Vancouver / Names / G / Gillette

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Gillettes

In the city directories 1940 · 13 people at six addresses

The directories print 13 people named Gillette at six addresses in 1940 in four of the city's neighbourhoods, with the close spelling Gillett. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family. The most under one roof: six Gillettes at 1842 East Pender 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 Gillettes 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

    4432 Collingwood Street

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • A J Gillett, an officer at Canadian National Steamships 1940

    Next door in 1940: E S Nagle at 4444. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    1842 East Pender Street

    Grandview-Woodland, 1940

    • Miss J Gillette 1940
    • Josephine Gillette 1940
    • Archibald W Gillette, a secretary at Gillette's Ltd 1940
    • Carl J Gillette, a president at Gillette's Ltd 1940
    • Elias J Gillette 1940
    • Nistass Gillette, widow of J 1940

    Next door in 1940: H Weaver at 1834 and W H Pickering at 1856. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    1042 Melville Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • Syd Gillett 1940

    Next door in 1940: McDonald Bowell at 1040 and F C Moore at 1044. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    3849 West 39th Avenue

    Dunbar-Southlands, 1940

    • Mrs A B Gillette, widow of W G 1940
    • Margery B Gillette, a stenographer at Buckerfield's 1940
    • Vivien G Gillette, a saleswoman at Dunbar Heights Realty 1940

    Next door in 1940: N A McLean at 3841 and D McDonald at 3875. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    5 West Hastings Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • Robert Gillett, a logger 1940

    Next door in 1940: Bank of Montreal at 1 and P Rosso at 7. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    3001 Woodland Drive

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • William Gillett, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: G W Maddams at 3029. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for six of the 13: a logger, an officer, a president, a saleswoman, a secretary and a stenographer. Two of them worked for Gillette's Ltd. Two are widows, listed under their own names.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Downtown (2), Dunbar-Southlands (2), Grandview-Woodland and Kensington-Cedar Cottage. 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 A J Gillett at 4432 Collingwood Street; 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 Arthur J Gillett there as the householder, an officer at Canadian National Steamships. In 1940 the directory lists Miss J Gillette at 1842 East Pender Street; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists Josephine Gillette there as the householder, with Archibald W Gillette, a secretary at Gillette's Ltd, Carl J Gillette, a president at Gillette's Ltd, Elias J Gillette, and Nistass Gillette, widow of J.

The 1940 name section lists Syd Gillett at 1042 Melville Street. Mrs A B Gillette is listed at 3849 West 39th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists A Beatrice Gillette there as the householder, widow of W G, with Margery B Gillette, a stenographer at Buckerfield's, and Vivien G Gillette, a saleswoman at Dunbar Heights Realty. The 1940 name section lists Robert Gillett at 5 West Hastings Street, a logger.

The 1940 name section lists William Gillett at 3001 Woodland Drive, retired.

Today

4432 Collingwood, 3849 West 39th, 5 West Hastings and 3001 Woodland Drive still have their buildings from before 1946, 5 West Hastings on the Vancouver Heritage Register; 1842 East Pender (1969) has a newer building, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 1042 Melville, so that building is probably gone (inferred).

Riders in costume in a Chinese parade on East Pender Street, past the Kwong Yee Lung Co.
1936–1938 Riders in costume in a Chinese parade on East Pender Street, past the Kwong Yee Lung Co.. Not at the house at 1842 East Pender: no archive photo of the 1800 block is known that we can show. City of Vancouver Archives, CVA 300-101. Public domain.

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, street section

The book of the Gillettes

Every directory, as one book

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