A family name in Vancouver's city directories
The Smees
In the city directories 1940 · four people at two addresses
The directories print four people named Smee 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. The most under one roof: three Smees at 2934 Windsor 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.
Where the Smees lived
- 1
3237 West 26th Avenue
Dunbar-Southlands, 1940
- H H Smee, a benchman at Mount Pleasant S&D 1940
Next door in 1940: Miss C P Sloane at 3223 and S MacLeod at 3243. The block, door by door
- 2
2934 Windsor Street
Mount Pleasant, 1940
- H Smee, a stage operator at BC Motor Transportation 1940
- Mavis C Smee, an operator at the BC Telephone 1940
- Paul M Smee, a freight hand at the CPR 1940
Next door in 1940: J Morgan at 2916. The block, door by door
What they did
The name section prints a trade for all four: a benchman, a freight hand, an operator and a stage operator.
Their neighbourhoods
The addresses are in Dunbar-Southlands 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 H H Smee at 3237 West 26th 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 Horace H Smee there as the householder, a benchman at Mount Pleasant S&D. In 1940 the directory lists H Smee at 2934 Windsor Street; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Harry Smee there as the householder, a stage operator at BC Motor Transportation, with Mavis C Smee, an operator at the BC Telephone, and Paul M Smee, a freight hand at the CPR.
Today
3237 West 26th and 2934 Windsor still have their buildings from before 1946.
Every line as printed
All 6 lines printed under the name through 1945, each with its page at the Vancouver Public Library.
- *Smee H H3237 West 26th, p. 241
- Smee Horace H benchmn Mt Pleasant S&D3237 West 26th, p. 567
- *Smee H2934 Windsor, p. 169
- Smee Harry stage opr BC Motor Trans2934 Windsor, p. 567
- Smee Mavis C opr BC Tel2934 Windsor, p. 567
- Smee Paul M frt hd CPR2934 Windsor, p. 567
British Columbia and Yukon Directory, street section
The book of the Smees
Every directory, as one book
The family book reads the Smee 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.