Vancouver / Names / S / Smith / Richards Street

A family name on Richards Street, Downtown

The Smiths

In the city directories 1940 · seven people at seven addresses

The directories print seven people named Smith at seven addresses in 1940, all on Richards Street. 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 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

    422 Richards Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • L Smith, a dramatic art 1940

    Next door in 1940: W Lund at 420 and N Shishkin at 424. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    522 Richards Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • F N Smith 1940

    Next door in 1940: Merritt Gordon Hotel (Annex) at 520. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    657 Richards Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • Miss K Smith, rooms to let 1940

    Next door in 1940: G Williams at 651 and Mrs M Karl at 661. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    757 Richards Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • Edward J Smith, a guard at the Canadian Government 1940

    Next door in 1940: Kingston Hotel Co Ltd at 755. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    814 Richards Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • Mrs Kathleen Smith 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs M Lalonde at 812 and T Bedale at 816. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    976 Richards Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • L Smith, on active service 1940

    Next door in 1940: Pioneer Equip at 960. The block, door by door

  7. 7

    1039 Richards Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • D Smith, rooms to let 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs A Cope at 1037 and W Folk at 1041. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for two of the seven: a guard and an on active service.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Downtown (7). 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 L Smith, a dramatic art, at 422 Richards Street. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists F N Smith at 522 Richards Street. In 1940 the directory lists Miss K Smith, rooms to let, at 657 Richards Street. The 1940 name section lists Edward J Smith at 757 Richards Street, a guard at the Canadian Government.

The 1940 name section lists Mrs Kathleen Smith at 814 Richards Street. L Smith is listed at 976 Richards Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Lew Smith there as the householder, on active service.

D Smith, rooms to let, is listed at 1039 Richards Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Don Smith there.

Today

422 Richards and 757 Richards still have their buildings from before 1946, 422 Richards on the Vancouver Heritage Register; 814 Richards (1971) has a newer building, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 522 Richards, 657 Richards, 976 Richards and 1039 Richards, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 9 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.