Vancouver / Names / T / Topping

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Toppings

In the city directories 1940 · five people at five addresses

The directories print five people named Topping at five addresses in 1940 in four 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 Toppings 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

    1181 Seymour Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • T J Topping, a helper at the Vancouver Iron Works 1940

    Next door in 1940: Coast Parts West at 1165 and Parts Pac at 1185. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    3543 West 19th Avenue

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • F J Topping, a building contractor 1940

    Next door in 1940: T P Joyce at 3535 and S Whyte at 3549. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    2719 West 37th Avenue

    Arbutus Ridge, 1940

    • J Topping, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: E Preston at 2707 and F C Vufton at 2725. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    4613 West 6th Avenue

    West Point Grey, 1940

    • C W Topping, an associate professor at UBC 1940

    Next door in 1940: J McGlashan at 4605 and H C Sieburth at 4621. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    1035 West Pender Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • James Topping, a guard at the Customs 1940

    Next door in 1940: J Zem at 1033 and Mitchell Prntg & Pub at 1037. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for four of the five: an associate professor, a building contractor, a guard and a helper.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Downtown (2), Arbutus Ridge, Dunbar-Southlands 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 T J Topping at 1181 Seymour Street. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Thomas J Topping there as the householder, a helper at the Vancouver Iron Works. In 1940 the directory lists F J Topping, a building contractor, at 3543 West 19th 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 Frederick J Topping there as the householder, a building contractor.

In 1940 the directory lists J Topping at 2719 West 37th Avenue; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists John Topping there as the householder, retired. In 1940 the directory lists C W Topping at 4613 West 6th Avenue; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists C Wesley Topping there as the householder, an associate professor at UBC.

The 1940 name section lists James Topping at 1035 West Pender Street, a guard at the Customs.

Today

3543 West 19th, 2719 West 37th and 4613 West 6th still have their buildings from before 1946; the City no longer lists 1181 Seymour and 1035 West Pender, 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 Toppings

Every directory, as one book

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