Biographies

A Wiley Bunch

By
©2004
The Story of Wiley Gilstrap and his descendants in White County, Georgia


Let's move. We're goin' to Georgia!

Maybe that's how it started. But what was his reason? I don't know, and there
is really no way to find out for sure, but I can't stop wondering - Why did
Wiley Rufus Gilstrap, son of Lewis Wiley Gilstrap and Elizabeth Maxwell
Gilstrap, decide to move from the Pendleton District of South Carolina to
Habersham County, Georgia? Why would he, at age 40, leave his home, with mother
and father and brothers and sisters nearby, to move some 100 miles away and
start over? Had he visited Georgia before? What was the talk in the Old
Pendleton District about this area of Georgia that would make it appealing?

After visiting Pickens County, South Carolina, the area of Pendleton District
where Wiley lived, I can tell you there is hardly any difference between that
area and the area of Habersham County to which he moved. They are identical in
both landscape and weather. The Pendleton Messenger, a newspaper in circulation
at the time in the Old Pendleton District, shows that there were some
connections between the two areas. For the period 1827 - 1836 the Pendleton
Messenger carried reports of news events, marriages, births, and deaths
occurring in Habersham County, Georgia, so interest and news were swapped
between the two areas. This exchange was aided by a stagecoach line that ran
from Greenville, SC, to Dahlonega, Georgia, bringing passengers and mail through
and between both areas twice a week.

Reports during 1834 in another South Carolina newspaper, the Camden Journal,
described caravans of movers leaving the middle part of South Carolina daily, as
many as 200 persons in a single day. The number leaving the District was "so
great as to make one melancholy." The following year, in one week as many as
800 persons passed through the town of Camden, South Carolina, heading west, one
company carrying 300 people. It was reported that "the old and the young are
preparing to emigrate and the inquiry is not whether you are going, but when do
you go." Another South Carolina source reported that "the whole country about
the Wateree and Congaree, including Columbia, is literally breaking up and
moving en masse to the west." I saw one account of a gentleman who said that
he caught "the Western Fever" and had to head for the new lands to the west. It
may be that Wiley caught the Western Fever.

Beginning in the early 1800s, the migration patterns started to swing from up
and down the east coast towards the West. The eastern states had historically
shown steady increases in population, due mainly to receiving all of the
immigration and the resulting increase in the birth rate. South Carolina
increased its population by 20.1 percent from 1800 to 1810, and 21.1 percent
from 1810 to 1820. But, from 1820 to 1830 the rate of population increase was
only 15.6 percent and from 1830 to 1840 it was only 2.3 percent. By contrast,
the population of Habersham County, Georgia, increased by 339 percent from 1820
to 1830. Historical accounts show several things affecting migration into north
Georgia during this period. New lands to the West were opening up, and people
had begun to migrate in that direction. Some accounts tell of game becoming
scarce and how the continuous growing of cotton was depleting the soils in long
settled areas like South Carolina. The virgin soils of the new areas to the
west were said to increase crop production by 50 percent.

Habersham County, Georgia, 100 miles west of Pendleton District, was created on
December 18, 1818, by an act of the Georgia General Assembly from lands ceded by
the Cherokee Indians in the 1817 Treaty of the Cherokee Agency. Additional
Cherokee lands were ceded to Georgia in the 1819 Treaty of Washington, and in an
act on Dec. 21, 1819, the legislature added some of the ceded land to the
western portions of Habersham and Hall counties. Remaining unallocated Cherokee
lands ceded in 1817 and 1819 were added to Habersham and other Georgia counties
in 1828 and 1829. At one time, the area occupied by the Cherokee Indians
covered almost all of north Georgia. The former Cherokee lands were distributed
to settlers by lottery. The lands available in the area that became Habersham
County had been included in the 1820, or third, Georgia Land Lottery.

Gold was discovered in the Nacoochee Valley of Habersham County along the
Nacoochee River, then known as Duke's Creek, in 1828-29 prompting America's
first "Gold Rush". The Gold Rush Belt was bound by Dahlonega on the west and
the Nacoochee Valley on the east. The heated up migration to the area resulted
in Habersham County's population increasing more than threefold from 1820 to
1830, from 3,145 to 10,671. The population has not increased that
significantly during any other decade. Following the removal of the Cherokee
Indians from the area in what is known as the Trail of Tears, the last of the
Cherokee territory was divided by the state into ten new counties and further
subdivided into land lots of 140 acres and gold lots of 40 acres. In 1832 there
was a Land Lottery/Gold Lottery for these lands in Georgia.

At the time of Wiley's move into Habersham County, the only chartered town in
the county was Clarkesville. It was previously considered a village, having
begun as a small settlement sometime prior to 1820. Clarkesville was chartered
as the permanent county seat in 1823. Farming began as a major activity in the
mountainous areas of the county after 1830, and the north Georgia area was
described as an area of economic boom in the 1830s.

