Vancouver / Names / B / Bowser

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Bowsers

In the city directories 1940 · nine people at six addresses

The directories print nine people named Bowser at six 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. The most under one roof: three Bowsers at 4421 Welwyn in 1940.

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 Bowsers 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

    822 East Broadway

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • J A Bowser, a carpenter 1940

    Next door in 1940: Miss N E Shepherd at 800 and F J Perceval at 836. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    1675 Laurier Avenue

    Shaughnessy, 1940

    • Gordon Bowser, a clerk at the Royal Bank 1940

    Next door in 1940: R C Buchanan at 1649 and W M Booth at 1699. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    4421 Welwyn Street

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • E B Bowser, a carpenter 1940
    • Edward H Bowser 1940
    • Myrtle V Bowser, a saleswoman at Spencer's 1940

    Next door in 1940: A Massey at 4431. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    1135 West 10th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • Doris J Bowser, a school teacher at Richmond Municipality 1940
    • E P Bowser, a clerk at the Royal Bank 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs L W Johnston at 1125 and H V Rankin at 1137. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    4554 West 9th Avenue

    West Point Grey, 1940

    • F C Bowser, a salesman for Christie Brown 1940

    Next door in 1940: G Grant at 4546 and F E Galloway at 4562. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    5915 Yew Street

    Kerrisdale, 1940

    • Mrs J Bowser, widow of F 1940

    Next door in 1940: C G Radcliff at 5905 and Mrs E E Beaton at 5947. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for seven of the nine: a carpenter (2), a clerk (2), a salesman, a saleswoman and a school teacher. Two of them worked for Royal Bank. One is a widow, listed under her own name.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Fairview, Kensington-Cedar Cottage, Kerrisdale, Mount Pleasant, Shaughnessy and West Point Grey. 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

In 1940 the directory lists J A Bowser at 822 East Broadway; 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, where each person's work is printed, lists John A Bowser there as the householder, a carpenter. The 1940 name section lists Gordon Bowser at 1675 Laurier Avenue, a clerk at the Royal Bank.

E B Bowser is listed at 4421 Welwyn Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Edward B Bowser there as the householder, a carpenter, with Edward H Bowser, and Myrtle V Bowser, a saleswoman at Spencer's. The 1940 name section lists Doris J Bowser at 1135 West 10th Avenue, a school teacher at Richmond Municipality, with E P Bowser, a clerk at the Royal Bank.

In 1940 the directory lists F C Bowser at 4554 West 9th Avenue; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Frank C Bowser there as the householder, a salesman for Christie Brown. In 1940 the directory lists Mrs J Bowser at 5915 Yew Street. The 1940 name section lists Jessie Bowser there as the householder, widow of F.

Today

1675 Laurier and 4421 Welwyn still have their buildings from before 1946, 1675 Laurier on the Vancouver Heritage Register; the City no longer lists 822 East Broadway, 1135 West 10th, 4554 West 9th and 5915 Yew, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 13 lines printed under the name through 1945, each with its page at the Vancouver Public Library.
1940

British Columbia and Yukon Directory, street section

The book of the Bowsers

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Bowser 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 B. Want a name removed? Tell us.