urbanrepurpose

“Snap Shots” into the Life of the Goldsmith-Jones Family

When Tom from Urban Repurpose made this post to the store’s Facebook page, it immediately piqued my interest as I know this house! It’s a gorgeous Arts and Craft house that features prominently on the East Keith streetscape. I rushed in to see the photo and learned that it was part of a “Snap Shots” photo book that had been donated to his non-profit store. I quickly realized it documented the personal life of the family who lived in that home. Tom very kindly agreed to donate this important historical document to the North Vancouver Archives where it could remain in the public domain. After some detective work, I determined that it had once belonged to Gwen, the daughter of the original owner of 368 East Keith, William Goldsmith-Jones. The story that this book tells is amazing as it documents the life of the Goldsmith-Jones family from the time William arrived in Canada in 1908, to when his own children were adults, all in one book! Who needs an i-Cloud?! The “Snap Shots” book features photos of their various homes (all still standing!), their family members, treasured pets, close friends, their favourite vacation spots, their leisure activities and their places of employment. Alone, these photos tell a story of a pioneering North Vancouver family who were an integral part of society in the early 20th century. But then I tracked down two grandchildren of William Goldsmith-Jones, Geoffrey and Leslie, who really brought Gwen’s “Snap Shots” book to life!