Such growth and activity going on in north Georgia may help explain the
attraction of the area to Wiley. Wiley did not participate in the Cherokee land
lotteries because he arrived just after them. Wiley purchased his land after
moving to Habersham County, probably from owners who had won them in lotteries.

The Search

Wiley didn't leave many clues about himself, but I have pieced together as many
records bearing his name as I could find. The information is usually reliable,
but sometimes the dates and events don't add up exactly. I ask for your
allowances in this account for facts taken from records that may include
mistakes, faint writing, lack of the individual's literacy, and the antiquity of
the records and events they chronicle. In these records, I found Wiley's name
spelled alternately Wyly, Wyley, Wylie, and Wily, with Gilstrap as often spelled
with two "L"s as with one. Some of the other various spellings of Gilstrap I
have seen in reviewing records include - Gitstrap, Gilstrup, Gilshap, Gelstrop,
Gillstrapt, Gurlstrap, Gailstrap, and Guilestrap. For this writing, whenever I
am referring to a mention of his name in a specific document I have used the
spelling as it is in that document. In other more general uses of his name, I
have chosen to use the most often used version which is Wiley Gilstrap.

Wiley's middle name was Rufus, but he rarely used it. His headstone is engraved
with "W.R. Gilstrap" and his will has it reversed as "Rufus W. Gilstrap".
Because of the reversal of his names on the will, it was overlooked several
times during research. A typed copy of the will is Attachment 2 and will be
discussed a little later.

Wiley was illiterate, as indicated in the census records. All official
documents that required his signature are marked with the familiar sign of the
time for those who could not write, which looked like:

Every official record located in the courthouses and historical repositories
prior to the invention of typewriters was transcribed by hand. While many of
these documents appear to be signed, this is the transcriber's handwriting. The
transcriber is also the one responsible for most of the spelling variations.
Within one document in the Habersham County Courthouse I saw Wiley's name
spelled four different ways. When excerpts from documents are quoted or
referred to in this account the spelling and grammatical structure are shown
just as they appear in the documents.


Tracing Back

The surname "Gilstrap" is an old English name. As with most things Gilstrap,
origins of the name are imprecise. One account traces it back to an ancient
weapon of war know as a Galtrap. A Galtrap (sometimes Caltrap) was an ancient
military instrument with four points, arranged so that when it was thrown on the
ground, it always landed on three of the four points, with the fourth pointing
up. Galtraps were scattered in the path of an enemy to impede and endanger the
horses. A more civilized origin of the name points to Nottinghamshire, England
as far back as the late 14th century in relation to a place named "Gelsthorp",
or Village (Thorp) of Gold (Gels). Whatever the origin, the name has been
spelled and pronounced differently through time and has come to be its present
day self as Gilstrap, or occasionally Gillstrap.

The story of the first Gilstraps to come to America is not too clear and is also
subject to some speculation. The story has long been that four brothers
immigrated to colonial North Carolina from England (or Scotland) and settled in
the area around New Bern, North Carolina around 1750. Recent research has
revealed that there were two Gilstraps, James and Peter, living in Somerset
County, Maryland. James appears to have died without any children, but Peter
married Rachel Aydelotte (or Idolet) in 1731 and they were the parents of the
four brothers mentioned earlier. Their names were Peter, Jr., James, Idolet and
John. This changes the earlier belief that the four brothers had immigrated
here.

Peter Gilstrap, Sr., is estimated to have been born about 1705 in England. This
estimate is based on the knowledge that he signed an indenture with John Taylor
in London in 1726. Although the original indenture document no longer
exists, records of it indicate that it said Peter was bound for Jamaica. John
Taylor also had dealings in Maryland and it appears that Peter went on to
Maryland. It is not known how the family eventually got to the New Bern, North
Carolina area, but the first Federal Census, in 1790, identifies Peter Jr.,
James and Richard Gilstrap living in Craven County North Carolina; Henry, Idolet
and Isaac Gilstrap living in adjoining Jones county.

Wiley's grandfather was Peter Gilstrap, Jr. Peter Jr. was born in 1735 in
Somerset County, Maryland, and died in 1795 in Craven County, North Carolina.
He is buried in Wilmington, North Carolina. Peter Jr.'s wife was named Mary
Jane, but her maiden name is not known for sure. It was possibly Bright, which
shows up repeatedly in later generations as a commonly used first name. They
were married in 1764 in Craven County, North Carolina. Mary was born in 1743
and died sometime after 1803. Peter Jr. was a Revolutionary War soldier and he
has been well established in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).
His National DAR number is 358598.

According to his last will and testament, Peter Jr. was a planter and he
apparently did not have much affection for the state of North Carolina. When
Peter Jr. died in 1795 he appointed his wife Mary and son Lewis as executors of
his estate. Interestingly, in Peter Jr.'s will he left his land holdings in
North Carolina to his wife Mary, but with specific conditions attached. Peter
Jr. left her the plantation on which they lived containing 76 acres, and a
close-by tract containing 96 acres, "that is if she shall chuse to sell it and
go into the back country and carry the children with her, her deed shall be
good". The Pendleton District of South Carolina made up most of what was
referred to as the "back country". Peter Jr.'s will goes on to say that
"otherwise if she continues here, at her death the said land shall be sold and
the money equally divided betwixt these four children: Polly Gilstrap, Bright
Gilstrap, Welthy Gilstrap, and Winifred Gilstrap."

