Every old house has a story. In fact, every old house you pass in this city has hundreds of stories. Many of these are of course lost and forgotten, but some can be resurrected using archival resources that are increasingly being digitized and made available online. An example of what can be found are these newspaper articles that concern one of my favourite old West End houses. The house in question is a beautiful old Victorian at 1150 Haro Street.
This post started as a minor research project. 1150 Haro Street is a character Victorian on my West End History Walk. In the week leading up to my Walk, I decided to find out what type of newspaper articles there were concerning the building and the people who have lived there. I assumed that there would be a good number of articles given the age and location of the house, but I didn't expect the sheer number of fascinating articles relating to the first identifiable residents of 1150 Haro, residents who only lived in the house for little more than a year.
My original intention was to write a single post that would include all the articles I found concerning the house. However, the sheer volume of material relating to the house's first residents that I found made this totally impractical. So this post, Part 1 of "1150 Haro Street: A Revisitation - Following James Preston Tompkins Down the Research Rabbit Hole", is dedicated to the very first identifiable residents only.
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| Detail CVA Map 384 |
The house now numbered 1150 Haro Street was built on Lot 6, of Block 20 of District Lot 185. You can see the two-storey house with two one-storey sheds or outbuildings on a full lot on the late 1890s City of Vancouver Archives Map 384 which was updated with pasted paper sections up to 1901.
The earliest verifiable appearance of the house in the city directories is from 1891 when it was originally listed as 1120 Haro, the home of T. P. Tomkins (sic) in the street section of the Hendersons BC Gazetteer & Directory.
The names section of the same directory spells his name as J. P. Tomkins (sic).
Given the time required to build and occupy a house, it is quite possible that 1150 Haro is a year or so older. Want ads connected to the address go back as far back as Feb 11, 1891, mentioning Mrs. J. P. Tompkins.
The Tompkins were a very interesting couple. According to his wedding certificate and death certificate, James Preston Tompkins was born in the US State of Kentucky. Subsequent newspaper articles from Vancouver always mention that he is from Columbus, Ohio but this may have been his home prior to his arrival in Canada.
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| Daily News Advertiser, Wednesday April 4, 1888 |
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| Princess Louise, circa 1880 |
Tompkins arrives in Vancouver on the sidewheeler Princess Louise in early April of 1888, and takes up residence at the Dougall House Hotel on Cordova on the corner of Abbott Streets.  |
| Bu P24 - Dougall House - S.E. corner Cordova and Abbott Streets |
At some point he departs for the Orient as an article printed on page 1 of the Monday, November 5, 1888 Vancouver Daily World announces him arriving in Vancouver on the CPR S.S. Abyssinia on the morning of Sunday, November 4. The S.S. Abyssinia departed Hong Kong on October 6 and made the crossing via Yokohama in just under a month.
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| S.S. Abyssinia in Vancouver in 1887 |
A few days later, the Vancouver Weekly World published a similar report on page 6 of their November 8 issue.
Side note: On December 1891, the Abyssinia was destroyed mid-Atlantic without loss of life by a fire that started in her cargo of cotton, highlighting the danger in carrying both cotton and passengers on the same ship.
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| Hotel Vancouver in 1887 City of Vancouver Archives AM1576-S6-12-F47-: 2011-010.1707 |
Upon his return to Vancouver, Tompkins moves to the original Hotel Vancouver at Georgia and Granville Streets.
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| Daily News Advertiser, Wednesday, Dec 5, 1988 p. 8 |
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| Vancouver Daily World, Wednesday, December 5, 1888, p. 4 |
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| Daily News Advertiser, Tuesday, December 8, 1888, p. 1 |
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| Daily News Advertiser, Saturday, December 22, p. 8 |
It is obvious from the scope of his travels and the frequency with which his comings and goings are mentioned in the news that Tompkins was a man of some financial substance.
