Vancouver / Names / P / Pitts

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Pittses

In the city directories 1940 · 13 people at eleven addresses

The directories print 13 people named Pitts at eleven addresses in 1940 in eight of the city's neighbourhoods. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family.

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Where the Pittses 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

    253 East 17th Avenue

    Riley Park, 1940

    • Percy A Pitts, a steward 1940

    Next door in 1940: Miss L Mew at 245 and Rev S J Shields at 255. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    971 East 23rd Avenue

    Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 1940

    • P Pitts, a police officer at the City of Vancouver 1940

    Next door in 1940: M Oxspring at 961 and T E Palm at 981. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    3166 East 4th Avenue

    Hastings-Sunrise, 1940

    • J A Pitts, a processor at Nabob Food Products 1940

    Next door in 1940: J R Meek at 3160 and J Barsky at 3174. The block, door by door

  4. 4

    6755 Fraser Street

    Sunset, 1940

    • J O Pitts, an elevator operator at the CNR 1940

    Next door in 1940: E Y Taylor at 6747 and W Valentine at 6767. The block, door by door

  5. 5

    2414 Granville Street

    Fairview, 1940

    • A F Pitts, a driver at Rollin' Pin Bake Shop 1940

    Next door in 1940: A Quartermaine at 2412 and Bedding Capitol at 2416. The block, door by door

  6. 6

    1027 Howe Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • Sam J Pitts, a deckhand at Pacific Coyle Navigation 1940

    Next door in 1940: U Drive Ace at 1005 and C M Kirkland at 1033. The block, door by door

  7. 7

    1045 Melville Street

    Downtown, 1940

    • E John Pitts 1940

    Next door in 1940: A B Spain at 1043 and C W Sturch at 1047. The block, door by door

  8. 8

    2085 West 4th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • Pitts (no first name printed) 1940
    • Pitts 1940

    Next door in 1940: Hardplys Coast at 2083 and A Sutherland at 2091. The block, door by door

  9. 9

    1947 West 8th Avenue

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • W Pitts, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: T V Brunt at 1925 and W H Lee at 1953. The block, door by door

  10. 10

    53 West Broadway

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • Walter Pitts, a nightman at the Vancouver General Hospital 1940

    Next door in 1940: Ex-Service Men's League at 47 and Mrs B J de Ruiter at 75. The block, door by door

  11. 11

    1870 Yew Street

    Kitsilano, 1940

    • Mrs M Pitts, widow of A 1940
    • Angus Pitts, a processor at Nabob Food Products 1940

What they did

The name section prints a trade for eight of the 13: a processor (2), a deckhand, a driver, an elevator operator, a nightman and a police officer, among others. Two of them worked for Nabob Food Products. One is a widow, listed under her own name.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Kitsilano (3), Downtown (2), Fairview, Hastings-Sunrise, Kensington-Cedar Cottage, 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 Percy A Pitts at 253 East 17th Avenue, a steward. P Pitts is listed at 971 East 23rd 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 Percy Pitts there as the householder, a police officer at the City of Vancouver.

J A Pitts is listed at 3166 East 4th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists John A Pitts there as the householder, a processor at Nabob Food Products. J O Pitts is listed at 6755 Fraser Street in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists John O Pitts there as the householder, an elevator operator at the CNR.

A F Pitts is listed at 2414 Granville Street in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Allan F Pitts there as the householder, a driver at Rollin' Pin Bake Shop. The 1940 name section lists Sam J Pitts at 1027 Howe Street, a deckhand at Pacific Coyle Navigation. The 1940 name section lists E John Pitts at 1045 Melville Street.

Pitts (no first name printed) is listed at 2085 West 4th Avenue in 1940. The 1940 name section lists Pitts there as the householder. W Pitts is listed at 1947 West 8th Avenue in 1940; the 1940 line is marked * too. The 1940 name section lists William Pitts there as the householder, retired.

The 1940 name section lists Walter Pitts at 53 West Broadway, a nightman at the Vancouver General Hospital. In 1940 the directory lists Mrs M Pitts at 1870 Yew Street. The 1940 name section lists Mary Pitts there as the householder, widow of A, with Angus Pitts, a processor at Nabob Food Products.

Today

253 East 17th, 971 East 23rd, 3166 East 4th, 6755 Fraser, 2414 Granville and 2085 West 4th still have their buildings from before 1946; 53 West Broadway (1968) and 1870 Yew (1982) have newer buildings, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 1027 Howe, 1045 Melville and 1947 West 8th, so those buildings are probably gone (inferred).

Yew Street from 4th Avenue, looking north down the hill to English Bay and Stanley Park
About 1910 Yew Street from 4th Avenue, looking north down the hill to English Bay and Stanley Park. Not at the house at 1870 Yew: no archive photo of the 1800 block is known that we can show. City of Vancouver Archives, CVA 1376-80.43. Public domain.

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, name section, where each person's work is printed

The book of the Pittses

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Pitts 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 P. Want a name removed? Tell us.