Vancouver / Names / W / Witty

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Wittys

In the city directories 1940 · eight people at seven addresses

The directories print eight people named Witty at seven addresses in 1940 in six 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 Wittys 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

    2574 Cambridge Street

    Hastings-Sunrise, 1940

    • Edgar Witty, a carman at the CPR 1940

    Next door in 1940: J A Hynes at 2568 and K A MacKenzie at 2580. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    509 East 11th Avenue

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • Norman E Witty, an assistant bookkeeper at Columbia Paper 1940

    Next door in 1940: P L Inglis at 501 and H J Strom at 517. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    758 East 37th Avenue

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • W S Witty, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: H G Johnson at 750 and A Perree at 772. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    2703 Kitchener Street

    Hastings-Sunrise, 1940

    • Harold T Witty, a clerk at the Bank of Montreal 1940

    Next door in 1940: J A Boyd at 2715. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    1638 Nelson Street

    West End, 1940

    • Ray Witty, a carman at the CPR 1940

    Next door in 1940: W T Frith at 1632 and Mrs G H Curtin at 1642. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    4519 Slocan Street

    Renfrew-Collingwood, 1940

    • G P Witty, a carpenter 1940

    Next door in 1940: Miss A M Bell at 4543. The block, door by door

  7. 7

    3220 West Broadway

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • I H Witty, a mechanic at Triangle Truck Wrecking 1940
    • Mazie A Witty 1940

    Next door in 1940: D A Singleton at 3230. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for six of the eight: a carman (2), an assistant bookkeeper, a carpenter, a clerk and a mechanic. Two of them worked for CPR.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Hastings-Sunrise (2), Kensington-Cedar Cottage, Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant, Renfrew-Collingwood 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 Edgar Witty at 2574 Cambridge Street, a carman at the CPR. The 1940 name section lists Norman E Witty at 509 East 11th Avenue, an assistant bookkeeper at Columbia Paper. In 1940 the directory lists W S Witty at 758 East 37th Avenue. The 1940 name section lists William S Witty there as the householder, retired.

The 1940 name section lists Harold T Witty at 2703 Kitchener Street, a clerk at the Bank of Montreal. The 1940 name section lists Ray Witty at 1638 Nelson Street, a carman at the CPR. In 1940 the directory lists G P Witty at 4519 Slocan Street; 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 George P Witty there as the householder, a carpenter.

In 1940 the directory lists I H Witty at 3220 West Broadway. The 1940 name section lists Irwin H Witty there as the householder, a mechanic at Triangle Truck Wrecking, with Mazie A Witty.

Today

509 East 11th and 4519 Slocan still have their buildings from before 1946; 2574 Cambridge (1990) and 758 East 37th (2020) have newer buildings, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 2703 Kitchener, 1638 Nelson and 3220 West Broadway, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 11 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 Wittys

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Witty 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.