It appears that Mary took at least part of her husband's advice because on
October 19, 1796, Mary sold a tract of 65 acres and another tract of 93 acres
for £150 to Thomas Kent. The acreage shown on the deed transfers is a little
off from that described in the will, but this appears to be the land Peter Jr.
left her. She didn't move to the "back country" but she did move almost all the
way across the state of North Carolina. In 1797 Mary purchased 400 acres on the
waters of Crows and Abbotts Creeks, in Rowan County, North Carolina. Rowan
County is in the area around the current town of Salisbury, North Carolina.
This land was sold on August 9, 1803, by Mary, Richard, Hardy, and Bright, widow
and sons of Peter Gilstrap, to Lewis Beard for £400. Mary may have then moved
to the "back country" with sons Lewis and Hardy.

The children of Peter Jr. and Mary Gilstrap are as follows:

Charity Gilstrap b. 1762, Craven Co, NC; d. after 1850, Craven Co, NC
Nancy Gilstrap b. 1764, Craven Co, NC; d. unk. in KY
Richard Gilstrap b. 05/06/1768, Craven Co, NC; d. 12/18/1835, Salem, IN
Benjamin Gilstrap b. 1766, Craven Co, NC; d. 1805, Louisville, Jefferson, KY
Hardy Gilstrap b. 10/10/1766,Craven Co,NC;d.12/07/1829,Pickens Co, SC
Lewis Wiley Gilstrap b. 1770, Union Co, NC; d. 05/21/1854, Pickens Co, SC
Ellender (Nellie) Gilstrap b. 1772, New Bern, Craven, NC; d. 1832, Maury Co, TN
Polly (Mary) Gilstrap b. 1774, New Bern, Craven Co, NC; d. 1805, SC
Bright Gilstrap b. 1776, Craven Co, NC; d. 12/23/1835, Randolph Co, MO
Wealthy Gilstrap b. 1778, Craven Co, NC; d. 1825
Winifred Gilstrap b. 1785, Craven Co, NC; d. 08/15/1838, Lawrence Co, IN

Lewis Wiley Gilstrap, with his brother Hardy, migrated westward across the state of North Carolina and into the Pendleton District of South Carolina in about 1803 or 1804. After the death of their parents it seems that the children of Peter Jr. and Mary scattered in many directions. Lewis and Hardy moved to the "back country" area their father had mentioned in his will. Others headed on a more northwesterly track towards Kentucky, Missouri and Arkansas. Lewis married Elizabeth Maxwell (b. Oct. 20, 1771 in Duplin Co., NC, d. 1854 in Pickens Co. SC) in Duplin County, North Carolina on April 22, 1790. A copy of their marriage bond is still on file at the office of Duplin County Registrar of Deeds, in Kenansville, North Carolina. Lewis and Elizabeth Maxwell Gilstrap had nine children.

Wiley Rufus Gilstrap b. Dec 18, 1793(?) in NC d. Nov 22, 1879, White Co. GA
Eleanor (Nellie) Gilstrap b. September 10, 1795 d. unk
Zilpha Gilstrap b. July 1797 in NC d. unk
Bright Gilstrap b. 1799 in NC d. February 11, 1877
John Wesley Gilstrap b. Sept 17, 1802 in NC d. August 22, 1875
William Maxville Gilstrap b. Sept 10, 1805 in NC d. May 14, 1871 Forsyth Co, GA
Jennie G. Gilstrap b. 1807 d. <1859
Mary Elizabeth Ann Gilstrap b. 1809 in SC d. 1884, Pickens Co, SC
Sarah Gilstrap b. 1810 in SC
Wiley was born on December 18th, probably in 1793, and he died November 29,
1879. For some of the reasons noted earlier, there is some confusion about his
birth year, and he is shown in several places with his birth year ranging from
1792 to 1799. His headstone is clearly readable on the upper half but becomes
so deteriorated towards the bottom that it is unreliable. I made two visits to
his headstone about ten years apart and my notes from those visits show that I
deciphered the date differently each time, first as 1793 and then as 1799. The
reason I settled on 1793 as Wiley's birth year is because in the censuses where
Wiley is enumerated individually, he provides his own age and it always dates
back to 1793. Specifically, in the 1850 White County, Georgia census he states
his age as 57. In the 1860 census he states his age as 67, and 1870 as 77. The
1880 Census Mortality Schedule lists Wiley's age as 87 at the time of his death
just a few months before. Although Wiley was actually 86 at the time of his
death he was less than three weeks from his 87th birthday.

