A family name on West Pender Street, Downtown
The Thomsons
In the city directories 1940 · four people at three addresses
The directories print four people named Thomson at three addresses in 1940, all on West Pender 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
416 West Pender Street
Downtown, 1940
- B S Thomson, in insurance and notary public 1940
Next door in 1940: McGregor Johnston & Thomas Ltd at 414 and Timms A H Ltd at 418. The block, door by door
- 2
615 West Pender Street
Downtown, 1940
- E R Thomson, a barrister 1940
Next door in 1940: B C Office Equip Co at 611 and Good Eats Cafe Ltd at 619. The block, door by door
- 3
1025 West Pender Street
Downtown, 1940
- Charlotte Thomson, a maid at the Devonshire Hotel 1940
- W Thomson 1940
Next door in 1940: Mining Reward at 1021 and Town Hall at 1027. The block, door by door
What they did
The name section prints a trade for one of the four: a maid.
Their neighbourhoods
The addresses are in Downtown (3). 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 B S Thomson, in insurance and notary public, at 416 West Pender Street. E R Thomson, a barrister, is listed at 615 West Pender Street in 1940. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Charlotte Thomson at 1025 West Pender Street, a maid at the Devonshire Hotel, with W Thomson.
Today
The City no longer lists 615 West Pender and 1025 West Pender, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred); for 416 West Pender, its page says what we could and couldn't match to today's buildings.
Every line as printed
All 4 lines printed under the name through 1945, each with its page at the Vancouver Public Library.
- Thomson B S ins and notary public416 West Pender, p. 129
- Thomson E R barr615 West Pender, p. 130
- Thomson Charlotte maid Devonshire Hotel1025 West Pender, p. 610
- Thomson W1025 West Pender, p. 611
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.
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.