A family name in Vancouver's city directories
The Selkirks
In the city directories 1940 · two people at two addresses
The directories print two people named Selkirk at two addresses in 1940 in two of the city's neighbourhoods. No first name or initials tie one address to the other: 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 Selkirks lived
- 1
1454 East 15th Avenue
Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940
- Mrs C E Selkirk, widow of C 1940
Next door in 1940: C C McAllen at 1448 and J J Creamore at 1458. The block, door by door
- 2
2060 West 20th Avenue
Shaughnessy, 1940
- Mrs Ella Selkirk, a housekeeper for L H Wright 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 one of the two: a housekeeper. One is a widow, listed under her own name.
Their neighbourhoods
The addresses are in Kensington-Cedar Cottage and Shaughnessy. 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 C E Selkirk at 1454 East 15th 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, where each person's work is printed, lists Cath E Selkirk there as the householder, widow of C. The 1940 name section lists Mrs Ella Selkirk at 2060 West 20th Avenue, a housekeeper for L H Wright.
Today
1454 East 15th and 2060 West 20th still have their buildings from before 1946.
Every line as printed
All 3 lines printed under the name through 1945, each with its page at the Vancouver Public Library.
- *Selkirk Mrs C E1454 East 15th, p. 218
- Selkirk Cath E wid C1454 East 15th, p. 551
- Selkirk Mrs Ella hsekpr L H Wright2060 West 20th, p. 551
British Columbia and Yukon Directory, street section
The book of the Selkirks
Every directory, as one book
The family book reads the Selkirk 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 S. Want a name removed? Tell us.