Elijah F. Gillen Letters

The following are two letters from Elijah F. Gillen dated 10 July 1892 and 18 April 1893, Proctorville, Ohio.
At the bottom of those two letters, there is another letter written by Mary E. Moss Winkler to Miss Sara Wilson Gillen, Proctorville, Ohio, on Aug. 8, 1932, from Kansas City, MO:
They are transcribed as written.

Submitted by Amy Kimball Stoddard

Proctorville, Ohio July 10th 1892

M dear Niece; [To Ann Eliza Haskell _____ to 1921]

I am such a poor person to apologise for my shortcomings that I shall make no attempt to say one word in my defense for now answering your kind letter of March 28th last, which was duly received.

I would like to share this with everyone. My Elijah Fisher Gillen (right) with a Charles Kingsbury (left) as dandies. As far as I know, they went to Marshall together. Photo courtesy of Amy Kimball Stoddard

It is scarcely necessary to say that we were very glad indeed to hear from you and to learn that you were so happily situated and to learn also that your Father has remembered you and your sister Mary financially, and above all to know that you have such a model of a husband (barring the tobacco chewing). Do you know that none of your Gillen Uncles ever used tobacco in any shape except your Uncle Ike who chews occasionally, but chewing tobacco is a small fault, if it be a fault, compared to many that mankind are addicted to.

We have been much afflicted in our family during the last year. In the first place your Aunt had pneumonia and was dangerously sick for some time and then the children were attacked with s c a r l e t fever and various other maladies and some three weeks since I was suddenly stricken down with a complication of troubles and have scarcely yet entirely recovered. But I am glad to say that we are now all in reasonable health.

I am glad you wrote a description of your daughter and I imagine that she must resemble her Grandmother, your Mother, our Sister Mary. You speak of no other. I suppose she is all you have.

You should by all means come to Ohio to visit us all once more. Am sure you would enjoy your visit and all your friends would be very glad to see you. I suppose that some of your relatives here will visit the “Columbian Expo. in ’93”. We would all like to visit that grand city and see perhaps the grandest exposition of modern times, or that the world has ever witnessed, and I being an old soldier, greatly desire, above all things, to go to Washington City in Sept. next to the Grand Encampment of the G.A.R. but I fear I shall not be able to do so.

You enquire as to my soldier record. I was in New Orleans when “Sumpter” was fired on in ’61, and barely escaped through the lines for home. On arriving at Ironton, O. my home, as you are aware, there was being organized two companies of volunteers for the war.

I joined one of them but on being inspected, was rejected on account of my crippled hand. (I had it burned when a child which you have, perhaps, not forgotten). I joined a home guard company and remained at home, or in the vicinity, until in September 1861 I recd. a commission as 1st . Lieutenant and Adjutant of the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd West Va. Cavalry then organizing at Parkersburg, W. Va. I reported immediately to Camp and was mustered in on the 15th Sept. 1861.

I received my commission without an solicitation on my part and was at a loss to know to whom I was indebted for it, until I learned that an old school mate of mine, J.F. Samuels, now Judge Samuels of Barboursville, W. Va. was the Adjutant General of the State (We were school mates at Marshall College, W.Va.) and through him I received my Commission, he having learned that I had attempted to enter the service and been rejected.

In Oct. 62 I was appointed Adjutant of the 2nd. W. Va. Cavalry and served with it until I was mustered out on 15″ October 1864. Having served a little more than three years. I would have remained in the service until the close of the war, had I lived, but I contracted severe throat disease, lost my voice, and for months spoke only in a whisper, had my throat operated on, recovered my voice. but have had great trouble with it ever since. I know what it is to be in the saddle through rain sleet , and hail, to sleep on the ground where my clothing froze to my bed and to hear, until the sound grew familiar the shrill whistle of the shell, the ping of the bullet and the wild and indescribable roar of horrid war. But we are gloriously triumphant. I am receiving a pension of $17.00 per month, on account of throat and lung trouble.

Before the death of Brother Martin and since, we have made some effort to obtain our old family record. The Old Bible containing it was given – after Mother’s death – to an old colored man, by Mr. Scovell, to whom he applied for a Bible he not having one, and we knew nothing about it for years and now I fear the record is irrevocably lost. Your Aunt Sarah, Martin’s widow is still living in Ironton and in excellent health for one of her age. She is still hunting for the old record and if it is still in existence she will find it I think. She is tireless in anything she undertakes.

The Gillens came from Ireland, and the Framptons were of Pennsylvania Dutch origin. Grandfather Gillen came to Pennsylvania direct from Ireland and was a Miller by trade. I have seen quite a number of Irishmen who knew the Gillands (that is the original way of spelling the name) in Ireland and they always spoke of them as being in the Milling and shipping business. You are not perhaps aware that the renowned “Kitt” (Christopher) Carson, of world wide fame as Indian Hunter and Scout, was our cousin. His mother and (my) Father were brother and sister. Simon Cameron of Pennsylvania was a 2nd cousin of our mother. Cameron, you are aware was at one time U.S. Senator of Penn. Secy. Of War, etc. Hon. Seth Clover, Ex-Canal Commissioner of Penn. was our cousin.

James and Isaac C. Hunter are still living, James in Covington, Ky. Op. Cin. O. and Isaac in Shreveport, La. James is a carpenter and builder and Isaac is a Red River and Mississippi Pilot and Capt.

Sister Emily Pope married a Mr. Joel Stover – moved to Ills. Some years since. They are both dead. Emma Leeds-nee Pope-is married and lives in Flora, Ills. Her husband is in the Milling Business. Have no photo to send you now-Wife and children want me to have some taken and I expect to comply some of these days, when I will send you one, and in order to make this promise more binding you will be expected to send us yours, Husbands and Daughters. Shall expect to hear from you soon.

