Vancouver / Names / S / Spear

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Spears

In the city directories 1940 · eleven people at eight addresses

The directories print eleven people named Spear at eight addresses in 1940 in six of the city's neighbourhoods. 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 Spears at 2892 East 14th 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 Spears lived

Each pin is on its own block, numbered as the households below. One address isn't on today's map, so it has no pin. Today's land, parks, main roads and local areas: City of Vancouver Open Data (Open Government Licence – Vancouver).
  1. 1

    3983 Alice Street

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • R G Spear, a longshoreman 1940

    Next door in 1940: W H Silvester at 3969 and H J Brown at 3995. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    1350 East 10th Avenue

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • A F Spear, a seaman 1940

    Next door in 1940: W E Irwin at 1342 and Mrs J Laycock at 1356. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    1606 East 11th Avenue

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • T Spear, a conductor at the BC Electric Railway 1940

    Next door in 1940: G W Childers at 1610. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    2892 East 14th Avenue

    Renfrew-Collingwood, 1940

    • W A Spear, a clerk at C M & S 1940
    • Edward C Spear, a longshoreman 1940
    • Frank A Spear, a miner 1940

    Next door in 1940: R Roycroft at 2866. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    3586 Franklin Street

    Hastings-Sunrise, 1940

    • Mrs C Spear 1940

    Next door in 1940: G C Reid at 3582 and R A Wood at 3592. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    3479 Point Grey Road

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • Arthur F Spear, a conductor at the BC Electric Railway 1940

    Next door in 1940: R H Ward at 3467 and F A Taylor at 3485. The block, door by door

  7. 7

    2169 Victoria Drive

    Grandview-Woodland, 1940

    • R G Spear, an engineer at Guarantee Cleaners & Dyers 1940

    Next door in 1940: H A Linburg at 2163. The block, door by door

  8. 8

    3991 West 11th Avenue

    West Point Grey, 1940

    • A W Spear, a conductor at the BC Electric Railway 1940
    • Gordon S Spear, a bookkeeper for F Deely 1940

    Next door in 1940: J D Moore at 3981 and Mrs F Timperley at 3999. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for ten of the eleven: a conductor (3), a longshoreman (2), a bookkeeper, a clerk, an engineer and a miner, among others. Three of them worked for BC Electric Railway.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Kensington-Cedar Cottage (3), Grandview-Woodland, Hastings-Sunrise, Kitsilano, Renfrew-Collingwood and West Point Grey. 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 R G Spear at 3983 Alice 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, where each person's work is printed, lists Robert G Spear there as the householder, a longshoreman. In 1940 the directory lists A F Spear at 1350 East 10th Avenue. The 1940 name section lists A Frank Spear there, a seaman.

In 1940 the directory lists T Spear at 1606 East 11th Avenue; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Thomas Spear there as the householder, a conductor at the BC Electric Railway. In 1940 the directory lists W A Spear at 2892 East 14th Avenue; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists William A Spear there as the householder, a clerk at C M & S, with Edward C Spear, a longshoreman, and Frank A Spear, a miner.

In 1940 the directory lists Mrs C Spear at 3586 Franklin Street. The 1940 name section lists Mrs Clara Spear there as the householder. The 1940 name section lists Arthur F Spear at 3479 Point Grey Road, a conductor at the BC Electric Railway.

R G Spear is listed at 2169 Victoria Drive in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Robert G Spear there as the householder, an engineer at Guarantee Cleaners & Dyers. A W Spear is listed at 3991 West 11th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Arthur W Spear there as the householder, a conductor at the BC Electric Railway, with Gordon S Spear, a bookkeeper for F Deely.

Today

1350 East 10th, 1606 East 11th, 3586 Franklin, 2169 Victoria Drive and 3991 West 11th still have their buildings from before 1946; 3983 Alice (1988), 2892 East 14th (1967) and 3479 Point Grey Road (1997) have newer buildings, by the City's record.

Every line as printed

All 18 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 Spears

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Spear 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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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.