Vancouver / Names / T / Traff

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Traffs

In the city directories 1940 · five people at five addresses

The directories print five people named Traff at five addresses in 1940 in three 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 Traffs 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

    1416 East 1st Avenue

    Grandview-Woodland, 1940

    • N Traff, a laborer at BC Sugar 1940

    Next door in 1940: E Phillips at 1410 and W W Scott at 1426. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    517 East Georgia Street

    Strathcona, 1940

    • A Traff, a laborer 1940

    Next door in 1940: Progressive Youth Club at 505 and O Kawaguchi at 531. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    991 East Georgia Street

    Strathcona, 1940

    • A A Traff, a laborer at BC Sugar 1940

    Next door in 1940: J Gvozdanovich at 989 and J Tichy at 999. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    1268 Frances Street

    Strathcona, 1940

    • M Traff, a floorman at the Pacific Mills 1940

    Next door in 1940: A Wilson at 1266 and D Mancuso at 1270. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    876 Granville Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • Marie Traff, a waitress for Roxy Cafe 1940

    Next door in 1940: Bon Ton Pastry & Conf at 874 and Orpheum Theatre at 884. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for all five: a laborer (3), a floorman and a waitress. Two of them worked for BC Sugar.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Strathcona (3), Downtown and Grandview-Woodland. 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 N Traff at 1416 East 1st Avenue. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Nick Traff there as the householder, a laborer at BC Sugar. In 1940 the directory lists A Traff at 517 East Georgia Street. The 1940 name section lists Alex Traff there as the householder, a laborer.

In 1940 the directory lists A A Traff at 991 East Georgia Street. The 1940 name section lists Alex A Traff there as the householder, a laborer at BC Sugar. In 1940 the directory lists M Traff at 1268 Frances Street. The 1940 name section lists Mike Traff there as the householder, a floorman at the Pacific Mills.

The 1940 name section lists Marie Traff at 876 Granville Street, a waitress for Roxy Cafe.

Today

1416 East 1st, 517 East Georgia and 876 Granville still have their buildings from before 1946; the City no longer lists 991 East Georgia and 1268 Frances, 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 Traffs

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Traff 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.

We're opening orders soon. Join the list to be first in line; we expect about $29 a family.

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.