Vancouver / Names / R / Rolfe

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Rolfes

In the city directories 1940 · nine people at eight addresses

The directories print nine people named Rolfe at eight 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.

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 Rolfes lived

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

    975 Denman Street

    West End, 1940

    • Mrs A S Rolfe, widow of W J 1940
    • A Dorothy B Rolfe 1940

    Next door in 1940: R T Kinchler at 961 and Beauty Salon Silverdene at 981. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    2103 East 65th Avenue

    Sunset, 1940

    • T Rolfe, retired 1940
  3. 3

    1906 Haro Street

    West End, 1940

    • William Rolfe, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: J Abbott at 1918. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    1050 Melville Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • Rolfe (no first name printed) 1940

    Next door in 1940: F C Moore at 1044 and J A Morrice at 1052. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    1079 Thurlow Street

    West End, 1940

    • Ernest Rolfe, a mechanic at Underwood Elliott Fisher 1940

    Next door in 1940: W A Coates at 1077 and Miss M G Hogg at 1083. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    1936 West 11th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • William A Rolfe, of Earls Coffee Shop 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs E M Brandon at 1926 and W W Thomson at 1946. The block, door by door

  7. 7

    3597 West 15th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • W J Lyttelton Rolfe, a salesman at McMahon & Burns 1940

    Next door in 1940: L Skinner at 3573. The block, door by door

  8. 8

    2060 West 20th Avenue

    Shaughnessy, 1940

    • M Basil Rolfe, an assistant manager at L Wright & Co 1940

    Next door in 1940: H R Glass at 2050. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for three of the nine: an assistant manager, a mechanic and a salesman. One is a widow, listed under her own name.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in West End (3), Kitsilano (2), Downtown, Shaughnessy and Sunset. 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 Mrs A S Rolfe at 975 Denman Street. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Alice S Rolfe there as the householder, widow of W J, with A Dorothy B Rolfe. In 1940 the directory lists T Rolfe at 2103 East 65th Avenue; 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 Thomas Rolfe there as the householder, retired.

The 1940 name section lists William Rolfe at 1906 Haro Street, retired. The 1940 name section lists Rolfe (no first name printed) at 1050 Melville Street. The 1940 name section lists Ernest Rolfe at 1079 Thurlow Street, a mechanic at Underwood Elliott Fisher. The 1940 name section lists William A Rolfe at 1936 West 11th Avenue, of Earls Coffee Shop.

The 1940 name section lists W J Lyttelton Rolfe at 3597 West 15th Avenue, a salesman at McMahon & Burns. The 1940 name section lists M Basil Rolfe at 2060 West 20th Avenue, an assistant manager at L Wright & Co.

Today

1906 Haro, 3597 West 15th and 2060 West 20th still have their buildings from before 1946; the City no longer lists 975 Denman, 2103 East 65th, 1050 Melville, 1079 Thurlow and 1936 West 11th, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Children parading on Denman Street past the Bay Theatre
1950 Children parading on Denman Street past the Bay Theatre. Not at the house at 975 Denman: no archive photo of the 900 block is known that we can show. City of Vancouver Archives, CVA 392-1788. Public domain.

Every line as printed

All 11 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 Rolfes

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Rolfe 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.

One email, when it's ready. We use your email for nothing else and never share it. Privacy

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 R. Want a name removed? Tell us.