A family name in Vancouver's city directories
The Sems
In the city directories 1940 · two people at one address
The directories print two people named Sem at one address, 838 Keefer Street in Strathcona, 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.
The Sems at home
- 1
838 Keefer Street
Strathcona, 1940
- W Sem, a logger 1940
- Thomas Sem 1940
Next door in 1940: J Canic at 832 and R McCulloch at 842. The block, door by door
What they did
The name section prints a trade for one of the two: a logger.
Their neighbourhoods
The address is in Strathcona. 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 Sem at 838 Keefer 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 Sem there as the householder, a logger, with Thomas Sem.
Today
838 Keefer still has its building from before 1946, dated 1910 by the City's record.
Every line as printed
All 3 lines printed under the name through 1945, each with its page at the Vancouver Public Library.
- *Sem W838 Keefer, p. 94
- Sem Thos838 Keefer, p. 551
- Sem Wm logr838 Keefer, p. 551
British Columbia and Yukon Directory, street section
The book of the Sems
Every directory, as one book
The family book reads the Sem 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.