Vancouver / Names / W / Watte

A family name in Vancouver's city directories

The Wattes

In the city directories 1940 · four people at three addresses

The directories print four people named Watte at three addresses in 1940 in three of the city's neighbourhoods, with the close spelling Wate. No first name or initials tie one address to another: we can't tell if they're one family.

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 Wattes 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

    660 Jackson Avenue

    Strathcona, 1940

    • H Watte, retired 1940

    Next door in 1940: J Imre at 622. The block, door by door

  2. 2

    6926 Laburnum Street

    Kerrisdale, 1940

    • G S Wate, a school principal 1940

    Next door in 1940: D W W Whitelaw at 6908 and F D Pratt at 6942. The block, door by door

  3. 3

    2751 Main Street

    Mount Pleasant, 1940

    • T Watte, proprietor of Fairmont Grocery 1940
    • Harue Watte, a saleswoman at Fairmont Grocery 1940

    Next door in 1940: Fairmont Plmbg & Htg at 2749. The block, door by door

What they did

The name section prints a trade for three of the four: a proprietor, a saleswoman and a school principal. Two of them worked for Fairmont Grocery.

Their neighbourhoods

The addresses are in Kerrisdale, Mount Pleasant and Strathcona. 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 H Watte at 660 Jackson Avenue. The 1940 name section, where each person's work is printed, lists Hichizo Watte there as the householder, retired. In 1940 the directory lists G S Wate at 6926 Laburnum 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 lists George S Wate there as the householder, a school principal.

In 1940 the directory lists T Watte at 2751 Main Street. The 1940 name section lists Tada Watte there as the householder, proprietor of Fairmont Grocery, with Harue Watte, a saleswoman at Fairmont Grocery.

Today

660 Jackson still has its building from before 1946, dated 1909 by the City's record and on the Vancouver Heritage Register; 6926 Laburnum (1988) has a newer building, by the City's record; the City no longer lists 2751 Main, so that building is probably gone (inferred).

Streetcars on Main Street, past a row of billboards
March 1940 Streetcars on Main Street, past a row of billboards. Not at the house at 2751 Main: no archive photo of the 2700 block is known that we can show. City of Vancouver Archives, CVA 136-513. Public domain.

Every line as printed

All 7 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 Wattes

Every directory, as one book

The family book reads the Watte 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.