Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Thorp Family on Hoskins Rd. for 100 Years

It seems that the Thorpe family always lived on Hoskins Road. Dorothy (Probert) Thorpe  was born in 1907 at Dovecourt and Hoskins Road.  Dorothy's father, Samuel,  also had the first general store in Lynn Valley at this location.  The 1911 and 1912 City Directories both list Samuel Probert grocery "ns" Dovercourt Rd near LV Road.  Below is the circa 1913 photograph from the District Engineering Album at the North Vancouver Archives.  The building on the left is Samuel Probert's grocery. 

Samuel Probert Grocery circa 1913

In 1910 Dorothy Probert's brothers Reginald and Harry Probert built a new

house on the lot at 3790 Hoskins Road and this is where Dorothy spent her childhood. (See photo below.) In 1926 Dorothy Probert is listed as working in sales.  By this time her mother, Mary Probert, was  Samuel J. Probert's widow.  "In 1929 she (Dorothy)  was married and received the home from her mother where she lived and raised her family."  Her son Harold was born in this house in 1931.  In 1953 he bought the property at 3741 Hoskins Road and built a house on it, therefore maintaining the tradition of the family living on Hoskins Road.

Dorothy Probert is the girl at the bottom of this 1909 photo

The first entry in the City Directories for the Thorpe's at the 3790 Hoskins Road address is in 1931, under H. Thorpe.  In 1955 Harold E. and Dorothy Thorpe are listed as living in  the house. Harold Thorpe worked as a trucker at American Can. In 1960 the owner is listed as Mrs. Dorothy G. Thorpe, widow of W. E. Thorpe. Mrs. Dorothy G. Thorpe continued to be listed as the owner in the 1980, 1991, and 1995 City Directories. 

That means Dorothy Thorpe lived on Hoskins Road for at least 88 years and at the home at 3790 Hoskins Road for at least 85 of those years.  This is the record in this Blog for number of years the same person has lived in a house.  The 3790 Hoskins Road house  is the oldest house recorded in this Blog, 1910-2010, 100 years. The next oldest house is this Blog was at the 322 West 21st Street house at 87 years and with more than one family being owners.

The 1955 City Directory lists Harold and Mary Thorpe at the 3741 Hoskins Rd. address.  Harold was employed as an electrician at Burrard Dry Dock.  Harold lived in that house until his death in 2007. 

The only other residents of 3790 Hoskins Rd. listed in the City Directories are   Arthur and Andrea G. Pifer in 1971. Arthur Pifer was working as a lithography at Agency Press.

Side view of 3790 Hoskins Rd.

Note the white bulb hydrangea tree in the front and

the pink roses in the back of the house.

 Dovercourt Road intersects with Hoskins Road and Lynn Valley Road just north of Peters Road in the Lynn Creek area of Lynn Valley.

Thank You: To Mike Thorpe, grandson of Dorothy Thorpe and son of Harold Thorpe for most of the information in this post.  Quotes are from his e mail.
Demoliton Permit: Applied for in July 2010.
Photos: Colored digital photos taken in August of 2010 by SW.
                                                       North Vancouver Archives
                 Black and White grocery store photo from District Engineering Album.
                 Black and White Probert family photo 1909 with Dorothy in front.