Vancouver / Names / P / Provan

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Provans

In the city directories 1940 · eight people at eight addresses

The directories print eight people named Provan at eight addresses in 1940 in four of the city's neighbourhoods. 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 Provans lived

Each pin is on its own block, numbered as the households below. Three addresses aren't on today's map, so they have no pin. Today's land, parks, main roads and local areas: City of Vancouver Open Data (Open Government Licence – Vancouver).
  1. 1

    4337 Beatrice Street

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • T Provan, a pipe fitter 1940

    Next door in 1940: J Tees at 4319. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    4712 Beatrice Street

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • Mrs M Provan, widow of D 1940

    Next door in 1940: J Marshall at 4708 and E G Dellow at 4724. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    4796 Beatrice Street

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • Leonard Provan, a pipefitter at BC Plywoods 1940

    Next door in 1940: Knight W J coal & at 4782. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    766 East 26th Avenue

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • D Provan, a mechanic at McDermott Motors 1940

    Next door in 1940: A B Adderley at 756 and Mrs M H Campbell at 776. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    642 East 28th Avenue

    Riley Park, 1940

    • T G Provan, a patrolman at the BC Electric Railway 1940

    Next door in 1940: J Begon at 628 and H A Burns at 650. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    1857 East 2nd Avenue

    Grandview-Woodland, 1940

    • A Provan 1940

    Next door in 1940: R W Thompson at 1849. The block, door by door

  7. 7

    3918 Fraser Street

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • J Provan, a patrolman at the BC Electric Railway 1940

    Next door in 1940: Bill's Barber Shop at 3914 and ccf club at 3922. The block, door by door

  8. 8

    191 West 3rd Avenue

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • J Provan, a driver 1940

    Next door in 1940: W J McGatty at 171. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for six of the eight: a patrolman (2), a driver, a mechanic, a pipe fitter and a pipefitter. Two of them worked for BC Electric Railway. One is a widow, listed under her own name.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Kensington-Cedar Cottage (5), Grandview-Woodland, Mount Pleasant and Riley Park. 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 T Provan at 4337 Beatrice Street. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Thomas Provan there as the householder, a pipe fitter. In 1940 the directory lists Mrs M Provan at 4712 Beatrice 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 lists Margaret Provan there as the householder, widow of D.

The 1940 name section lists Leonard Provan at 4796 Beatrice Street, a pipefitter at BC Plywoods. D Provan is listed at 766 East 26th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists David Provan there as the householder, a mechanic at McDermott Motors.

T G Provan is listed at 642 East 28th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Thomas G Provan there as the householder, a patrolman at the BC Electric Railway, with Thomas Provan, a mechanic at Byrnes, Hume Typewriters. A Provan is listed at 1857 East 2nd Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Archibald Provan there as the householder.

J Provan is listed at 3918 Fraser Street in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists John Provan there as the householder, a patrolman at the BC Electric Railway. J Provan is listed at 191 West 3rd Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists John Provan there as the householder, a driver.

Today

4796 Beatrice still has its building from before 1946, dated 1910 by the City's record; 4712 Beatrice (2000), 766 East 26th (1988), 1857 East 2nd (1980) and 191 West 3rd (1950) have newer buildings, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 4337 Beatrice, 642 East 28th and 3918 Fraser, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 16 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 Provans

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Provan 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.