Vancouver / Names / W / Wilson / West 21st Avenue

A family name on West 21st Avenue, Dunbar-Southlands, Riley Park, South Cambie and Arbutus Ridge

The Wilsons

In the city directories 1940 · 13 people at seven addresses

The directories print 13 people named Wilson at seven addresses in 1940, all on West 21st Avenue, with the close spelling Willson. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family. The most under one roof: five Wilsons at 3276 West 21st in 1940. The directories print the name on 224 other streets too, all listed on the Wilson 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 Wilsons lived

Each pin is on its own block, numbered as the households below. Four addresses aren't on today's map, so they have no pin. Today's land, parks, main roads and local areas: City of Vancouver Open Data (Open Government Licence – Vancouver).
  1. 1

    386 West 21st Avenue

    Riley Park, 1940

    • W G S Wilson, a clerk at O'Neil Co 1940
    • Margaret Wilson, widow of W G 1940

    Next door in 1940: G C Watson at 376 and H Everett at 396. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    949 West 21st Avenue

    South Cambie, 1940

    • Minnie L Wilson, widow of G 1940

    Next door in 1940: D W McKinnell at 943 and R J McKellar at 961. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    3276 West 21st Avenue

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • J B Wilson, a motorman at the BC Electric Railway 1940
    • Don W A Wilson, a delivery 1940
    • Jean H Wilson, who worked for the BC Telephone 1940
    • Michael W Wilson 1940
    • Robert J Wilson, a meat cutter at Safeway 1940

    Next door in 1940: C L Davenport at 3268 and G S Armstrong at 3282. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    3728 West 21st Avenue

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • A Wilson, a master mariner 1940

    Next door in 1940: E J Williamson at 3716 and G H Graham at 3738. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    3751 West 21st Avenue

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • J F Wilson, a radio serviceman at J W Kelly Piano 1940

    Next door in 1940: C T Lawrey at 3737 and T A Lamb at 3759. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    3793 West 21st Avenue

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • G S Wilson, an examiner at the Customs 1940

    Next door in 1940: F H Walton at 3781. The block, door by door

  7. 7

    3808 West 21st Avenue

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • H T Wilson, a plasterer 1940
    • Wilbur E Wilson, a representative at the Household Financial Corporation 1940

    Next door in 1940: F B Bryant at 3804 and R N Mulvin at 3814. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for ten of the 13: a clerk, a delivery, an employee, an examiner, a master mariner and a meat cutter, among others. Two are widows, listed under their own names.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Dunbar-Southlands (5), Riley Park and South Cambie. 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 W G S Wilson at 386 West 21st 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 William G S Wilson there as the householder, a clerk at O'Neil Co, with Margaret Wilson, widow of W G. The 1940 name section lists Minnie L Wilson at 949 West 21st Avenue, widow of G.

J B Wilson is listed at 3276 West 21st Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists James B Wilson there as the householder, a motorman at the BC Electric Railway, with Don W A Wilson, a delivery, Jean H Wilson, who worked for the BC Telephone, Michael W Wilson, and Robert J Wilson, a meat cutter at Safeway. A Wilson is listed at 3728 West 21st Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Alex Wilson there as the householder, a master mariner.

J F Wilson is listed at 3751 West 21st Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Joseph F Wilson there as the householder, a radio serviceman at J W Kelly Piano. G S Wilson is listed at 3793 West 21st Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists George S Wilson there as the householder, an examiner at the Customs.

H T Wilson is listed at 3808 West 21st Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Harry T Wilson there as the householder, a plasterer, with Wilbur E Wilson, a representative at the Household Financial Corporation.

Today

949 West 21st, 3276 West 21st, 3728 West 21st and 3808 West 21st still have their buildings from before 1946; 3793 West 21st (2010) has a newer building, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 386 West 21st and 3751 West 21st, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 19 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 Wilsons

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Wilson 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.