Lucas County IA Archives Biographies.....Gillespie, John T. 1845 - 
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 November 29, 2011, 2:32 am

Source: See below
Author: Lewis Publishing Co. (1896)

JOHN T. GILLESPIE.—The biographer is now permitted to touch upon the life
history of one who has been a resident of Iowa since 1869 and who has made his
home in Lucas county during the past seventeen years, and during all these years
he has ranked with its representative farmers and leading citizens.

   This gentleman, Mr. John T. Gillespie, was born in Guernsey county, Ohio,
March 23, 1845, fourth in the family of six children of John and Margaret
(Taylor) Gillespie. Five of this family survive, as follows: James, a resident
of Lucas county, Iowa, for thirteen years, was until recently engaged in
farming, but is now giving his attention to mercantile pursuits; Nancy is the
wife of W. B. Campbell, a farmer of Warren township, Lucas county, Iowa; John
T., whose name honors the caption of this article; Thomas, a resident of
Springfield, Missouri; and William H., who still lives at the old homestead in
Belmont county, Ohio. John Gillespie, the father of this family, was born in
Hickory, Washington county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1810. His father, James
Gillespie, came over to America from the "old country" in the latter part of the
eighteenth century and founded his home in the Keystone State, where, as above
stated, his son John was born. When the latter was between twenty and thirty
years old the family moved to the Western Reserve and on the Ohio frontier built
a cabin and began the work of developing a farm, and here grandfather James
Gillespie passed the rest of his life and died, being about fifty years of age
at the time of death. He was a veteran of the war of 1812. John Gillespie
entered a farm in Ohio and erected a log cabin, and on December 2, 1835, was
united in marriage to Margaret Taylor.

   When the subject of our sketch was four years old the family removed to
Belmont county, same State, where he was a prosperous farmer and continued to
reside until 1883, when he came out to Iowa, bringing with him several thousand
dollars and buying 256 acres of land in Warren township, Lucas county, formerly
owned by Melville Evans. Here the closing years of his life were passed. He died
April 1, 1884, and a monument in the Chariton cemetery marks his last resting
place. In religion he was a United Presbyterian, and in politics both he and his
father were Jack-sonian Democrats. Of his wife, nee Margaret Taylor, we record
that she died in the spring of 1862, at her native home in Belmont county, Ohio,
and that her remains rest there in the little cemetery adjoining the church in
which she was baptized and married.

   Having thus briefly referred to his parentage, we now pass on to the life of
our immediate subject, John T. Gillespie. He passed his youth and early manhood
in his native State, his educational advantages being limited to those of the
common schools. As already stated, he came out to Iowa in 1869. On his arrival
here he purchased forty acres of land in Lee county. Four years later he
disposed of this property and came to Lucas county. Here he purchased 160 acres
on section 5, Benton township, which at that time was a stretch of wild prairie
with no improvements on it. To-day he has one of the most beautiful farms in
Lucas county, as well as one of its most delightful and attractive houses. This
farm comprises 360 acres and is devoted to general farming and stock-raising.
Mr. Gillespie, however, has for some time made a specialty of the sheep
industry, in which he has been very successful, his flock now being composed of
350 head of fine sheep.

   October 2, 1867, Mr.. Gillespie was married to Miss Sallie A. Moore, the
ceremony being performed by the Rev. Thomas Love of the United Presbyterian
Church. Mrs. Gillespie was a daughter of Gillespie and Eliza Ann (Patten) Moore.
She died November 2, 1873, leaving three children, viz.: Ella M. Hopper,
Chariton, Iowa, is a widow and has one child, Raymond Hayes, four years of age;
John M., a resident of Chariton; and William B., now in Franklin College, Ohio,
and a member of the class of 1895. August 23, 1876, Mr. Gillespie married Miss
Cynthia A. Hayes, daughter of Henderson and Olivia (Colter) Hayes, her native
place being Washington county, Pennsylvania, and the date of her birth, August
29, 1846. Henderson Hayes, a native of Pennsylvania and of Scotch descent, moved
out to Ohio and settled in Belmont county when Mrs. Gillespie was a child of six
years. He was in early life a freighter, hauling supplies across the mountains,
but later settled down to farming, and in Belmont county spent the closing years
of his life. He died New Year's evening, 1890. Few men in that vicinity were
better known or had more friends than Henderson Hayes. By his first wife he had
three children: Mrs. Caldwell, who died at Belmont, Ohio, March 28, 1894; Mrs.
Gillespie; and Mrs. Dool, Aledo, Mercer county, Illinois. By his second wife,
nee Catherine Downing, he had three sons and two daughters, viz.: William G., a
merchant of Bannack, Ohio; John D., a clerk in the office of County Treasurer at
Belmont; William I., engaged in farming at the old homestead; May Holliday, who
went to India in 1890, and who has since been engaged in missionary work there;
and Alveria Ella, who died in infancy. Mr. Gillespie and his present wife have
one son, Alfonso Hayes, born January 3, 1878.

   He and his family are identified with the United Presbyterian Church at
Chariton, Iowa.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

A MEMORIAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF IOWA

ILLUSTRATED

CHICAGO: THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
1896


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