Vancouver / Names / R / Railton

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Railtons

In the city directories 1940 · seven people at five addresses

The directories print seven people named Railton at five addresses in 1940 in four of the city's neighbourhoods. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family.

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 Railtons lived

Each pin is on its own block, numbered as the households below. One address isn't on today's map, so it has no pin. Today's land, parks, main roads and local areas: City of Vancouver Open Data (Open Government Licence – Vancouver).
  1. 1

    1436 Clark Drive

    Grandview-Woodland, 1940

    • R Railton, who worked for Restmore 1940
    • Irene M A Railton, an operator at Everest Ltd 1940

    Next door in 1940: G R Gilmour at 1432 and A E Varah at 1442. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    136 Water Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • Charles S Railton, a traveller at Benson & Hedges 1940

    Next door in 1940: Water St Garage at 134 and leiser rooms at 138. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    3578 West 15th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • H F Railton, proprietor of Railton & Grant 1940

    Next door in 1940: G E Kent at 3558. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    2545 West 1st Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • J M Railton, a head mistress at the Taunton House School 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs M G Alexander at 2535 and M W Hanna at 2575. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    1673 West 7th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • Charles E Railton, retired 1940
    • James S Railton, a salesman for G B Sparling 1940

    Next door in 1940: Miss A J Macey at 1665 and Mrs A Manta at 1677. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for six of the seven: an employee, a head mistress, an operator, a proprietor, a salesman and a traveller.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Kitsilano (2), Downtown, Fairview and Grandview-Woodland. 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 R Railton at 1436 Clark Drive; 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 Robert Railton there as the householder, who worked for Restmore, with Irene M A Railton, an operator at Everest Ltd. The 1940 name section lists Charles S Railton at 136 Water Street, a traveller at Benson & Hedges.

H F Railton is listed at 3578 West 15th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Henry F Railton there as the householder, proprietor of Railton & Grant. J M Railton is listed at 2545 West 1st Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Joan M Railton there as the householder, a head mistress at the Taunton House School.

The 1940 name section lists Charles E Railton at 1673 West 7th Avenue, retired, with James S Railton, a salesman for G B Sparling.

Today

3578 West 15th (1963) and 2545 West 1st (2009) have newer buildings, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 1436 Clark Drive, 136 Water and 1673 West 7th, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Children on the grounds of the open-air school at 20th Avenue and Clark Drive
About 1926 Children on the grounds of the open-air school at 20th Avenue and Clark Drive. Not at the house at 1436 Clark Drive: no archive photo of the 1400 block is known that we can show. City of Vancouver Archives, CVA 96-1. Public domain.

Every line as printed

All 10 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 Railtons

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Railton 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 R. Want a name removed? Tell us.