South Carolina did not require records of birth, death and marriage before 1915,
so our potential resources in those areas are limited to things such as
newspaper announcements, church records, or family bibles. Unfortunately, I
haven't had much luck in those areas. I contacted the Furman University Library
in Greenville, SC, which has a program to collect and microfilm records such as
membership rolls and minutes from old Baptist Churches in South Carolina. There
were no records on Wiley, but this is probably because he was a Methodist.

The Gilstrap family in early 1800s South Carolina attended Bethlehem Methodist
Church, which was established about 1803 in the area that is southeast of the
town of Pickens, South Carolina. I also contacted the Sandor-Texler Library at
Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Wofford College is a Methodist
founded school and their library has a program preserving records of Methodist
Churches in South Carolina. I had no luck there either because their records
only date back to 1837. There are Gilstraps in their records, but Wiley moved
to Georgia before 1833. The Pitts Theology Library of Emory University in
Atlanta is the repository for the records of the North Georgia Conference of the
United Methodist Church. No records of Wiley there either. As I mentioned
earlier, Wiley kept a low profile.

I did find one record in the Maxwell Family Bible. This was the family Bible of
Wiley's maternal Grandparents, William Maxwell and Elizabeth Grayson Croom
Maxwell. Recorded in it are the births of four of the children of their
daughter Elizabeth Maxwell Gilstrap - they are Wiley Gillstrap, Nelle Gillstrap,
Zilpha Gillstrap, and John Gilstrap. Wiley's birthday is written as "December
the 18th day of 17**". The mystery continues because the last two digits of
the date are unreadable.

Probably the most relied upon type of record available to a genealogist is the
once per decade census. The first Federal census occurred in 1790. They give
us a snapshot of a household as it existed on that day and a set of facts we can
analyze. Prior to 1850, the census takers only listed the name of the head of
household and no one else. Other family members and guests were included in
columns categorizing occupants by gender and age ranges.

The 1810 Pendleton District of South Carolina census lists the household of
Lewis Gilstrap. Lewis had a total of five free white males and four free white
females in his house at the time. No slaves or free persons other than white
are indicated. The census categories show that there were two males between the
ages of 10 and 16 in the household. This gives us our first inkling of Wiley
Gilstrap. We can assume that one of these young boys is our Wiley since he
would have been 16 at the time the census was taken that year. The other male
in this age bracket is probably his brother Bright.

Luckily South Carolina did have some record keeping requirements, and Lewis
Gilstrap is known to have purchased 250 acres in 1812 in the Pendleton District
in what is now known as the Wolf Creek section of Pickens County, South
Carolina. The Wolf Creek area is just outside the city limits of present day
Pickens, South Carolina, on the southwest side. According to a descendant of
Lewis' brother Hardy Gilstrap, when Hardy came to this area he purchased his
land directly from the Cherokee Indians. Hardy's descendants still live on
some of this land.

Lewis Gilstrap continued living in South Carolina and is shown still living in
Pickens County in the 1850 Federal census, but in an area that is now known as
Little Eastatoe Valley, a little north of the Wolf Creek area. The Little
Eastatoe Valley area is off of SC Highway 11 near a Post Office community named
Sunset, South Carolina. It can be assumed Lewis was a farmer since he is shown
in the 1850 South Carolina Agricultural Federal Census as owning livestock and
having stores of oats, tobacco, and Indian corn. Lewis died on May 21, 1854.
It is believed that Lewis and Elizabeth are buried in a cemetery known in early
times as the Friendship Methodist Episcopal Church in the same area where he
lived.

In 1819, Lewis sold 146 acres of his land to his son Wiley. Wiley was at that
time a young man of about 26. In the 1820 census of the Pendleton District of
South Carolina, the household of Wiley Gilstrap is counted. The census lists
household occupants of two males and two females in the age group from 26 to 45,
one female over age 45, one female in the age bracket 16 to 26, and two males
under the age of ten. Because no names or relationships or any other
identifying facts are included for the individuals, we cannot say who the
individuals are. There are no slaves listed. Wiley would have been age 27 at
the time of this census. He may have had a wife and children, but the evidence
for it is confusing, and there is some evidence against it. It is, however,
believed by many that Wiley was married during this time in South Carolina and
that he had two sons, John J. and Hardy, who were born before 1820 and a third
son, Yancey who was born during 1820, probably after the census was taken. If
all of this is true then these individuals - Wiley, his wife, and two sons -
would all fit into the age brackets of the individuals listed in the census.
This, however, leaves one other adult male and three adult females unaccounted
for. Other later censuses show Wiley as having a number of relatives from his
extended family living with him, and this could have been the case here as well.

