Vancouver / Names / M / McColm

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The McColms

In the city directories 1940 · six people at three addresses

The directories print six people named McColm at three addresses in 1940 in two of the city's neighbourhoods. 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 McColms at 3895 Quebec 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 McColms 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

    1170 East 18th Avenue

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • H McColm, a conductor at the BC Electric Railway 1940

    Next door in 1940: L Westcott at 1160 and W C Reid at 1174. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    455 East 29th Avenue

    Riley Park, 1940

    • R McColm, a batteryman 1940
    • Joyceline McColm 1940

    Next door in 1940: E Bensen at 447 and F J Rickard at 469. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    3895 Quebec Street

    Riley Park, 1940

    • F J McColm, a motorman at the BC Electric Railway 1940
    • Harold J McColm, a mechanic at H Disston & Sons 1940
    • Winifred P McColm, a saleswoman at Woodward's 1940

    Next door in 1940: A J Pallot at 3883. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for five of the six: a batteryman, a conductor, a mechanic, a motorman and a saleswoman. Two of them worked for BC Electric Railway.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Riley Park (2) and Kensington-Cedar Cottage. 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 McColm at 1170 East 18th 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 Harold McColm there as the householder, a conductor at the BC Electric Railway. In 1940 the directory lists R McColm at 455 East 29th Avenue. The 1940 name section lists Robertson McColm there as the householder, a batteryman, with Joyceline McColm.

In 1940 the directory lists F J McColm at 3895 Quebec Street; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Frederick J McColm there as the householder, a motorman at the BC Electric Railway, with Harold J McColm, a mechanic at H Disston & Sons, and Winifred P McColm, a saleswoman at Woodward's.

Today

3895 Quebec still has its building from before 1946, dated 1912 by the City's record; 1170 East 18th (1999) has a newer building, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 455 East 29th, so that building is probably gone (inferred).

A girl at the dirt crossing of 10th Avenue and Quebec Street, looking east along 10th
1900 A girl at the dirt crossing of 10th Avenue and Quebec Street, looking east along 10th. Not at the house at 3895 Quebec: no archive photo of the 3800 block is known that we can show. City of Vancouver Archives, Str P273. Public domain.

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 McColms

Every directory, as one book

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