Vancouver / Names / S / Smith / Renfrew Street

A family name on Renfrew Street, Hastings-Sunrise and Renfrew-Collingwood

The Smiths

In the city directories 1940 · eight people at five addresses

The directories print eight people named Smith at five addresses in 1940, all on Renfrew Street. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family. The most under one roof: three Smiths at 962 Renfrew in 1940. The directories print the name on 305 other streets too, all listed on the Smith 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 Smiths 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

    23 Renfrew Street

    Hastings-Sunrise, 1940

    • M S Smith, a salesman for Cowan Dodson 1940

    Next door in 1940: A Nesbitt at 75. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    293 Renfrew Street

    Hastings-Sunrise, 1940

    • C Smith, a millwright 1940

    Next door in 1940: J Redland at 283. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    445 Renfrew Street

    Hastings-Sunrise, 1940

    • F C Smith, who worked for the BC Telephone 1940
    • John M Smith, an electrician 1940

    Next door in 1940: C R Henderson at 435. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    523 Renfrew Street

    Hastings-Sunrise, 1940

    • H Smith, a laborer at the City of Vancouver 1940

    Next door in 1940: W Dean at 517 and I W McLarty at 555. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    962 Renfrew Street

    Hastings-Sunrise, 1940

    • J Smith, of Glen Home Furnishings 1940
    • Doris M Smith, a saleswoman at Jermaine's 1940
    • Henry J Smith, a bookkeeper at Sansan Floor 1940

    Next door in 1940: H H Walters at 950 and C Urquhart at 966. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for seven of the eight: a bookkeeper, an electrician, an employee, a laborer, a millwright and a salesman, among others.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Hastings-Sunrise (5). 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 M S Smith at 23 Renfrew Street. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Montague S Smith there as the householder, a fisherman, with Montague S Smith Jr, a salesman for Cowan Dodson. In 1940 the directory lists C Smith at 293 Renfrew 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 lists Chris Smith there as the householder, a millwright.

In 1940 the directory lists F C Smith at 445 Renfrew Street; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Frederick C Smith there as the householder, who worked for the BC Telephone, with John M Smith, an electrician. In 1940 the directory lists H Smith at 523 Renfrew Street; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Hubert Smith there as the householder, a laborer at the City of Vancouver.

In 1940 the directory lists J Smith at 962 Renfrew Street. The 1940 name section lists John Smith there as the householder, of Glen Home Furnishings, with Doris M Smith, a saleswoman at Jermaine's, and Henry J Smith, a bookkeeper at Sansan Floor.

Today

23 Renfrew, 293 Renfrew, 445 Renfrew and 523 Renfrew still have their buildings from before 1946; 962 Renfrew (2021) has a newer building, by the City's record.

Every line as printed

All 14 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 Smiths

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Smith 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.