Vancouver / Names / R / Ross / Nelson Street

A family name on Nelson Street, West End and Downtown

The Rosses

In the city directories 1940 · nine people at seven addresses

The directories print nine people named Ross at seven addresses in 1940, all on Nelson Street. 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 Ross 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 Rosses 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

    • Mrs Rossland Ross 1940

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

  2. 2

    1230 Nelson Street

    West End, 1940

    • Mrs Mildred Ross 1940

    Next door in 1940: A J Engvick at 1222 and R T Ross at 1236. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    1236 Nelson Street

    West End, 1940

    • R T Ross, who kept rooms to let 1940
    • William Ross, a messenger at Cunningham Drug 1940

    Next door in 1940: A C Goodrich at 1230 and F M Mills at 1242. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    1284 Nelson Street

    West End, 1940

    • R W Ross, a manager at The Altamont 1940

    Next door in 1940: Miss E M Whitehead at 1270. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    1415 Nelson Street

    West End, 1940

    • Mrs Mary Ross 1940

    Next door in 1940: 8 listings at 1419. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    1460 Nelson Street

    West End, 1940

    • Mrs U Ross, widow of G 1940
    • Janet H Ross, a clerk at Birks 1940

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

  7. 7

    1835 Nelson Street

    West End, 1940

    • James A Ross, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: sandringham (the) at 1853. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for three of the nine: a clerk, a manager and a messenger. One is a widow, listed under her own name.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in West End (7). 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 Mrs Rossland Ross at 1138 Nelson Street. The 1940 name section lists Mrs Mildred Ross at 1230 Nelson Street. In 1940 the directory lists R T Ross, rooms to let, at 1236 Nelson Street; 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 Ross there as the householder, who kept rooms to let, with Robert Ross, a messenger at Cunningham Drug, and William Ross, a messenger at Cunningham Drug.

In 1940 the directory lists R W Ross at 1284 Nelson Street. The 1940 name section lists Ralph W Ross there as the householder, a manager at The Altamont. The 1940 name section lists Mrs Mary Ross at 1415 Nelson Street.

Mrs U Ross is listed at 1460 Nelson Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Ursula Ross there as the householder, widow of G, with Janet H Ross, a clerk at Birks. The 1940 name section lists James A Ross at 1835 Nelson Street, retired.

Today

1460 Nelson and 1835 Nelson still have their buildings from before 1946, 1460 Nelson on the Vancouver Heritage Register; 1230 Nelson (1969) has a newer building, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 1138 Nelson, 1236 Nelson, 1284 Nelson and 1415 Nelson, so those buildings are 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 1236 Nelson: no archive photo of the 1200 block is known that we can show. City of Vancouver Archives, Str P181.2. Public domain.

Every line as printed

All 13 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 Rosses

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Ross 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.