Wiley Gilstrap received a land grant of 411 acres on February 4, 1822. This
land was a grant from the state of South Carolina and is described in the survey
papers as being "situate(d) in Pendleton District on branches of Wolfe Creek
waters of 12 Mile Creek or River, bounded SW & SE by lands laid out to Abraham
Duke, SW & NW by lands belonging to William Cox, all other sides by John
Tatoms…" This land does not appear to be adjacent to the property sold to him
by his father in 1819. It would be assumed that Wiley sold this land and the
land he bought from his father, with its adjoining land described below, before
moving to Georgia. There is no record to show Wiley sold any property in the
time period surrounding his departure from South Carolina, around 1832. There
is one record, however, dated January 11, 1858, where Wiley signs a Release for
the 411 acres he received by the land grant in 1822. The Pickens County, South
Carolina record shows that Wiley Gillstrap signed the Release to T. Edwin Ware,
Trustee of Mary Ann Davenport. The likely answer for why this Release was done
is that Wiley sold the land to Ms. Davenport years before but the sale was never
recorded. For some reason, possibly her death, proper documentation of
ownership had to be obtained by the Trustee.

On January 25, 1825, Wiley is shown as one of the purchasers of land from the
estate auction of John Tatum. The account does not say how much property was
sold, but there were seventeen other buyers of portions of Mr. Tatom's land,
including Wiley's brother John Gilstrap. As noted above, John Tatom's land
adjoined the land Wiley obtained from South Carolina as a land grant, so Wiley
was probably extending his land some.

In 1826, Pickens County was formed from parts of Pendleton District and
Greenville District. Wiley is listed in the 1830 census of Pickens County,
South Carolina. His household includes one male in the 30 to 40 age group, one
male and one female in the 15 to 20 age group, and one male between ages 5 and
10. Comparison of this household with the one Wiley had in the 1820 census does
not show many similarities. Again, trying to fit these into a family situation
would have Wiley, age 37 at the time, being the male in the 30 to 40 age group.
There is no female in this age group as there was in 1820. A female of age 20
could be a wife, but not the mother of two sons ranging from 5 to 20 years old.
So, once again we just don't know.

To Georgia

We have now arrived at the point in time when Wiley made his decision to move to
Georgia. Looking at what we have thus far, we can only suppose his reasons.
Possibly his wife had died and he wanted to start fresh somewhere else. Maybe
the opportunity for more or better land was there. As explained earlier, land
was opening up in north Georgia at this time that was previously under the
control of the Cherokee Indians. This land was said to be more fertile than the
overworked land of the long settled areas.

Wiley moved to Georgia sometime between November 17, 1830, and November 8, 1832.
I established this time frame from the census records showing Wiley present in
South Carolina on November 17, 1830, when the census was taken, and information
taken from the 1850 census in White County, Georgia, that shows his son John M.
Gilstrap as having been born in Georgia. We know that John M.'s birth date is
November 8, 1832.

The first recorded indication of Wiley's presence in Georgia is contained in a
lawsuit found in the Habersham County Courthouse. Wiley filed a complaint on
May 8, 1834, against John Hefner alleging that a loan of $50.00 was made to
Hefner on January 12, 1833, and was not repaid as agreed. Wiley won the lawsuit
and restitution of the loan and interest was obtained through the Court. The
Court records also show that Vincent Hamilton had signed the note as security
for Mr. Hefner, and both were ordered to bring the money to the Judge at the
October session of the Court to be handed over to Wiley. Hefner paid the
$50.00 debt, interest of $5.12, and court costs of $19.25. I could find no
record of John Hefner either in the Georgia or South Carolina censuses in that
time period, so we don't know who he was or his relation to Wiley.

Next we find that Wiley has begun to purchase land. According to Court records,
Wiley eventually accumulates 625 acres in the Mossy Creek area of Habersham
County, as follows:

11/20/1833 - bought from Wm. Satterfield 150 acres in Land Lot 28, 2nd District for $300.00

07/28/1834 - bought from Wm. Satterfield 150 acres in Land Lot 28, Eastern half of 2nd District for $350.00

12/03/1836 - bought from James Smith 120 acres in Land Lot 45, 2nd District for $200.00

01/19/1844 - bought from John Ferguson 375 acres for $75.00

02/11/1845 - sold to John Ferguson 375 acres known by Lot No. 69, 52 & 63, 2nd District, no price

02/18/1847 - bought from Wm. O'Kelley 250 acres in Land Lot 46, 2nd District for $250.00

03/28/1848 - Sold to Cary Cox 50 acres in Land Lot 46, 2nd District for $25.00

01/05/1854 - bought from John M. O'Dell 5 acres in Land Lot 45, 2nd District for $25.00

While these purchases and sales add up to 625 acres, Wiley lists his acreage in
several places as being 470 acres. In the 1860 Agricultural Census, he
delineates his acreage as 100 acres of improved land and 370 acres unimproved.
Any sale of the difference of 155 acres is not indicated in White County
records. It is possible that the first two purchases from Wm. Satterfield were
the same piece of land. The descriptions showing the "butting and bounding"
points appear identical, but there are separate dates and differing prices. It
would make things match, though, if we could take away one of the 150 acre
purchases and the 5 acre purchase of 1854, which is in a different Land Lot and
not connected to the other tracts.

