A family name on Seymour Street, Downtown
The McDonalds
In the city directories 1940 · five people at four addresses
The directories print five people named McDonald at four addresses in 1940, all on Seymour 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
- 1
656 Seymour Street
Downtown, 1940
- Angus D McDonald, a carpenter at the CPR 1940
- Miss T McDonald, a clerk 1940
Next door in 1940: Boe B Ltd at 652 and Gestetner D (Can) Ltd at 660. The block, door by door
- 2
900 Seymour Street
Downtown, 1940
- Roy S McDonald, a scaler at the BC Government 1940
Next door in 1940: Lunch See-More at 902. The block, door by door
- 3
1111 Seymour Street
Downtown, 1940
- Helen MacDonald, a laundress 1940
Next door in 1940: Lunch Alex at 1105 and Intl Harvester Co at 1135. The block, door by door
- 4
1366 Seymour Street
Downtown, 1940
- T McDonald 1940
Next door in 1940: J Troll at 1358 and W Enman at 1372. The block, door by door
What they did
The name section prints a trade for four of the five: a carpenter, a clerk, a laundress and a scaler.
Their neighbourhoods
The addresses are in Downtown (4). 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 Angus D McDonald at 656 Seymour Street, a carpenter at the CPR, with Miss T McDonald, a clerk. The 1940 name section lists Roy S McDonald at 900 Seymour Street, a scaler at the BC Government. The 1940 name section lists Helen MacDonald at 1111 Seymour Street, a laundress. The 1940 name section lists T McDonald at 1366 Seymour Street.
Today
900 Seymour still has its building from before 1946, dated 1910 by the City's record; 1111 Seymour (2017) has a newer building, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 656 Seymour and 1366 Seymour, so those buildings are 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.
- McDonald Angus D carp CPR656 Seymour, p. 369
- McDonald Miss T clk656 Seymour, p. 373
- McDonald Roy S scaler BC Govt900 Seymour, p. 373
- MacDonald Helen lndrs1111 Seymour, p. 371
- McDonald T1366 Seymour, p. 373
British Columbia and Yukon Directory, name section, where each person's work is printed
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.
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 M. Want a name removed? Tell us.