Vancouver / Names / T / Thomson / West 18th Avenue

A family name on West 18th Avenue, Dunbar-Southlands, Riley Park, South Cambie, Shaughnessy and Arbutus Ridge

The Thomsons

In the city directories 1940 · five people at two addresses

The directories print five people named Thomson at two addresses in 1940, all on West 18th Avenue, with the close spellings Thomason and Thomasson. No first name or initials tie one address to the other: we can't tell if they're one family. The most under one roof: three Thomsons at 3807 West 18th in 1940. The directories print the name on 119 other streets too, all listed on the Thomson 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 Thomsons 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

    307 West 18th Avenue

    Riley Park, 1940

    • W Thomson, a blacksmith at Opsal Steel 1940
    • Alex Thomson, a machinist 1940

    Next door in 1940: J M Stewart at 317. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    3807 West 18th Avenue

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • Mrs A L Thomson, widow of R 1940
    • Dorothy Thomson, a student at UBC 1940
    • Vivian D Thomson, a student at UBC 1940

    Next door in 1940: R H Matthews at 3803 and A J Gauley at 3813. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for two of the five: a blacksmith and a machinist. Two of them worked for UBC. One is a widow, listed under her own name.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Dunbar-Southlands and Riley Park. 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 Thomson at 307 West 18th Avenue. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Walter Thomson there as the householder, a blacksmith at Opsal Steel, with Alex Thomson, a machinist. In 1940 the directory lists Mrs A L Thomson at 3807 West 18th Avenue. The 1940 name section lists Annie L Thomson there as the householder, widow of R, with Dorothy Thomson, a student at UBC, and Vivian D Thomson, a student at UBC.

Today

307 West 18th and 3807 West 18th still have their buildings from before 1946.

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 Thomsons

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Thomson 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 T. Want a name removed? Tell us.