A family name in Vancouver's city directories
The Northerns
In the city directories 1940 · four people at four addresses
The directories print four people named Northern at four addresses in 1940 in Downtown. 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 Northerns lived
- 1
678 Howe Street
Downtown, 1940
- Pacific Railway Northern 1940
Next door in 1940: N L Smith at 660. The block, door by door
- 2
602 West Hastings Street
Downtown, 1940
- Life Assce Northern 1940
Next door in 1940: Starratt A W & Co at 608. The block, door by door
- 3
744 West Hastings Street
Downtown, 1940
- Pyrites Northern 1940
Next door in 1940: Tiny's Coffee Shop at 740. The block, door by door
- 4
626 West Pender Street
Downtown, 1940
- Assce Northern 1940
Next door in 1940: richards akroyd & gall at 614 and bk of montreal chambers at 640. The block, door by door
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 Pacific Railway Northern at 678 Howe Street. Life Assce Northern is listed at 602 West Hastings Street in 1940. In 1940 the directory lists Pyrites Northern at 744 West Hastings Street. Assce Northern is listed at 626 West Pender Street in 1940.
Today
602 West Hastings, 744 West Hastings and 626 West Pender still have their buildings from before 1946, 626 West Pender on the Vancouver Heritage Register; the City no longer lists 678 Howe, so that building is probably gone (inferred).
Every line as printed
All 4 lines printed under the name through 1945, each with its page at the Vancouver Public Library.
- Northern Pacific Railway W F C Carr genl agt678 Howe, p. 464
- Northern Life Assce602 West Hastings, p. 79
- Northern Pyrites744 West Hastings, p. 80
- Northern Assce626 West Pender, p. 130
British Columbia and Yukon Directory, name section, where each person's work is printed
The book of the Northerns
Every directory, as one book
The family book reads the Northern 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 N. Want a name removed? Tell us.