the BC Electric Railway. The 1940 name section lists Arthur McIsaac at 635 Granville Street, a miner.

H McIsaac is listed at 4462 Prince Albert Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Hugh McIsaac there as the householder, a trackman at the BC Electric Railway. D A MacIsaac is listed at 2845 Quebec Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Duncan A MacIsaac there as the householder, a motorman at the BC Electric Railway.

M McIsaac is listed at 3868 Victoria Drive in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Malcolm McIsaac there as the householder, a boomman. J A MacIsaac is listed at 3587 West 32nd Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists James A MacIsaac there as the householder, retired.

R J MacIsaac is listed at 3939 West King Edward Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too.

Today

1785 East 2nd, 2845 Quebec and 3939 West King Edward still have their buildings from before 1946; 1173 Davie (1977), 1753 East 36th (1987), 4462 Prince Albert (1995), 3868 Victoria Drive (1997) and 3587 West 32nd (2017) have newer buildings, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 1288 Comox and 635 Granville, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 18 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 MacIsaacs

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the MacIsaac 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 M. Want a name removed? Tell us.