Vancouver / Names / P / Penner

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Penners

In the city directories 1940 · seven people at five addresses

The directories print seven people named Penner at five addresses in 1940 in five 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 Penners at 1754 East 1st 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 Penners 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

    1754 East 1st Avenue

    Grandview-Woodland, 1940

    • P A Penner, retired 1940
    • Anton E Penner, a helper for F W Stewart 1940
    • Lena Penner, widow of A 1940

    Next door in 1940: J S Jenkins at 1752 and J R Rose at 1758. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    758 East 38th Avenue

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • Peter H Penner, a salesman at Crystal Dairy 1940

    Next door in 1940: A Hartfeil at 756 and W Hutton at 766. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    1039 Melville Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • Penner (no first name printed), a waitress 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs M Rosse at 1033 and A B Spain at 1043. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    2942 West 49th Avenue

    Kerrisdale, 1940

    • Agatha Penner, a maid for Mrs L D Davidson 1940
  5. 5

    2062 West 5th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • H Penner 1940

    Next door in 1940: G M Groat at 2058 and Mrs M L Thorne at 2068. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for four of the seven: a helper, a maid, a salesman and a waitress. One is a widow, listed under her own name.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Downtown, Grandview-Woodland, Kensington-Cedar Cottage, Kerrisdale 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 P A Penner at 1754 East 1st Avenue. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Peter A Penner there as the householder, retired, with Anton E Penner, a helper for F W Stewart, and Lena Penner, widow of A. The 1940 name section lists Peter H Penner at 758 East 38th Avenue, a salesman at Crystal Dairy. The 1940 name section lists Penner (no first name printed) at 1039 Melville Street, a waitress.

The 1940 name section lists Agatha Penner at 2942 West 49th Avenue, a maid for Mrs L D Davidson. H Penner is listed at 2062 West 5th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Helen Penner there as the householder.

Today

1754 East 1st, 758 East 38th, 2942 West 49th and 2062 West 5th still have their buildings from before 1946, 2062 West 5th on the Vancouver Heritage Register; the City no longer lists 1039 Melville, so that building is probably gone (inferred).

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 Penners

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Penner 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 P. Want a name removed? Tell us.