Vancouver / Names / T / Thorburn

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Thorburns

In the city directories 1940 · 16 people at eleven addresses

The directories print 16 people named Thorburn at eleven addresses in 1940 in seven 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 Thorburns at 1096 West 13th in 1940.

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Where the Thorburns 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

    56 East Cordova Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • George Thorburn, a warehouseman for A Murray 1940

    Next door in 1940: Van Shirt & Overall Mfg at 54 and Kloepfer Hdw Whol at 62. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    1003 Richards Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • R Thorburn, a teamster 1940

    Next door in 1940: P Duckhart at 1001 and E Anderson at 1011. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    1096 West 13th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • W M Thorburn, retired 1940
    • Marjorie M Thorburn, a school teacher 1940
    • Robert W Thorburn, a wireless operator 1940
  4. 4

    1425 West 13th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • Miss J I Thorburn 1940
    • Jean I Thorburn, a stenographer at General Motors 1940
    • Mary E Thorburn, widow of J W 1940

    Next door in 1940: D A Suttie at 1435. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    3255 West 26th Avenue

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • L J Thorburn, an auditor at the Canadian Government 1940

    Next door in 1940: D W Forsyth at 3249 and J C McNeely at 3271. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    1225 West 27th Avenue

    Shaughnessy, 1940

    • J Thorburn, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: A S Black at 1215 and T Larsen at 1235. The block, door by door

  7. 7

    2033 West 2nd Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • Walter Thorburn, a driver at Fletchers 1940

    Next door in 1940: L R Thorn at 2029 and T T C Vincent at 2043. The block, door by door

  8. 8

    663 West 71st Avenue

    Marpole, 1940

    • J Thorburn, an engineer at Burt & Reid Towboats 1940

    Next door in 1940: G Lehnecke at 641 and G F Stewart at 667. The block, door by door

  9. 9

    175 West Broadway

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • Mrs E J Thorburn, widow of G 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs M H Walker at 163 and Mrs E M Johnson at 189. The block, door by door

  10. 10

    1915 West Broadway

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • Mrs R Thorburn, a widow 1940
    • A Gillan Thorburn, an accountant 1940

    Next door in 1940: F H Burleigh at 1901 and J Spanier at 1925. The block, door by door

  11. 11

    675 West Hastings Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • A G Thorburn, an accountant 1940

    Next door in 1940: P Miller at 623 and Bank Royal at 685. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for nine of the 16: an accountant, an auditor, a driver, an engineer, a school teacher and a stenographer, among others. Three are widows, listed under their own names.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Downtown (3), Fairview (2), Kitsilano (2), Dunbar-Southlands, Marpole, Mount Pleasant and Shaughnessy. 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 George Thorburn at 56 East Cordova Street, a warehouseman for A Murray. R Thorburn is listed at 1003 Richards Street 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 Robert Thorburn there as the householder, a teamster.

W M Thorburn is listed at 1096 West 13th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists William M Thorburn there as the householder, retired, with Marjorie M Thorburn, a school teacher, and Robert W Thorburn, a wireless operator. Miss J I Thorburn is listed at 1425 West 13th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Jean I Thorburn there as the householder, a stenographer at General Motors, with Mary E Thorburn, widow of J W.

L J Thorburn is listed at 3255 West 26th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Leonard J Thorburn there as the householder, an auditor at the Canadian Government. J Thorburn is listed at 1225 West 27th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists James Thorburn there as the householder, retired.

The 1940 name section lists Walter Thorburn at 2033 West 2nd Avenue, a driver at Fletchers. In 1940 the directory lists J Thorburn at 663 West 71st Avenue; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists John Thorburn there as the householder, an engineer at Burt & Reid Towboats.

In 1940 the directory lists Mrs E J Thorburn at 175 West Broadway. The 1940 name section lists Euphia J Thorburn there as the householder, widow of G. In 1940 the directory lists Mrs R Thorburn at 1915 West Broadway. The 1940 name section lists Rachel Thorburn there as the householder, a widow, with A Gillan Thorburn, an accountant.

In 1940 the directory lists A G Thorburn, an accountant, at 675 West Hastings Street.

Today

1915 West Broadway and 675 West Hastings still have their buildings from before 1946; 3255 West 26th (2017), 663 West 71st (1970) and 175 West Broadway (1963) have newer buildings, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 56 East Cordova, 1003 Richards, 1096 West 13th, 1425 West 13th, 1225 West 27th and 2033 West 2nd, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 23 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 Thorburns

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Thorburn 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 T. Want a name removed? Tell us.