A family name on West Hastings Street, Downtown
The Thomsons
In the city directories 1940 · five people at four addresses
The directories print five people named Thomson at four addresses in 1940, all on West Hastings Street, 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 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
- 1
5 West Hastings Street
Downtown, 1940
- James Thomson 1940
Next door in 1940: Bank of Montreal at 1 and P Rosso at 7. The block, door by door
- 2
106 West Hastings Street
Downtown, 1940
- T Thomson, a salesman 1940
Next door in 1940: Brown Bros & Co at 104 and Dale's Roast Chickens at 108. The block, door by door
- 3
510 West Hastings Street
Downtown, 1940
- D T Thomson, an accountant 1940
Next door in 1940: Can Bk of Commerce at 508 and Ziegler's Coffee Shop at 512. The block, door by door
- 4
603 West Hastings Street
Downtown, 1940
- Mrs K Thomson, a dramatic art academy 1940
- Robert S Thomson, a mechanic at Begg Motor 1940
Next door in 1940: Post Fund Last at 601 and Pitman's Optical House at 605. The block, door by door
What they did
The name section prints a trade for three of the five: a dramatic art academy, a mechanic and a salesman.
Their neighbourhoods
The addresses are in Downtown (4). 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 James Thomson at 5 West Hastings Street. The 1940 name section lists T Thomson at 106 West Hastings Street, a salesman. In 1940 the directory lists D T Thomson, an accountant, at 510 West Hastings Street.
Mrs K Thomson, in dramatics, is listed at 603 West Hastings Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Mrs Kaye Thomson there, a dramatic art academy, with Robert S Thomson, a mechanic at Begg Motor.
Today
5 West Hastings, 106 West Hastings and 510 West Hastings still have their buildings from before 1946, 5 West Hastings and 106 West Hastings on the Vancouver Heritage Register; the City no longer lists 603 West Hastings, so that building is probably gone (inferred).
Every line as printed
All 6 lines printed under the name through 1945, each with its page at the Vancouver Public Library.
- Thomson Jas5 West Hastings, p. 611
- Thomson T slsmn106 West Hastings, p. 611
- Thomson D T acct510 West Hastings, p. 78
- Thomson Mrs K dramatics603 West Hastings, p. 79
- Thomson Mrs Kaye dramatic art academy603 West Hastings, p. 611
- Thomson Robt S mech Begg Motor603 West Hastings, p. 611
British Columbia and Yukon Directory, name section, where each person's work is printed
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.
We're opening orders soon. Join the list to be first in line; we expect about $29 a family.
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.