On 12th January 1889, 50-year-old widower James Preston Tompkins married 22-year-old Florence Helena Marshall. According to the marriage certificate, James was a widower and a Baptist. His young London, England-born bride was Roman Catholic. Her parents were Thomas Marshall and Helen Foley. The couple were married by a Catholic priest, Father Patrick Fay in the vestry of the Church of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.
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| James Preston Tompkins and Florence Helena Marshall's Wedding Certificate |
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| Vancouver Daily World. January 17, 1889, p. 7 |
An article on page 4 of the Monday, Jan 21, 1889, Vancouver Daily World announces that J.P. Tompkins and wife were checked-in at the Hotel Vancouver.
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| Vancouver Daily World Monday, January 21, 1889, p. 4 |
On January 22, the couple depart Vancouver on the SS Parthia on their honeymoon to China and Japan, planning to return via the Red Sea.  |
| Daily News Advertiser Tuesday, January 22, 1889, p. 8 |
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| S. S. Parthia |
Prior to departing on his honeymoon, James P. Tompkins set things in motion for a two-storey store building with an apartment above to be built on Pender Street east of Howe.
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| Vancouver Daily World, February 20, 1889, p. 4 |
Starting in March of 1889, the Vancouver Daily World began publishing a series of letters posted by J. P. Tompkins from the various Asian countries visited during he and his wife's honeymoon. These letters are fascinating, not only for the kaleidoscope of images they provide of 1880's Japan, China, Southeast Asia and Australia, but also for the unabashedly colonial tint of the lens through which the author perceived what he observed and how he commented on it.
The first installment in the Vancouver Daily World appeared on page 1 of the March 11 edition. The articles were often reprinted a few days later in the Vancouver Weekly World.
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| Vancouver Daily World, March 11, p. 1 |
The second installment appeared on page 3 of the March 13th edition.
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| Vancouver Daily World, March 13, 1889, p. 3 |
Interspersed with these overseas reports were articles covering the progress of the construction of J. P. Tompkins' commercial block on Pender Street.
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| Vancouver Weekly World, April 4, 1889, p. 1 |
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| Vancouver Weekly World April 11, p. 4 |
Reports from the honeymoon tour continue. The Tompkins arrived just in time to experience an earthquake.
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| Vancouver Daily World, May 30, 1889, p. 1 |
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| Postcard showing Tamon-dōri Street in Kōbe |
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| Vancouver Daily World May 30, 1889, p. 3 |
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The Japanese Steamship Saikyo Maru 西京丸 (name misspelled in article above) on which the Tompkins sailed from Kobe via Nagasaki to Shanghai.
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From Shanghai the honeymoon couple continue their journey south to Hong Kong.
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| Vancouver Daily World. June 10, 1889, p.1 |
The French mail steamer Anadyr upon which the Tompkins sailed from Shanghai to Hong Kong, was active from the early 1870s frequently servicing the Marseilles--China--Japan line and the Indian Oceans routes, often stopping at ports such as Aden, Singapore, and Colombo. In October of 1882, the Anadyr transported the Japanese Crown Prince and future Prime minister Terauchi Masatake to France. In 1884, she carried French troops and officials to Indochina. On July 11, 1889, the ship tragically sunk after colluding with another Messageries Maritimes vessel. the Oxus, just outside the port of Aden while enroute from Marseille to a port in China.
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| The French Steamship Anadyr |
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| Postcard of Hong Kong Harbour |
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| Vancouver Weekly World, June 20, 1889, page 5 |
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| Old Macao Postcard |
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| Vancouver Weekly World, June 20, 1889, page 5 |
Tompkins' letters reappear in August. From Macao, the Tompkins have sailed south to visit Australia.
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| Vancouver Daily World, August 10, 1889, p. 1 |
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| Vancouver Daily World, Wednesday, August 14, 1889, p. 6 |
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| Vancouver Weekly World Friday, August 29, 1889, p.6 |
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| Old postcard of Prince's Bridge in Melbourne |
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| Vancouver Daily World Saturday, September 7, 1889, p. 4 |
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| Australian Merino Sheep postcard |
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| Vancouver Weekly World Thursday, September 12, p. 6 |
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| Vancouver Daily World Monday, October 7, 1889, p.3 |
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| Antique Postcard, Ballarat, Australia |
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| Vancouver Daily World Wednesday, October 9, 1889, p. 3 |
After almost three months exploring Australia, the Tompkins family continue their journey by ship to the Straits Settlements and the Malay Archipelago.
