Vancouver / Names / M / McDonald / Dunbar Street

A family name on Dunbar Street, Dunbar-Southlands and Kitsilano

The McDonalds

In the city directories 1940 · five people at three addresses

The directories print five people named McDonald at three addresses in 1940, all on Dunbar Street, with the close spellings MacDonald and Macdonald. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family. The directories print the name on 231 other streets too, all listed on the McDonald name's own page.

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 McDonalds 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

    1734 Dunbar Street

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • F R Macdonald, a civil engineer 1940
    • Margaret B Macdonald, a student at UBC 1940

    Next door in 1940: J D Meekison at 1724 and C A Marshall at 1742. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    4643 Dunbar Street

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • H A McDonald, retired 1940
    • George A McDonald, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: G J Haywood at 4619 and C M Allen at 4655. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    5092 Dunbar Street

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • J Macdonald, an agent for Excelsior Life 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs G A M Blackmore at 5076. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for two of the five: an agent and a civil engineer.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Dunbar-Southlands (2) 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

In 1940 the directory lists F R Macdonald at 1734 Dunbar Street; 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 Fergus R Macdonald there as the householder, a civil engineer, with Margaret B Macdonald, a student at UBC. In 1940 the directory lists H A McDonald at 4643 Dunbar Street; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Harry A McDonald there as the householder, retired, with George A McDonald, retired.

In 1940 the directory lists J Macdonald at 5092 Dunbar Street; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists John McDonald there as the householder, an agent for Excelsior Life.

Today

1734 Dunbar and 4643 Dunbar still have their buildings from before 1946, 1734 Dunbar on the Vancouver Heritage Register; the City no longer lists 5092 Dunbar, so that building is probably gone (inferred).

A No. 14 Dunbar streetcar on Dunbar Street, past bungalows
1940 A No. 14 Dunbar streetcar on Dunbar Street, past bungalows. Not at the house at 1734 Dunbar: no archive photo of the 1700 block is known that we can show. City of Vancouver Archives, 2009-005.530. Public domain.

Every line as printed

All 8 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 McDonalds

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the McDonald 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.