Vancouver / Names / T / Towers

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Towerses

In the city directories 1940 · twelve people at five addresses

The directories print twelve people named Towers at five addresses in 1940 in five of the city's neighbourhoods. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family. The most under one roof: six Towerses at 1591 William in 1940.

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 Towerses 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

    1915 Haro Street

    West End, 1940

    • E F W Towers, a manager for R C Towers 1940
    • Enice W Towers, a clerk 1940

    Next door in 1940: haro lodge at 1935. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    4721 Little Street

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • G Towers 1940
    • Eliza M Towers 1940

    Next door in 1940: E J Atlee at 4705 and J J Roberts at 4729. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    3240 West Broadway

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • Norman V Towers, on active service 1940

    Next door in 1940: D A Singleton at 3230 and J A Macdonald at 3250. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    510 West Hastings Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • R C Towers, in raw furs 1940

    Next door in 1940: Can Bk of Commerce at 508 and Ziegler's Coffee Shop at 512. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    1591 William Street

    Grandview-Woodland, 1940

    • Mrs M F Towers, widow of S 1940
    • Charles V Towers, a waiter 1940
    • Herbert V Towers, a steward 1940
    • James D L Towers, a steward 1940
    • Vancouver H Towers, a waiter 1940
    • William S Towers, a waiter 1940

    Next door in 1940: M Chikites at 1581. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for nine of the twelve: a waiter (3), a steward (2), a clerk, a manager, an on active service and a raw furs. One is a widow, listed under her own name.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Downtown, Grandview-Woodland, Kensington-Cedar Cottage, Kitsilano and West End. 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 E F W Towers at 1915 Haro Street. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Ernest F W Towers there as the householder, a manager for R C Towers, with Enice W Towers, a clerk. In 1940 the directory lists G Towers at 4721 Little 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 George Towers there as the householder, with Eliza M Towers.

The 1940 name section lists Norman V Towers at 3240 West Broadway, on active service. R C Towers, in raw furs, is listed at 510 West Hastings Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists R C, E F W Towers Towers there, in raw furs.

Mrs M F Towers is listed at 1591 William Street in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Mabel F Towers there as the householder, widow of S, with Charles V Towers, a waiter, Herbert V Towers, a steward, James D L Towers, a steward, Vancouver H Towers, a waiter, and William S Towers, a waiter.

Today

1915 Haro and 510 West Hastings still have their buildings from before 1946; 4721 Little (1965) has a newer building, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 3240 West Broadway and 1591 William, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 16 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 Towerses

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Towers 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.