Vancouver / Names / W / Witherspoon

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Witherspoons

In the city directories 1940 · eleven people at nine addresses

The directories print eleven people named Witherspoon at nine addresses in 1940 in seven of the city's neighbourhoods, with the close spelling Wotherspoon. 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 Witherspoons at 3606 Carolina in 1940.

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Where the Witherspoons 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

    419 Abbott Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • J O Witherspoon, a jeweller 1940

    Next door in 1940: Star Tobac Shop at 421. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    3606 Carolina Street

    Riley Park, 1940

    • W Wotherspoon, a shipper at Spencer's 1940
    • James Wotherspoon, a salesman at Spencer's 1940
    • John C Wotherspoon, a salesman at Oakland Market 1940

    Next door in 1940: W Hopping at 3604 and H N Outtrim at 3620. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    2010 East 3rd Avenue

    Grandview-Woodland, 1940

    • Evelyn Witherspoon 1940

    Next door in 1940: T W Wiley at 2006 and E Brett at 2016. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    736 Granville Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • W A V Wotherspoon, an insurance broker 1940

    Next door in 1940: Nippon Silk Co at 732 and Mayfair Style Shop at 738. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    5884 Highbury Street

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • J O Witherspoon, a jeweller 1940

    Next door in 1940: G J Hennessey at 5870. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    252 Powell Street

    Strathcona, 1940

    • R Witherspoon 1940

    Next door in 1940: Bunka Shokai at 250 and Mrs F Usami at 254. The block, door by door

  7. 7

    2778 West 32nd Avenue

    Arbutus Ridge, 1940

    • David M Wotherspoon, a forger at BC Marine 1940

    Next door in 1940: J Cummins at 2736 and C M Dickens at 2786. The block, door by door

  8. 8

    4586 West 7th Avenue

    West Point Grey, 1940

    • T B Witherspoon, a clerk at the Customs 1940

    Next door in 1940: F P Luker at 4576 and G Darling at 4594. The block, door by door

  9. 9

    3756 West Broadway

    West Point Grey, 1940

    • F N Witherspoon, a foreman at Canadian Fishing 1940

    Next door in 1940: J M Armstrong at 3744 and S C Woods at 3768. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for seven of the eleven: a salesman (2), a clerk, a foreman, a forger, a jeweller and a shipper. Two of them worked for Spencer's.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Downtown (2), West Point Grey (2), Arbutus Ridge, Dunbar-Southlands, Grandview-Woodland, Riley Park and Strathcona. 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 J O Witherspoon, a jeweller, at 419 Abbott Street. W Wotherspoon is listed at 3606 Carolina 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, where each person's work is printed, lists William Wotherspoon there as the householder, a shipper at Spencer's, with James Wotherspoon, retired, James Wotherspoon Jr, a salesman at Spencer's, and John C Wotherspoon, a salesman at Oakland Market. The 1940 name section lists Evelyn Witherspoon at 2010 East 3rd Avenue.

In 1940 the directory lists W A V Wotherspoon, an insurance broker, at 736 Granville Street. J O Witherspoon is listed at 5884 Highbury Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists James O Witherspoon there as the householder, a jeweller. The 1940 name section lists R Witherspoon at 252 Powell Street.

The 1940 name section lists David M Wotherspoon at 2778 West 32nd Avenue, a forger at BC Marine. T B Witherspoon is listed at 4586 West 7th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Terence B Witherspoon there as the householder, a clerk at the Customs.

F N Witherspoon is listed at 3756 West Broadway in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Frederick N Witherspoon there as the householder, a foreman at Canadian Fishing.

Today

3606 Carolina, 2010 East 3rd, 736 Granville and 4586 West 7th still have their buildings from before 1946; 3756 West Broadway (1978) has a newer building, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 419 Abbott, 5884 Highbury, 252 Powell and 2778 West 32nd, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 16 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 Witherspoons

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Witherspoon 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.