Vancouver / Names / W / Williams / West 8th Avenue

A family name on West 8th Avenue, Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant, Fairview and West Point Grey

The Williamses

In the city directories 1940 · nine people at six addresses

The directories print nine people named Williams at six addresses in 1940, all on West 8th Avenue, with the close spelling Willams. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family. The most under one roof: four Williamses at 3524 West 8th in 1940. The directories print the name on 186 other streets too, all listed on the Williams name's own page.

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 Williamses 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

    574 West 8th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • E Williams 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs S Thomas at 552 and S Fujii at 576. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    1426 West 8th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • Robert E Williams, a cashier at the Georgia Hotel 1940

    Next door in 1940: R M Currie at 1416 and Mrs E Schram at 1430. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    1455 West 8th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • H Williams, an electrician at BC Motor Transportation 1940

    Next door in 1940: Gowen Sutton Co Ltd at 1445 and S McMaster at 1495. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    1898 West 8th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • Mrs R J Williams, widow of A J 1940

    Next door in 1940: J D Baird at 1882. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    3524 West 8th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • C H Williams, in chief inspector water rates at the City of Vancouver 1940
    • Frank C Williams 1940
    • Lloyd Williams, a student 1940
    • Thomas C Williams, a motorman 1940

    Next door in 1940: H Saunders at 3550. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    3791 West 8th Avenue

    West Point Grey, 1940

    • E J Williams, a movie operator at the Lyric Theatre 1940

    Next door in 1940: H Harding at 3779. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for five of the nine: a cashier, a chief inspector water rates, an electrician, a motorman and a movie operator. One is a widow, listed under her own name.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Fairview (3), Kitsilano (2) 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 E Williams at 574 West 8th Avenue. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Robert E Williams at 1426 West 8th Avenue, a cashier at the Georgia Hotel. In 1940 the directory lists H Williams at 1455 West 8th Avenue. The 1940 name section lists Harold Williams there as the householder, an electrician at BC Motor Transportation.

In 1940 the directory lists Mrs R J Williams at 1898 West 8th 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 Rose J Williams there as the householder, widow of A J. In 1940 the directory lists C H Williams at 3524 West 8th Avenue; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Claud H Williams there as the householder, in chief inspector water rates at the City of Vancouver, with Frank C Williams, Lloyd Williams, a student, and Thomas C Williams, a motorman.

In 1940 the directory lists E J Williams at 3791 West 8th Avenue; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Eric J Williams there as the householder, a movie operator at the Lyric Theatre.

Today

1455 West 8th and 3524 West 8th still have their buildings from before 1946, 1455 West 8th on the Vancouver Heritage Register; the City no longer lists 574 West 8th, 1426 West 8th, 1898 West 8th and 3791 West 8th, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 13 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 Williamses

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Williams 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 W. Want a name removed? Tell us.