Vancouver / Names / W / Watson / West 12th Avenue

A family name on West 12th Avenue, Fairview, Mount Pleasant, Kitsilano and West Point Grey

The Watsons

In the city directories 1940 · three people at three addresses

The directories print three people named Watson at three addresses in 1940, all on West 12th Avenue. 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

    1507 West 12th Avenue

    Fairview, 1940

    • Mrs D M Watson, widow of W J 1940

    Next door in 1940: Cosy Nook Cafe at 1509. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    1946 West 12th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • R K Watson 1940

    Next door in 1940: Dr D A Dunbar at 1936 and C Isman at 1956. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    3528 West 12th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • J G H Watson, a machinist 1940

    Next door in 1940: A Telford at 3520 and O L Knutsvik at 3530. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for one of the three: a machinist. One is a widow, listed under her own name.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Kitsilano (2) and Fairview. 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 Mrs D M Watson at 1507 West 12th Avenue. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Delta M Watson there as the householder, widow of W J. The 1940 name section lists R K Watson at 1946 West 12th Avenue.

J G H Watson is listed at 3528 West 12th 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 John G H Watson there as the householder, a superintendent at the Vancouver Engineering Works, with John G H Watson Jr, a machinist.

Today

1507 West 12th, 1946 West 12th and 3528 West 12th still have their buildings from before 1946.

Every line as printed

All 6 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.