Vancouver / Names / W / Watson / Richards Street

A family name on Richards Street, Downtown

The Watsons

In the city directories 1940 · four people at four addresses

The directories print four people named Watson at four addresses in 1940, all on Richards Street. 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 145 other streets too, all listed on the Watson 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 Watsons 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

    509 Richards Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • J F Watson, an architect 1940

    Next door in 1940: M Freeman at 507 and western merchandise brokers at 525. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    1024 Richards Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • William Watson 1940

    Next door in 1940: R Garden at 1016 and L Wenman at 1026. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    1123 Richards Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • W Watson, an engineer at Star Laundry 1940

    Next door in 1940: Star Steam Lndy Co at 1115 and Mrs A Furnival at 1125. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    1241 Richards Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • Mrs Mary Watson 1940

    Next door in 1940: J Clifford at 1237 and L Yates at 1247. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for one of the four: an engineer.

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

In 1940 the directory lists J F Watson, an architect, at 509 Richards Street. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists William Watson at 1024 Richards Street. In 1940 the directory lists W Watson at 1123 Richards Street. The 1940 name section lists William Watson there as the householder, an engineer at Star Laundry.

The 1940 name section lists Mrs Mary Watson at 1241 Richards Street.

Today

509 Richards still has its building from before 1946, dated 1912 by the City's record and on the Vancouver Heritage Register; the City no longer lists 1024 Richards, 1123 Richards and 1241 Richards, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 5 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 Watsons

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Watson 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 W. Want a name removed? Tell us.