Vancouver / Names / T / Thomson / West 8th Avenue

A family name on West 8th Avenue, Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant, Fairview and West Point Grey

The Thomsons

In the city directories 1940 · nine people at five addresses

The directories print nine people named Thomson at five addresses in 1940, all on West 8th Avenue, with the close spellings Thomason and Thomasson. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family. The most under one roof: three Thomsons at 2156 West 8th 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. Today's land, parks, main roads and local areas: City of Vancouver Open Data (Open Government Licence – Vancouver).
  1. 1

    1075 West 8th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • J Thomson, a salesman at Associated Dairies 1940

    Next door in 1940: S Adachi at 1065 and R Manson at 1081. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    1082 West 8th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • John L Thomson, an engineer 1940

    Next door in 1940: R W Cloke at 1074 and Mrs S M Cowan at 1094. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    2156 West 8th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • W M Thomson, a carpenter at the BC Electric Railway 1940
    • Evelyn H Thomson, an operator at the BC Telephone 1940
    • William D Thomson, a student 1940

    Next door in 1940: H Kelly at 2148 and J N D McCallan at 2166. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    2555 West 8th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • D Thomson, a warehouseman at the Northern Electric 1940
    • Violet M Thomson, who worked for Richmond Municipality 1940

    Next door in 1940: H P Coverdale at 2535 and L G Warwick at 2565. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    4256 West 8th Avenue

    West Point Grey, 1940

    • J B Thomson, of J B Thomson & Son 1940
    • Don M Thomson, an apprentice at the Vivian Engineering Works 1940

    Next door in 1940: S Vickers at 4236 and G J Stewart at 4266. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for six of the nine: an apprentice, a carpenter, an engineer, an operator, a salesman and a warehouseman.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Fairview (2), Kitsilano (2) and West Point Grey. 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 J Thomson at 1075 West 8th Avenue. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Joseph Thomson there as the householder, a salesman at Associated Dairies. The 1940 name section lists John L Thomson at 1082 West 8th Avenue, an engineer.

W M Thomson is listed at 2156 West 8th Avenue in 1940; 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 William M Thomson there as the householder, a carpenter at the BC Electric Railway, with Evelyn H Thomson, an operator at the BC Telephone, and William D Thomson, a student. D Thomson is listed at 2555 West 8th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists David Thomson there as the householder, a warehouseman at the Northern Electric, with Violet M Thomson, who worked for Richmond Municipality.

J B Thomson is listed at 4256 West 8th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists James B Thomson there as the householder, of J B Thomson & Son, with Don M Thomson, an apprentice at the Vivian Engineering Works.

Today

2555 West 8th still has its building from before 1946, dated 1933 by the City's record; 1082 West 8th (1985) has a newer building, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 1075 West 8th, 2156 West 8th and 4256 West 8th, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

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, 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.