Wiley followed the Gold Rush in Georgia by 4 or 5 years, so it is doubtful that
gold was his goal. Also, the Gold Belt was several miles north of the Mossy
Creek area of Habersham (later White) County where he settled. He is always
shown in the census records as a farmer.

Wiley was apparently a member of the Mossy Creek Methodist Church, located just
south of Cleveland on Post Road. The Church was established in 1821 and met in
a building of hewn logs until 1878. There are no membership rolls that go back
that far, but Wiley and other members of his family are buried in the oldest
section of the cemetery there. When Wiley died, his will indicates that his
property included a piece of land inside the Mossy Creek Campground. The Mossy
Creek Campground is nearby the Mossy Creek Methodist Church and was used mostly
by the Methodists in those days as a religious meeting area for their annual
Camp Meetings. The original deed for the campground is dated 1833, just about
the time Wiley settled nearby.

Annual Camp Meetings were scheduled usually in August because the crops were in
by then and a week of rest could be scheduled. Within the campground property
were lots that were used only during the annual Camp Meeting. Families who had
camp ground lots would stay there for the duration of the meeting, which lasted
for about a week. Most lots had a tent or simple cabin with primitive
facilities on them where families would stay. This was the practice because in
those days it would take most families more than a day by wagon to get to the
Camp Meeting. It was not possible to travel back and forth each day, so camping
there was a necessity. Tent holders brought with them furnishings and ample
food supplies, including coops of chickens and maybe even a cow to milk. I
contacted one of the current trustees of the Mossy Creek Campground and he
explained that the original deed of the camp ground from 1833 shows that it
contains 35 acres, but there is no provision for actual ownership of lots inside
the camp ground , so Wiley's claim to property there was probably based on
eldership or longevity in the church. In his will, Wiley leaves the campground
lot to his wife to use for her lifetime, and then it would pass to his grandson,
M. H. Gilstrap.

Habersham County court records contain several other mentions of Wiley Gilstrap.
As usual, the spellings vary and will be shown here as it is written in the
records. Entries found there include:

Minutes of Superior Court, October 1842 term - Wyly Gillstrap drawn to serve as
a Grand Juror at the next term. Court session of April 10, 1843, Judge Junius
Hillyer enters a fine of $10.00 against Wily Gillstrap for not reporting for
jury duty.

Minutes of Superior Court, April 1850 term - Wiley Gillstrap drawn to serve as a
Petit Juror at the October term. Minutes of October 14, 1850, Judge James
Jackson swears in Petit Jury #1, which includes Wiley Gilstrap as juror #2.
Court lasted one week.

Minutes of Superior Court, April 1852 term - Wiley Gillstrap drawn to serve as a
Grand Juror at the October term. Minutes of October 11, 1852, Judge James
Jackson swears in the Grand Jury, which includes Wily Gillstrap as juror #10.
The Grand Jury issues a report at the end of the session called a Grand Jury
Presentment detailing some interesting facts about conditions in the county at
the time with recommendations for improvements. A copy of their report, signed
by all the jurors including Wiley, is Attachment 4.

Minutes of Inferior Court, January 1855 term - Wyley Gilstrap drawn to serve as
a Juror at the July term. Court session of 2nd Monday in July, 1855, Wiley was
not chosen to serve.

I found one other mention of Wiley in court records around this time, though it
was back in South Carolina. The October 1837 jury list of Pickens County, South
Carolina indicates Wiley Gilstrap as "NF". This notation means that he was on
the jury list from previous times but was "Not Found" in the District for the
current session. He had obviously moved to Georgia by this time. In the same
record book are found entries for Wiley's brothers Bright (served on Grand Jury
October 1845), John (served on Petit Jury of Common Pleas October 1840, March
1847, and October 1848), and William (served on Petit Jury March and October
1840, and Grand Jury October 1845).

Changes in the area

White County was created in 1857, with changes in the boundaries being made up
until 1874. The county seat of Cleveland did not exist until that time. Almost
on the same spot was the village of Mount Yonah. Mount Yonah is described in
1845 in the Statistics of the State of Georgia as having three stores, one
blacksmith's shop, one tailor, one hotel, one distillery, one school and one
church, with a population of about seventy. Things organized fast for the new
county, and the site for the courthouse was determined first. Property for the
courthouse and the downtown area of Cleveland was purchased from local families
by the new county. Land surrounding the Courthouse site was surveyed off in one
quarter acre lots and sold to local businessmen and merchants for $300 each.
Next the county was organized into districts known as Militia Districts. White
County, probably more than any other county, thinks of itself in terms of these
districts. They are District 427, Nacoochee; District 558, Tesentee; District
721, Blue Creek; District 836, Town Creek; District 861, Mount Yonah; District
862, Shoal Creek; and District 426, Mossy Creek.

