A family name on Seymour Street, Downtown
The Nelsons
In the city directories 1940 · five people at four addresses
The directories print five people named Nelson at four addresses in 1940, all on Seymour Street, 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
- 1
515 Seymour Street
Downtown, 1940
- Carl Nelson, a clerk at the Clarence Hotel Rooms 1940
Next door in 1940: C R Tate at 521. The block, door by door
- 2
889 Seymour Street
Downtown, 1940
- Mrs Wilma Neilson, a helper at the Vancouver Hotel 1940
Next door in 1940: Roper's June B C School of Dancing at 887. The block, door by door
- 3
900 Seymour Street
Downtown, 1940
- Freda Nelson, a maid at the Dufferin Hotel 1940
- Thomas Nelson, a driver at Morrow Coal & Ice 1940
Next door in 1940: Lunch See-More at 902. The block, door by door
- 4
1036 Seymour Street
Downtown, 1940
- Mrs M F Nelson, rooms to let 1940
Next door in 1940: E Nyhus at 1032 and Mrs A Berst at 1042. The block, door by door
What they did
The name section prints a trade for four of the five: a clerk, a driver, a helper and a maid.
Their neighbourhoods
The addresses are in Downtown (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 Carl Nelson at 515 Seymour Street, a clerk at the Clarence Hotel Rooms. The 1940 name section lists Mrs Wilma Neilson at 889 Seymour Street, a helper at the Vancouver Hotel. The 1940 name section lists Freda Nelson at 900 Seymour Street, a maid at the Dufferin Hotel, with Thomas Nelson, a driver at Morrow Coal & Ice. Mrs M F Nelson, rooms to let, is listed at 1036 Seymour Street in 1940.
Today
515 Seymour and 900 Seymour still have their buildings from before 1946; the City no longer lists 889 Seymour and 1036 Seymour, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).
Every line as printed
All 5 lines printed under the name through 1945, each with its page at the Vancouver Public Library.
- Nelson Carl clk Clarence Hotel Rooms515 Seymour, p. 455
- Neilson Mrs Wilma hlpr Van Hotel889 Seymour, p. 455
- Nelson Freda maid Dufferin Hotel900 Seymour, p. 455
- Nelson Thos drvr Morrow Coal & Ice900 Seymour, p. 456
- Nelson Mrs M F rooms1036 Seymour, p. 150
British Columbia and Yukon Directory, name section, where each person's work is printed
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.