Vancouver / Names / S / Symington

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Symingtons

In the city directories 1940 · ten people at seven addresses

The directories print ten people named Symington at seven 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.

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 Symingtons 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

    233 Abbott Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • G E Symington, a welder at the Burrard Dry Dock 1940

    Next door in 1940: Van Belt Works at 219 and Oland Rooms at 247. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    4773 Belmont Avenue

    West Point Grey, 1940

    • D Symington, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: B M Hoffmeister at 4749 and F V Lumb at 4791. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    5861 Cree Street

    Sunset, 1940

    • J Symington, a butcher 1940
    • William Symington, a groundsman at the Shaughnessy Heights Golf Club 1940

    Next door in 1940: J T Ballard at 5839 and C A Messenger at 5883. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    855 East 24th Avenue

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • J Symington, who worked for the City of Vancouver 1940
    • William J Symington, a mechanic at Canadian Fairbanks-Morse 1940

    Next door in 1940: T Johnston at 845 and A B Jensen at 875. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    585 East 47th Avenue

    Sunset, 1940

    • Mrs M Symington 1940
    • Robert Symington 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs A Rumpel at 575 and W H Havill at 595. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    549 East Broadway

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • T Symington, a carpenter 1940

    Next door in 1940: C Culley at 543 and F M Westaway at 555. The block, door by door

  7. 7

    4021 West 34th Avenue

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • L Symington, a mechanic 1940

    Next door in 1940: T H Hill at 4015 and H Dalton at 4041. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for six of the ten: a mechanic (2), a butcher, a carpenter, a groundsman and a welder.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Sunset (2), Downtown, Dunbar-Southlands, Kensington-Cedar Cottage, Mount Pleasant 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

The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists G E Symington at 233 Abbott Street, a welder at the Burrard Dry Dock. D Symington is listed at 4773 Belmont Avenue in 1940; 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 Doug Symington there as the householder, retired.

J Symington is listed at 5861 Cree Street in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists John Symington there as the householder, a butcher, with William Symington, a groundsman at the Shaughnessy Heights Golf Club. J Symington is listed at 855 East 24th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists John Symington there as the householder, who worked for the City of Vancouver, with William J Symington, a mechanic at Canadian Fairbanks-Morse.

Mrs M Symington is listed at 585 East 47th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Mrs Mary Symington there as the householder, with Robert Symington. T Symington is listed at 549 East Broadway in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Thomas Symington there as the householder, a carpenter, with Thomas Symington Jr, a carpenter.

L Symington is listed at 4021 West 34th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Lee Symington there as the householder, a mechanic.

Today

233 Abbott and 5861 Cree still have their buildings from before 1946, 233 Abbott on the Vancouver Heritage Register; 4773 Belmont (2010), 585 East 47th (1963) and 4021 West 34th (2017) have newer buildings, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 855 East 24th and 549 East Broadway, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 17 lines printed under the name through 1945, each with its page at the Vancouver Public Library.
1940

British Columbia and Yukon Directory, name section, where each person's work is printed

The book of the Symingtons

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Symington 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.