My mother was born in San Francisco in 1907. On my her birth certificate it lists her place of birth as 8 Widley Street. I cannot find a Widley Street on the map. Was there a Widley Street in 1907? If so, where was it and what happened to it?

-- Peter D'Angelo (pvdangelo@hotmail.com), October 05, 2000

Answers

Hallo Peter, you wrote "W i d l e y"-Street but I'm sure that you mean "W i l d e y"- Avenue

Your mothers place of birth could be the forth house on the right side in W i l m o t S t r e e t (looking from East to West). It's obviously a very short street - only 2 blocks between Webster and Steiner Str. - and parallel between Pine and Bush Str.

My source is the "1910 Street Guide" - www.sf50.com/sf/hd910a.htm - where I found:

1. Wildey Avenue (now Wilmot)

2. Explanations:

"According to the method adopted in this city for numbering buildings, - Market Street is the starting point for numbers on all streets running from it in a northerly, southerly or westerly direction, and the water front for all streets running therefrom in a westerly or southwesterly direction. The numbers on all streets not commencing at Market Street or the water front run in conformity with the numbers of the main streets running parallel with them, except in the case of a few streets which are numbered in an irregular manner.

On all streets between the water front and Central Avenue the even numbers are on the right-hand side, and the odd numbers on the left, starting from the point of beginning. Beyond Central Avenue most of the streets have been numbered in a contrary manner....."

(Wilmot Str. is in the area between waterfront an Central Ave.)

Copyright 1998-2000 Ron Filion - All Rights Reserved

-- Heinz-Dieter Krippendorf (krippendorf@t-online.de), October 05, 2000.