Vancouver / Names / S / Southam

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Southams

In the city directories 1940 · four people at four addresses

The directories print four people named Southam at four addresses in 1940 in three of the city's neighbourhoods, with the close spelling Sotham. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family.

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 Southams 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

    2236 Oak Street

    Fairview, 1940

    • F Southam, a salesman 1940
  2. 2

    1565 West 16th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • G T S Southam, a promotion manager at the Daily Province 1940

    Next door in 1940: ottawa court at 1551 and gloucester court at 1575. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    1407 West 46th Avenue

    Oakridge, 1940

    • W W Southam, a production manager at the Province 1940

    Next door in 1940: C D J Christie at 1419. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    2525 West 8th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • C B Sotham, a salesman at Guernsey Breeders' Dairy 1940

    Next door in 1940: N Michas at 2515 and H P Coverdale at 2535. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for all four: a salesman (2), a production manager and a promotion manager.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Fairview (2), Kitsilano and Oakridge. 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 Southam at 2236 Oak Street. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Frederick Southam there as the householder, a salesman. In 1940 the directory lists G T S Southam at 1565 West 16th Avenue. The 1940 name section lists Gordon T S Southam there as the householder, a promotion manager at the Daily Province.

In 1940 the directory lists W W Southam at 1407 West 46th 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 lists William W Southam there as the householder, a production manager at the Province. In 1940 the directory lists C B Sotham at 2525 West 8th Avenue. The 1940 name section lists Charles B Sotham there as the householder, a salesman at Guernsey Breeders' Dairy.

Today

1565 West 16th and 2525 West 8th still have their buildings from before 1946; the City no longer lists 2236 Oak and 1407 West 46th, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Oak Street at Broadway, looking south past billboards and the Vallejo Court apartments
21 May 1929 Oak Street at Broadway, looking south past billboards and the Vallejo Court apartments. Not at the house at 2236 Oak: no archive photo of the 2200 block is known that we can show. City of Vancouver Archives, CVA 453-1. Public domain.

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 Southams

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Southam 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.