Wiley's land was in the southern part of White County to the west of Highway
129, with Westmoreland Road now passing through the middle of it. The land is
mostly in the Mossy Creek District, but partly in the Shoal Creek District. As
shown earlier in the land purchases and sales, Wiley's place had at least 470
acres. I have visited the area, and while certainly in different uses now than
all those years ago, it is pretty hilly and would be hard to farm. In the 1860
and 1867 Agriculture Censuses, Wiley indicates only 100 acres of improved land
and the rest as unimproved land.


First there was Letticia, and then there was Letticia

Wiley was married at least twice, and possibly three times. As discussed
earlier, the 1820 census indicates two males and two females in the age group
from 26 to 45 in Wiley's household. We can assume that he is one of the males,
being age 27 at that time, and that one of the females could be his wife since
there are also children present. Being at least age 26 would have her (wife)
born no later than 1794. As noted earlier, the 1830 census doesn't indicate a
female member of Wiley's household in this age bracket. If Wiley did have a
wife before then, she may have died before that time.

Wiley is buried in the old section of the Mossy Creek Methodist Church Cemetery.
Buried next to him is Letticia Gilstrap. Her gravestone shows that she was born
February 2, 1802, and died October 9, 1858. So, she is about 9 or 10 years
younger than Wiley and would not have been one of the females in the age range
from 26 to 45 shown in the 1820 census. She does however, fit into the 1820
census of Wiley's household as the female in the age range 16 to 26. She would
have been 18 at the time, and this leaves a possibility of her being Wiley's
wife at the time. However, if that were so, she could not be the mother of
those thought by some to be Wiley's older children, and it would also not
explain her absence from the 1830 census.

Back to the graveyard. Buried on Letticia's other side at Mossy Creek is
Margaret Hamilton (b. 12/20/1786, d. 10/17/1856). In the row before and in
front of Wiley, Letticia, and Margaret respectively are J.C. Hamilton (b.
2/14/1782, d. 3/26/1874), Ellender, Wife of J.C. (b. unk, d. 1/26/1861), and
Nancy, daughter of J.C. (b. unk, d. 3/14/1878). This situation of the graves
leads me to believe that Letticia was a Hamilton and possibly the daughter of
J.C. and Ellender Hamilton.

The 1840 census for Habersham County shows the household of "Wiley Gilshap".
This misspelling in the index books is apparently there because of the
handwriting mistake of the census taker. On the census sheets the census taker
did not cross the "t". That along with the uncrossed "t" being close in
proximity to the following letter "r", gives the appearance of an "h", and
therefore Gilshap happens. The census information for this year shows Wiley's
household containing eight people. There is one male in the age range from 40
to 49 years old. Wiley would have been 47 at this time so this individual is
most likely him. Other males include one in the age range from 15 to 19, one in
the age range 5 to 9, and one under 5 years old. The females listed include one
in the age range 30 to 39 years old. This is probably Letticia as she would be
37 at this time. Other females included are one in the age range 50 to 59, one
in the age range from 15 to 19, and one slave in the age range 10 to 23. I feel
certain we have identified Wiley and Letticia, and two sons later identified as
John M. and William H. account for the two males in the under 5 and 5 to 9 year
old categories. The others, except for the female slave, are unaccounted for.

The 1850 census for Habersham County includes the household of "Wyley Gitstrap".
The handwriting of the census taker shows that this time a long line crosses
both the "l" and the "t" and makes the name appear as "Gitstrap". It is listed
this way in the census index books. We can be sure this is our Wiley because of
his age at the time, 57, and his birthplace listed as NC. His occupation is
shown as Farmer. Beginning with this census we get a lot more detailed
information about household members instead of just their gender and age range.
Wiley has listed a wife, L.M., at age 47 with a birthplace of SC. Her age here
matches the headstone information of Letticia Gilstrap in the Mossy Creek
Cemetery. The census goes on to list a male, J.M., at age 18, and a male, W.H.,
at age 15, both born in Georgia. Also listed is Matilda Hamilton who is called
an "inmate" in Wiley's household. Inmate does not indicate any type of
confinement and just means houseguest. Matilda is 27 at the time and her
relationship to Wiley's family is unknown. However, her presence further backs
up the assumption that Letticia was a Hamilton. Also, because of Matilda's age
she could be the female in the 15 to 19 age group listed in Wiley's household in
the 1840 census discussed previously. I have found no further record of Matilda
Hamilton.

Based on the above, Letticia is most likely the first wife of Wiley and the
mother of his two sons born in Georgia. Letticia died in 1858 at the age of 56
of unknown causes.

Now for the most puzzling name involved. White County Probate Court records
show that after Letticia's death in 1858 Wiley married again, on April 28, 1860.
Who was the lucky lady? Why, it was Letticia Hamilton. Although her name is
spelled Letysia in the Marriage License book, it shows up elsewhere and later as
Letticia. This Letticia is not such a mystery and is known to have been born
sometime around 1826-1827. She is the daughter of James C. Hamilton and Nellie
Gilstrap Hamilton. Nellie (sometimes Mellie or Millie) Gilstrap was a daughter
of Hardy Gilstrap and Anna Carlton Gilstrap. Hardy, mentioned earlier, was the
brother of Wiley's father, Lewis Wiley Gilstrap. These relationships,
therefore, show that Letticia is Wiley's first cousin once removed.

