Vancouver / Names / S / Simpson / West 8th Avenue

A family name on West 8th Avenue, Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant, Fairview and West Point Grey

The Simpsons

In the city directories 1940 · five people at four addresses

The directories print five people named Simpson at four addresses in 1940, all on West 8th Avenue. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family. The directories print the name on 119 other streets too, all listed on the Simpson name's own page.

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 Simpsons lived

Each pin is on its own block, numbered as the households below. Today's land, parks, main roads and local areas: City of Vancouver Open Data (Open Government Licence – Vancouver).
  1. 1

    150 West 8th Avenue

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • F A Simpson, a splitter at J Chew Shingle 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs N Wimble at 148 and F Robins at 156. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    1548 West 8th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • Simpson (no first name printed), a widow 1940

    Next door in 1940: A Wells at 1594. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    2324 West 8th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • Mrs J A G Simpson, widow of R 1940
    • Floyde L Simpson, an engineer at Empire Box 1940

    Next door in 1940: C J Mayne at 2316 and J McCreery at 2334. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    3450 West 8th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • J W Simpson, a cleaner at Morrison Steel 1940

    Next door in 1940: W L Macdonald at 3442 and T Whitty at 3460. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for three of the five: a cleaner, an engineer and a splitter. Two are widows, listed under their own names.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Kitsilano (2), Fairview and Mount Pleasant. 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 F A Simpson at 150 West 8th Avenue. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Frederick A Simpson there as the householder, a splitter at J Chew Shingle. The 1940 name section lists Simpson (no first name printed) at 1548 West 8th Avenue, a widow.

Mrs J A G Simpson is listed at 2324 West 8th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Julia A G Simpson there as the householder, widow of R, with Floyde L Simpson, an engineer at Empire Box. J W Simpson is listed at 3450 West 8th Avenue in 1940; 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 James W Simpson there as the householder, a cleaner at Morrison Steel.

Today

150 West 8th still has its building from before 1946, dated 1906 by the City's record; 3450 West 8th (1981) has a newer building, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 1548 West 8th and 2324 West 8th, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 8 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 Simpsons

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Simpson 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 S. Want a name removed? Tell us.