Vancouver / Names / F / Fraser / Commercial Street

A family name on Commercial Street, Kensington-Cedar Cottage and Victoria-Fraserview

The Frasers

In the city directories 1940 · three people at two addresses

The directories print three people named Fraser at two addresses in 1940, all on Commercial Street. No first name or initials tie one address to the other: we can't tell if they're one family. The directories print the name on 138 other streets too, all listed on the Fraser name's own page.

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 Frasers 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

    4430 Commercial Street

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • H G Fraser, a fireman 1940

    Next door in 1940: R West at 4420 and C S Smith at 4438. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    5559 Commercial Street

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • G Fraser, a driver 1940
    • Edwin G Fraser, a swamper 1940

    Next door in 1940: A E Milner at 5553 and A Wentz at 5569. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for all three: a driver, a fireman and a swamper.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Kensington-Cedar Cottage (2). 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 H G Fraser at 4430 Commercial Street. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Henry G Fraser there as the householder, a fireman. In 1940 the directory lists G Fraser at 5559 Commercial Street; 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 lists George Fraser there as the householder, a driver, with Edwin G Fraser, a swamper.

Today

4430 Commercial (1976) and 5559 Commercial (1976) have newer buildings, by the City's record.

The 3500 block of Commercial Street, looking north from 20th Avenue past the Bank of Hamilton
About 1913 The 3500 block of Commercial Street, looking north from 20th Avenue past the Bank of Hamilton. Not at the house at 5559 Commercial: no archive photo of the 5500 block is known that we can show. City of Vancouver Archives, LGN 504. Public domain.

Every line as printed

All 5 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 Frasers

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Fraser 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 F. Want a name removed? Tell us.