Christena was born on Prince Edward Island in 1897. Married to John Gillis in 1923, Christena and John left PEI to settle in North Vancouver. John built a home for his growing family when Mary Margaret was born, and later building the house known as the Homestead in Strathcona. Christena and John’s stories tell the remarkable lives of the early settlers in the Deep Cove, Strathcona, and Dollarton area. Christena tells the Story of the Log House, written when she was back in PEI, in her 80s. Home builders, business owners, homesteaders, the Gillis family and the Homestead Log House are part of the rich history of this area.
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The Society acknowledges that the land of the Seymour Communities is the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We continue to learn and celebrate the culture, history, stories, and people of the Tsleil-Waututh.
