Vancouver / Names / W / Watson / West 5th Avenue

A family name on West 5th Avenue, Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant, Fairview and West Point Grey

The Watsons

In the city directories 1940 · five people at four addresses

The directories print five people named Watson at four addresses in 1940, all on West 5th 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

    25 West 5th Avenue

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • Mrs W Watson, widow of A L 1940

    Next door in 1940: C Wong at 15 and S Nishikawa at 35. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    155 West 5th Avenue

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • Robert W Watson 1940

    Next door in 1940: G Randall at 149 and J Rose at 175. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    1842 West 5th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • J Watson, retired 1940
    • Elizabeth Watson, widow of W 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs N Baxter at 1834 and W Kinloch at 1844. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    2200 West 5th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • A M Watson, a conductor at the BC Electric Railway 1940

    Next door in 1940: C H Robbins at 2216. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for one of the five: a conductor. Two are widows, listed under their own names.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Kitsilano (2) and Mount Pleasant (2). 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 W Watson at 25 West 5th Avenue; 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, where each person's work is printed, lists Wilhelmina Watson there as the householder, widow of A L. The 1940 name section lists Robert W Watson at 155 West 5th Avenue.

J Watson is listed at 1842 West 5th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Joseph Watson there as the householder, retired, with Elizabeth Watson, widow of W. A M Watson is listed at 2200 West 5th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Alex M Watson there as the householder, a conductor at the BC Electric Railway.

Today

2200 West 5th still has its building from before 1946, dated 1910 by the City's record; the City no longer lists 25 West 5th, 155 West 5th and 1842 West 5th, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 8 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.