Vancouver / Names / N / Nelson / East 23rd Avenue

A family name on East 23rd Avenue, Kensington-Cedar Cottage, Riley Park and Renfrew-Collingwood

The Nelsons

In the city directories 1940 · four people at three addresses

The directories print four people named Nelson at three addresses in 1940, all on East 23rd Avenue, with the close spellings Neilson and Nielson. 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 134 other streets too, all listed on the Nelson 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 Nelsons 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

    230 East 23rd Avenue

    Riley Park, 1940

    • Mrs B Neilson, widow of A S 1940
    • Roberta M Neilson, a waitress 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs A A Raymond at 228 and G C Adkins at 238. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    250 East 23rd Avenue

    Riley Park, 1940

    • R T Nelson, a driver at McGavin 1940

    Next door in 1940: W C Read at 242 and C J Campbell at 254. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    874 East 23rd Avenue

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • S C E Nelson, a moulder at the Reliance Foundry 1940

    Next door in 1940: W Bridger at 858 and P H Valkenburg at 882. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for three of the four: a driver, a moulder and a waitress. One is a widow, listed under her own name.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Riley Park (2) and Kensington-Cedar Cottage. 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 Mrs B Neilson at 230 East 23rd Avenue. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Barbara Neilson there as the householder, widow of A S, with Roberta M Neilson, a waitress. In 1940 the directory lists R T Nelson at 250 East 23rd Avenue; 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 Robert T Nelson there as the householder, a driver at McGavin.

In 1940 the directory lists S C E Nelson at 874 East 23rd Avenue; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Stan C E Nelson there as the householder, a moulder at the Reliance Foundry.

Today

230 East 23rd and 250 East 23rd still have their buildings from before 1946, 250 East 23rd on the Vancouver Heritage Register; the City no longer lists 874 East 23rd, so that building is probably gone (inferred).

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, street section

The book of the Nelsons

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Nelson 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.

We're opening orders soon. Join the list to be first in line; we expect about $29 a family.

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 N. Want a name removed? Tell us.