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Map of the Straits Settlements of British Malaya
from the Constable's Hand Atlas of India (1893) |
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| Vancouver Daily World, Wednesday, November 27, 1889, p. 1 |
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| Postcard Batavian Dancers |
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| Vancouver Daily World, Thursday, November 28, 1889, p. 1 |
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| Borobudur Temple, Java |
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| Vancouver Daily World, Friday, November 29, 1889, p. 3 |
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| Old Singapore postcard |
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Vancouver Daily World Tuesday, December 03, 1889 p. 4 |
Inserted in the midst of his Malay travelogue is this interesting letter concerning Tompkins' thoughts on Australia.
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Vancouver Daily World Friday, December 6, 1889, p. 3 |
Returning to the Malay travelogue...
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| Vancouver Daily World, Thursday December 12, 1889, p. 3 |
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| Vancouver Daily World, Monday, December 16, 1889, p. 1 |
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| Vancouver Weekly World Thursday, December 19, 1889, p. 2 |
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| Vancouver Daily World Friday, December 20, 1889, p.1 |
By the time this final travel installment for 1899 was being read in Vancouver, the Tompkins family had returned to Japan and were residing in Kobe.
On December 31, 1899, the Vancouver Daily World published a full page article covering the various new buildings that had gone up in Vancouver during the year. J. P. Tompkins' two-storey brick commercial building on Pender Street, east of Howe is mentioned. This building was designed by architect C. O. Wickendon and cost $4500. Charles Osborn Wickenden (1851–1934) was a prominent early Vancouver architect credited with introducing the Romanesque Revival style to the West Coast. Active in the late 19th century, he designed notable buildings including the Innes-Thompson Block (1889), Christ Church Cathedral, and the Hudson House (1894).
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| Vancouver Daily World Tuesday, December 31, 1889, p. 5 |
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| Vancouver Daily World Tuesday, December 31, 1889, p. 5 |
1890
The first article relating to the Tompkins family to appear in the newspapers in 1890 announced that on Christmas Day, in Kobe, Japan, "a very interesting event in their family life occured."
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| Vancouver Daily World Saturday, January 11, 1890, p. 4 |
J.P. Tompkins' travelogues resume with this account written from Kobe, Japan. Tompkins touches on the severe typhoon weather that plagued their journey from Singapore to Japan via Hong Kong then segues into an account of the life of the recently deceased Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
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| Vancouver Daily World Wednesday, January 15, 1890 p. 2 |
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| S.S. Parthia |
The James and Florence Tompkins and their son, Preston, arrived back in Vancouver aboard the S.S. Parthia, the same steamer in which they set off on their honeymoon, at 7:30am on Thursday, April 3 and checked into the Hotel Vancouver.
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| Vancouver Daily World, Thursday, April 3, 1890, p. 1 |
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| Vancouver Weekly World, Thursday, April 3, 1890, p. 1 |
Even after the Tompkins returned to Vancouver, their letters from Asia continued to arrive and be published in the World.
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| Vancouver Weekly World, Thursday, April 3, 1890, p. 5 |
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| Vancouver Weekly World Thursday, April 10, 1890, p. 3 |
Further to Tompkins' mention of Confederate President Jefferson Davis is the article from page 2 of the Friday, April 11 Vancouver Daily World mentioning his widow.
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| Vancouver Daily World, Friday, April 11, 1890, p. 2 |
Transpacific honeymoon and travelogue completed, the newspaper articles concerning J. P. Tompkins that followed detailed his business dealings as well as business and family trips in the province. In 1890, any time that J. P. Tompkins and people liked him boarded a ship for Victoria got a mention in the newspapers.
