Vancouver / Names / G / Gair

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Gairs

In the city directories 1940 · twelve people at seven addresses

The directories print twelve people named Gair at seven 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: five Gairs at 4313 John 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 Gairs lived

Each pin is on its own block, numbered as the households below. Two 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

    5874 Chester Street

    Sunset, 1940

    • Don Gair, a cashier for Coca Cola 1940

    Next door in 1940: J C English at 5864 and R Forgie at 5894. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    360 East 15th Avenue

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • J Gair, a foreman for A Gair 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs M Ferrier at 350 and W Rolston at 368. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    951 East 17th Avenue

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • J E Gair, a longshoreman 1940
    • Edith C Gair 1940

    Next door in 1940: Mrs J L McKay at 947 and G Dobson at 961. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    955 East Hastings Street

    Strathcona, 1940

    • A Gair, in store fixtures 1940

    Next door in 1940: L J Payment at 935 and Arnett W C & Co Ltd at 985. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    348 Glen Drive

    Strathcona, 1940

    • Ellen Gair 1940

    Next door in 1940: H H Dougan at 318. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    4313 John Street

    Riley Park, 1940

    • A Gair, in store fixtures 1940
    • David M Gair, a machinist for A Gair 1940
    • Helen Gair, a bookkeeper for A Gair 1940
    • Jean R Gair, a stenographer for A Gair 1940
    • Roy Gair, a driver 1940

    Next door in 1940: M R Corrigan at 4321. The block, door by door

  7. 7

    2950 Woodland Drive

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • William R Gair, a machinist for A Gair 1940

What they did

The name section prints a trade for nine of the twelve: a machinist (2), a bookkeeper, a cashier, a driver, a foreman and a longshoreman, among others. Five of them worked for A Gair.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Kensington-Cedar Cottage (2), Strathcona (2), Mount Pleasant, Riley Park and Sunset. 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

The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Don Gair at 5874 Chester Street, a cashier for Coca Cola. J Gair is listed at 360 East 15th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Jack Gair there as the householder, a foreman for A Gair.

J E Gair is listed at 951 East 17th 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 James E Gair there as the householder, a longshoreman, with Edith C Gair. A Gair, in store fixtures, is listed at 955 East Hastings Street in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Ellen Gair at 348 Glen Drive.

A Gair is listed at 4313 John Street in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Alex Gair there as the householder, in store fixtures, with David M Gair, a machinist for A Gair, Helen Gair, a bookkeeper for A Gair, Jean R Gair, a stenographer for A Gair, and Roy Gair, a driver. The 1940 name section lists William R Gair at 2950 Woodland Drive, a machinist for A Gair.

Today

951 East 17th and 2950 Woodland Drive still have their buildings from before 1946, 951 East 17th on the Vancouver Heritage Register; 360 East 15th (1969) and 4313 John (1992) have newer buildings, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 5874 Chester, 955 East Hastings and 348 Glen Drive, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Every line as printed

All 15 lines printed under the name through 1945, each with its page at the Vancouver Public Library.
1940

British Columbia and Yukon Directory, name section, where each person's work is printed

The book of the Gairs

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Gair 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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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 G. Want a name removed? Tell us.