Vancouver / Names / M / McLean / Nelson Street

A family name on Nelson Street, West End and Downtown

The McLeans

In the city directories 1940 · five people at four addresses

The directories print five people named McLean at four addresses in 1940, all on Nelson Street, with the close spellings MacLean, Maclean and McClean. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family. The directories print the name on 151 other streets too, all listed on the McLean 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 McLeans 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

    1138 Nelson Street

    West End, 1940

    • Courtney F MacLean, of Fleishman & MacLean 1940

    Next door in 1940: Miss G Morton at 1132 and T W Pluto at 1144. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    1147 Nelson Street

    West End, 1940

    • W McK McLean, a director at McLean, Rowles & Co 1940
    • W Elloit McLean, a clerk at the BC Government 1940

    Next door in 1940: S Vassey at 1121 and J Middleton at 1155. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    1157 Nelson Street

    West End, 1940

    • Rachel A McLean, a secretary at the Daughters of the Empire 1940

    Next door in 1940: J Middleton at 1155 and H Spelman at 1165. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    1460 Nelson Street

    West End, 1940

    • M A McLean, a salesman at Spencer's 1940

    Next door in 1940: L W Elgear at 1448. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for four of the five: a clerk, a director, a salesman and a secretary.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in West End (4). 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

The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Courtney F MacLean at 1138 Nelson Street, of Fleishman & MacLean. W McK McLean is listed at 1147 Nelson Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists William McK McLean there as the householder, a director at McLean, Rowles & Co, with W Elloit McLean, a clerk at the BC Government. The 1940 name section lists Rachel A McLean at 1157 Nelson Street, a secretary at the Daughters of the Empire.

In 1940 the directory lists M A McLean at 1460 Nelson Street. The 1940 name section lists Malcolm A McLean there as the householder, a salesman at Spencer's.

Today

1460 Nelson still has its building from before 1946, dated 1910 by the City's record and on the Vancouver Heritage Register; 1147 Nelson (1986) and 1157 Nelson (1975) have newer buildings, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 1138 Nelson, so that building is probably gone (inferred).

Nelson Street, a wide street of houses behind hedges
About 1915 Nelson Street, a wide street of houses behind hedges. Not at the house at 1147 Nelson: no archive photo of the 1100 block is known that we can show. City of Vancouver Archives, Str P181.2. Public domain.

Every line as printed

All 7 lines printed under the name through 1945, each with its page at the Vancouver Public Library.
1940

British Columbia and Yukon Directory, name section, where each person's work is printed

The book of the McLeans

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the McLean 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 M. Want a name removed? Tell us.