James Henry and Patrick Eugene Gilfoil, Madison Parish, Louisiana
Submitted by Mike Miller

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James H. Gilfoil, of the firm of Gilfoil & Erwin, general merchants and
planters at Omega, Madison parish, La., was born in this parish in 1852.
He is a son of Patrick and Kate (Gilchrist) Gilfoil, the former of whom was
born in Monegal, Ireland, in 1820, and the latter was a native of New York
 City, having been born in 1831.  Mr. Gilfoil was reared in his native
country, coming to the United States when a young man and finishing his
education here.  The mother of our subject was his second wife, and they
were married in Louisville, Ky., but lived in Indiana, removing from there
to Vicksburg, where he owned an interest in a steamboat.  He afterward
removed to Madison parish, where he died October 2, 1872.  By profession he
was a veterinary surgeon, and also a large levee contractor by occupation.
He accumulated considerable property, being worth about $100,000 at the
breaking out of the war.  He was active in politics, being a stanch Union
man, and he was a member of the convention that carried the state out of
the Union at the time of secession.  Mrs. Gilfoil died April 13. 1866.  She
was a daughter of James Gilchrist, who was, born in Ireland, and who lived
many years in Louisville, Ky., where he was engaged extensively in
mercantile business.  Later he removed to Kansas, where he died soon after
his removal.  Our subject was one of eleven children and is the only one
now living.  He was reared on a farm and received a good common school
education; he began life for himself as a farmer at the age of nineteen.
In 1872 he married Miss Kate, the daughter of William C. and Hester A.
(Selser), Curry, both natives of Mississippi, but then living in Carroll
parish, where her father died in 1876.  He was a wealthy planter; his wife
is yet living.  Mrs. Gilfoil was born in Carroll parish and is the mother
of three children.  Mr. Gilfoil had engaged exclusively in planting until
1888, when he engaged in the mercantile business, and the firm of which he
is now a member does an annual business of about $100,000.  He owns about
1,500 acres of land and raises from 600 to 15,000 bales of cotton per
annum.  This fine property he has accumulated mostly by his own efforts.
He was assessor of Madison parish for seven years, since 1882.  He is an
active worker for the Democratic Party, having attended state and district
conventions for many years.  He is well known as a good, upright and
honorable citizen; his standing in the business world is the highest, and
has been chiefly the result of more than ordinary good management and
careful attention to business.

Biographical and Historical Memoires of Louisiana, (vol. 1), p. 443.
Published by the Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1892.


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