Love to all.

Your uncle[signed] E. F. Gillen

Proctorville, April 18th 1893

My Dear, Niece:

Your highly prised and ever welcome letter of the 12th came to hand yesterday and I assure you we were all glad to hear from “you all” again. This leaves us in very reasonable health, although Kati, our 8 year old baby, was taken with chills on Sunday and is threatened with lung fever but we hope nothing serious will result.

Our schools have just closed, and our neighbors say that “something must be done with the Gillen family, that Katie in the primary, Rachel in the intermediate, and Willie in the High School all stood at the head of their classes, while Sallie, in the intermediate was a good second in her class”. Willie will graduate next year if he lives, and proposes to study Civil Engineering. He is a natural mathematician and has already mastered Algebra, Geometry and Trigonometry and will not be 16 until next July.

Yes, Rachel Dillon is still living on the old home farm. Their son, Will is married and living in Shreveport, La. in business, there. So also is your cousin Matt Scovell who is Railroad Agent there. They are all doing well. Capt. B.T. Scovell “Tylie” lives in New Orleans, La. He has been steamboating on the lower Miss. and Red Rivers for many years. Emily Alexander lives in Ironton with her mother, your Aunt Sarah. James Alexander Emily’s husband died this winter. He was the manager of the large Foster Stove Work. He was one of Ironton’s early and much respected citizens, and as far as is known, without an enemy. Their three sons are all married, live in Ironton, and are three employees in the same company. James, as general salesman, Gillen as workman in the foundry department and Charles, the youngest, Superintendent. They are in comfortable circumstances and there are no finer looking men in Ironton than they.

Emily Morris and the Doctor make their home in Ironton. Do not keep house and spend a large portion of their time in Washington City with their son and family, S. Wilson, who holds a position in the Pension Dept. there. They live in their own house have three or four children and are happy. Dr. Morris has made his fortune in his profession and retired from practice so far as an old Dr. can do, living among his old patrons.

John Wilson lives in Old Burlington and is merchandising in the same old building where his father, your uncle Stephen “Kept Store” so many years. Their daughter Birdie married R.B. Miller an Attorney-at-Law and [they] live in Ironton and he has a fine practice. They have three children. One of the sons Edgar, studied medicine under Drs. Morris and D.C. Wilson and is attending Medical College in Cincinnati, Ohio and expects to graduate next year. So that in our family we have Doctors, Lawyers, Merchants, Farmers, Railroaders and Steamboat men, but no preachers. Are none under arrest for crime in prison or likely to be and have no ardent politicians, but are with scarcely an exception, Republican.

I have lost the run of Hattie Hake’s (nee Irwin) whereabouts, the last I heard of her she was in Texas somewhere. I have succeeded in procuring another copy of the “Illustrated Edition” of the Ironton Register and will mail it to you today, so that your father can keep the one he has. We prise Mary’s picture sent us very much and your Aunt Olive says it is a splendid picture of an elegant looking lady, in which we all agree. Shall look for yours in due time, and we propose t o send you ours when we can procure some good ones. We have no artist in our village.

When you write, which I hope will be soon, send me the address of your father and Mary also and I promise to write to them in the near future.

We had hoped that we would have been able to visit the Columbian Exhibition at Chicago but are doomed to disappointment on account of financial matters.

Our winter has been severe also but Spring had opened up splendidly and the prospect for a general fruit crop is grand.

When are you coming to Ohio to see your numerous relatives? They would, all of them, be delighted to see the children and grandchildren of Sister Mary J.

Remember us kindly and in love to your Father and Mary and their families and accept all our love for yourself and yours.

Affectionately your uncle [signed] E.F. Gillen

Mary E. Moss Winkler wrote a letter to Miss Sara Wilson Gillen, Proctorville, Ohio on Aug. 8, 1932 from Kansas City, MO:

Miss Sara Wilson Gillen, Proctorville, Ohio

Dear Miss Gillen,

First, will tell you I am the daughter of your cousin, Mrs. Anna Eliza Haskell Moss who passed away in 1921.

In looking over old letters I have found one you wrote to my mother April 28-1911 and also several lovely old letters from and a picture of your father, Elijah F. Gillen.

I know so little about my mother’s people except what she told me and now as I grow older am very much interest(ed) in tracing back as far as possible. In one of your father’s letters he wrote that his grandfather Gillen came from Ireland and the Framptons were Pennsylvania Dutch.

In an album, that belonged to my mother’s mother and is dated July 20-1838, are two clippings, (pasted) one telling of the death of grandmother ?? Mary Jane Gillen Haskell on Oct. 8-1844 age 25 years, and the other is the obituary of my great grandmother Rachel Frampton Gillen who died Nov. 1-1854 aged 72 years; she was born in Mifflin Co., Penn.

Would you please write me the names of all your father’s brothers and sisters and the Frampton as well as the Gillen records as far back as you know.

Do you know if any of the women in our blood relationship have been members of the D.A.R.? I should very much like to join the D.A.R. if I can trace back.

According to records my mother’s mother was buried in Burlington, Ohio but the postal authorities tell me there is no such PO now- do you know if she was buried near Ironton- I have the inscription on the tombstone and have thought I would like to visit her grave if I could locate the cemetery and also her mother’s grave.

Am going to write to some of the Haskells in Ashland, Ky., as I have some old letters to my mother from them.

In your letter you spoke of Uncle Ike Gillen’s sons in Kans. and his daughters in Colorado- do you know of their present location?

I shall appreciate very much any and all information you can give me at any time you find it convenient to write.

Most sincerely,
Mrs. Mary Moss Winkler