Vancouver / Names / W / Wismer

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Wismers

In the city directories 1940 · ten people at six addresses

The directories print ten people named Wismer at six addresses in 1940 in five 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 Wismers at 1260 Harwood in 1940.

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 Wismers 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

    2330 Cypress Street

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • Helen M Wismer, a clerk at the Bank of Montreal 1940
    • Mrs Mabel A Wismer 1940

    Next door in 1940: A Kluckner at 2322. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    563 East 13th Avenue

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • Mrs A I Wismer, widow of D 1940
    • Marion S Wismer, a supervisor at the Victorian Order of Nurses 1940

    Next door in 1940: G W Birch at 557 and C Edwards at 569. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    2953 Eton Street

    Hastings-Sunrise, 1940

    • J B Wismer, a winchman for F Waterhouse 1940

    Next door in 1940: M P McLeod at 2943 and H Swadden at 2959. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    1260 Harwood Street

    West End, 1940

    • Hon G S Wismer, an attorney-general at the BC Government and of Wismer & Fraser 1940
    • Dorothy Wismer 1940
    • Robert G Wismer, a student 1940

    Next door in 1940: Rev A E Cooke at 1232. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    734 West 17th Avenue

    South Cambie, 1940

    • Norman Wismer, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs F Rea at 730 and J E Erickson at 772. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    3078 Yukon Street

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • A R Wismer, an electrician at Boeing's 1940

    Next door in 1940: R F Matheson at 3088. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for five of the ten: an attorney-general, a clerk, an electrician, a supervisor and a winchman. One is a widow, listed under her own name.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Mount Pleasant (2), Hastings-Sunrise, Kitsilano, South Cambie and West End. 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 Helen M Wismer at 2330 Cypress Street, a clerk at the Bank of Montreal, with Mrs Mabel A Wismer. Mrs A I Wismer is listed at 563 East 13th 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 Agnes I Wismer there as the householder, widow of D, with Marion S Wismer, a supervisor at the Victorian Order of Nurses.

J B Wismer is listed at 2953 Eton Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists James B Wismer there as the householder, a winchman for F Waterhouse. Hon G S Wismer is listed at 1260 Harwood Street in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Hon Gordon S Wismer there as the householder, an attorney-general at the BC Government and of Wismer & Fraser, with Dorothy Wismer, and Robert G Wismer, a student.

The 1940 name section lists Norman Wismer at 734 West 17th Avenue, retired. In 1940 the directory lists A R Wismer at 3078 Yukon Street. The 1940 name section lists Arthur R Wismer there as the householder, an electrician at Boeing's.

Today

734 West 17th still has its building from before 1946, dated 1914 by the City's record; 563 East 13th (2019), 1260 Harwood (1959) and 3078 Yukon (2001) have newer buildings, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 2330 Cypress and 2953 Eton, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 14 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 Wismers

Every directory, as one book

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