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| Vancouver Daily World Monday, June 09, 1890 Page 4 |
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| Vancouver Daily World Tuesday, June 10, 1890 ·Page 4 |
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| Vancouver Weekly World, Thursday, Jun 19, 1890, p. 3 |
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| Daily News Advertiser, Saturday, June 21, 1890, p. 8 |
Finally, on Thursday, September 4, 1890, this epistle extolling the agricultural potential of Chilliwack and the need to connect Chilliwack and Vancouver with a daily steamship service appeared on page 1.
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| Vancouver Weekly World, Thursday, September 4, 1890, p. 1 |
1891
Returning to the Tompkins family’s connection to 1150 Haro Street, the 1891 Henderson’s BC Gazetteer and Directory lists J.P. Tomkins (sic) as residing at 1120 Haro. Research indicates that this was an earlier address for what is now 1150 Haro. In early Vancouver, houses were constructed along street blocks in a largely random order, and as new houses filled the gaps between existing properties, original house numbers were often renumbered.
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| Hendersons 1891 BC Gazetteer and Directory's name section |
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Hendersons 1891 BC Gazetteer and Directory's street section
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Newspaper articles relating to the Tompkins from 1891 are mostly want ads or one sentence reports on their crossings of the Georgia Strait to visit the provincial capital.
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| Vancouver Daily World, Monday, January 12, 1891, p. 1 |
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| Vancouver Daily World, Friday, January 23, 1891, p. 4 |
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| Vancouver Daily World, Saturday, January 24, 1891, p. 1 |
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| Vancouver Weekly World, Thursday, January 29, 1891, p. 3 |
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| Vancouver Daily World, Monday, February 2, 1891, p. 4 |
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| Vancouver Daily World, Tuesday, February, 10, 1891, p. 1 |
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| Vancouver Daily World, Wednesday, February 11, 1891, p. 1 |
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| Vancouver Daily World, Thursday, February 26, 1891, p. 1 |
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| Vancouver Daily World, Monday, March 2, 1891, p. 1 |
Sometime in 1891, the Tompkins family depart Vancouver one last time, and this time it is forever. The family moved to the small town of Llangollen in Denbighshire in northern Wales.
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| Postcard of Llangollen and the Weir on the River Dee |
In 1897, a daughter, Florence "Florrie" Helen Tompkins was born in Kingston upon Thames in Surrey, England. She was baptised in Llangollen, Denbighshire, Wales on July 7, 1897. For a time, the Thompkins family enjoyed an idyllic, priviledged existence there until financial disaster strikes the family.
Below, you can see the Tompkins family listed in the 1901 Wales Census. It lists their address and Penycoed, which is a road name but also the name of a wooded area on the southeast outskirts of Llangollen.
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| 1901 Welsh Census |
If you look at the profession listed for James Preston Tompkins he is listed as a self-employed "Hawker". What happened to Tompkins' family's former wealth?
Sometime before or in early April in 1902, James Preston Thompkins passed away at the age of 69 in Corwen, Denbighshire, a small town about 16 kilometres west of Llangollen.
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| Deaths registered in the United Kingdom in April, May and June in 1902 |
This last news article relating to James Preston Tompkins reprinted by Vancouver's Daily News Advertiser from an article from the June 13th London Morning Leader reveals the sad story.
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| Daily News Advertiser, Sunday, June 29, 1902, p. 9 |
It is sad to think that someone whose adventures were so followed here in Vancouver by the Vancouver Daily World and Vancouver Weekly World newspapers should be so poorly remembered in Vancouver a decade after he left this city. There is no corresponding article in the Vancouver Daily World, only this reprint in the Daily News Advertiser.
I am sure glad that I went down this research rabbit hole and found out about James Preston Tompkins and what happened to him. Hopefully this post will reach his descendants and let them know that James Preston Tompkins: entrepreneur, adventurer, storekeeper, world traveller and racconteur is remembered here in Vancouver. The house he, his wife Florence, and son Preston lived in still stands on Haro Street in Vancouver's West End.
Stay tuned for 1150 Haro Street: A Revisitation (Part 2)
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