A family name in Vancouver's city directories
The Plums
In the city directories 1940 · four people at two addresses
The directories print four people named Plum at two addresses in 1940 in two of the city's neighbourhoods, with the close spelling Plumm. No first name or initials tie one address to the other: we can't tell if they're one family. The most under one roof: three Plums at 1849 Venables 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 Plums lived
- 1
1849 Venables Street
Grandview-Woodland, 1940
- W Plumm, retired 1940
- Ivy M Plumm, a clerk at Leith & Dyke 1940
- Violet M Plumm, a stenographer 1940
Next door in 1940: T E Thomas at 1847 and Mrs F A Britton at 1857. The block, door by door
- 2
4629 West 11th Avenue
West Point Grey, 1940
- E S Plum, a steward at the Terminal City Club 1940
Next door in 1940: B P Meredith at 4621 and J Carruthers at 4639. The block, door by door
What they did
The name section prints a trade for three of the four: a clerk, a stenographer and a steward.
Their neighbourhoods
The addresses are in Grandview-Woodland and West Point Grey. 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 W Plumm at 1849 Venables 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 William Plumm there as the householder, retired, with Ivy M Plumm, a clerk at Leith & Dyke, and Violet M Plumm, a stenographer. In 1940 the directory lists E S Plum at 4629 West 11th Avenue; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Ernest S Plum there as the householder, a steward at the Terminal City Club.
Today
1849 Venables and 4629 West 11th still have their buildings from before 1946.
Every line as printed
All 6 lines printed under the name through 1945, each with its page at the Vancouver Public Library.
- *Plumm W1849 Venables, p. 160
- Plumm Ivy M clk Leith & Dyke1849 Venables, p. 497
- Plumm Violet M sten1849 Venables, p. 497
- Plumm Wm retired1849 Venables, p. 497
- *Plum E S4629 West 11th, p. 205
- Plum Ernest S steward Term City Club4629 West 11th, p. 497
British Columbia and Yukon Directory, street section
The book of the Plums
Every directory, as one book
The family book reads the Plum 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 P. Want a name removed? Tell us.