Vancouver / Names / R / Robson / Oak Street

A family name on Oak Street, Fairview, South Cambie, Shaughnessy, Oakridge and Marpole

The Robsons

In the city directories 1940 · three people at two addresses

The directories print three people named Robson at two addresses in 1940, all on Oak Street, with the close spelling Robison. 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 41 other streets too, all listed on the Robson 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 Robsons 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

    3756 Oak Street

    Shaughnessy, 1940

    • W Robson, a barber and beauty shop 1940
    • Alex W Robson, a barber for W Robson 1940

    Next door in 1940: G Nishimura at 3754. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    3879 Oak Street

    South Cambie, 1940

    • C W Robson, a garage attendant 1940

    Next door in 1940: M A Miller at 3875 and Oak Magazine Shop at 3881. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for two of the three: a barber and a garage attendant.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Shaughnessy and South Cambie. 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 W Robson, a barber and beauty shop, at 3756 Oak Street. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Alex W Robson there, a barber for W Robson. In 1940 the directory lists C W Robson at 3879 Oak Street. The 1940 name section lists C William Robson there as the householder, a garage attendant.

Today

The City no longer lists 3756 Oak and 3879 Oak, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Oak Street at Broadway, looking south past billboards and the Vallejo Court apartments
21 May 1929 Oak Street at Broadway, looking south past billboards and the Vallejo Court apartments. Not at the house at 3756 Oak: no archive photo of the 3700 block is known that we can show. City of Vancouver Archives, CVA 453-1. Public domain.

Every line as printed

All 4 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 Robsons

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Robson 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.