Albert George Gilbert (Gil) was born in Toronto, Ontario
on April 27, 1889. He came to Alberta in 1906. He
returned later to Ontario where he was apprenticed to
an electrician for some time.

He returned to Alberta, and in 1921 he married Norah
Kathleen Orr in Calgary, Alberta. She came to
Calgary from Ireland at the age of fourteen with
her mother, to live with her brother Arthur, who
was residing there. Before her marriage she
worked at the C.N.R. Telegraphs.

After buying grain at various points in Alberta, the
Gilberts decided to move to Enumclaw, Washington,
U.S.A.. While there a daughter was born. Gil at
that time ran an electrical shop.

In 1923 they moved to Los Angeles, California,
in a Model T Ford. He worked at various places
there, among them Madsen Iron Works. In Los
Angeles another daughter, Sheila Constance,
was born in 1928.

In 1929 the Gilberts decided to return to Canada.
They arrived in Calgary in July of 1929. They
were there until August 12th of that year, when
Gil accepted the position to open the Alberta
Pacific Grain Company elevator in Whiskey Gap;
the new railway line had been completed. The
family lived in Cardston, Alberta. On January 23,
1931, a son, John Richard was born.

In June of the same year the family moved to
Whiskey Gap, where the elevator company
had built a home for them.

In 1932 Gil bought a farm from Julius Nielsen,
SW 1/2-12-1-23-W4th. He continued to buy
grain until 1937 at which time he moved his
family to the farm.

In 1939 he joined the Canadian Armed Forces
and went overseas. Mrs. Gilbert and the younger
children moved to Calgary. In 1945 he sold the
farm to his son-in-law and daughter.

Following his discharge from the army he worked
for a time in Calgary as Administrator of the Belcher
Hospital. He then bought a farm south of Fort
Macleod (formerly an emergency air strip). They
adopted a sixteen month old boy in 1950.

In 1953 they sold the farm at Fort Macleod and
bought one in the Jefferson district, where they
farmed until 1959. They sold the farm and moved
to Calgary. Gil worked for a time as a
Commissionaire and Norah worked for the C.P.R.
Telegraphs.

In 1968 they retired, and moved into a Senior
Citizen's Complex in 1970.

Gil passed away in October 1975 in Calgary.
Norah still resides in Calgary (1980).

Sheila Constance died in 1948 at the age of
twenty years.

John Richard died in November 1944 at the
age of thirteen years.

Return Pioneer Histories