The 1860 census of White County shows Wiley at age 67 and Lethy (Letticia) at
age 34. Wiley's birthplace is again NC and Letticia's is SC. Wiley states he
is a Farmer with real estate valued at $2,500 and a personal estate value of
$11,675. This is a very large amount and makes Wiley one of the wealthiest
people in White County. Other information on this census form indicates that
Wiley and Letticia have been married less than a year, and that both Wiley and
Letticia cannot read or write. Also in the household then were John M.
Gilstrap, age 26, and William H. Gilstrap, age 24. John M. does not list any
real estate, but he does give a personal estate value of $1250. Also living
with Wiley at this time is Elender Glaze, age 64. She is Wiley's sister who
married David Glaze, b. c1788, and probably deceased at this time. Also there
are John R. Youngblood , listed as a Day Laborer, and Jane Youngblood. John
Robert and Jane E. Youngblood were the children of Jennie Gilstrap Youngblood,
who was another of Wiley's sisters. Jennie died in 1859 and Wiley apparently
took the two children in. John was 21 years old and Jane was 18 in 1860.

Letticia was 33-34 years younger than Wiley and it does not appear they had any
children together. Some earlier researchers have speculated that Wiley and
Letticia had ten or eleven children, but that appears to have come from
misinterpretation of the 1870 census records by those researchers. For some
reason they seem to have credited Wiley and Letticia with having as their
children James and Elizabeth Gilstrap and their six children, ages 9 years to 5
months at the time of the 1870 census. James was descended through the line of
Hardy Gilstrap, Wiley's uncle, and according to later censuses he had moved his
family to Georgia in 1869. He and Elizabeth are present in Pickens County,
South Carolina in 1860 with no children. They went on to have eleven children
and they show up in subsequent censuses with their children in White County.

When Wiley died he left a portion of his estate to his wife. In the list of
items he names for her, one of the things he specifically mentions is "the
clothing that belonged to my first wife". It is because of this statement from
him that I believe Wiley was only married twice, to the Letticia Hamiltons.

After Wiley's death in 1879 Letticia is in the 1880 White County census. Living
with her are nephews Harrison Hamilton (20) and David Payne (12), and niece
Ellen Payne (17). After that I have found no mention of her again in any
records. Many of the Hamiltons of White County moved to Arkansas in the late
1800s. Letticia may have moved there with them.

Slaves

Yes, Wiley owned slaves. Beginning with the 1850 census, a separate census
record known as the Slave Schedule was kept for each county. Prior to that
time, the census form itself included a column for slaves, noting their number
along with their age and gender. No records indicate that Wiley owned slaves
prior to 1840 in Georgia or while he lived in South Carolina. In the 1840
census Wiley's household included 8 people. Because there are no names listed,
I'm not sure who they all are, but for the purposes of this section, there is a
column showing one slave. She was female and in the age bracket of 10 to 23
years old. The 1850 Habersham County Slave Schedule lists Wyly Gilstrap and
shows him the owner of three slaves: one male, age 25; one female, age 22; and
one male child, age 1. Because no names are listed we don't know if this
female slave in 1850 is the same one shown in 1840, but her age makes it a
possibility.

The 1860 White County Slave Schedule again shows Wiley Gilstrap with slaves,
four this time, but these do not appear to be any of the ones from the 1850
report. The 1860 schedule shows one female, age 30; and three male children,
ages 9, 8 and 7.

No other information has been found regarding these slaves. We can assume they
were freed during or after the Civil War and moved away. The 1867 Voters'
Registration book for White county contains a Freedmen section. Nothing can be
derived from the records to tie back to Wiley's slaves.

As a matter of reference for the value of slaves at the time, the estate
inventory of a White Countian in April 1859 includes several slaves with their
estimated value. It lists a 20 year old female with a $1,000 value, and children
ranging in age from eight to eighteen months with values from $600 to $200 each.


Wiley's Later Years

We don't know much about Wiley's later years other than what we can gather from
census records and a few other records.

Under the Reconstruction Act of 1867 all voters in the former "Rebellion States"
had to register and swear allegiance to the United States before they were
allowed to vote again. In the Microfilm Library of the Georgia Archives are the
Oath Books and the 1867 Voter Returns. Wiley Gilstrap signed, with his mark as
usual, his oath on August 1, 1867. The 1867 Voters' Registration book for
White county shows Wiley is registered and approved to vote with reference to
his Oath by book and page number.

Wiley continued on as a farmer according to the census records. He had a farm
of 470 acres but only 100 acres are improved land that can be farmed. In 1860
Wiley has two sons, one nephew, and four slaves to tend to the farm work, but
after the Civil war these are gone. It is apparent that he was able to continue
to farm from information in the Agricultural Census of 1870. Wiley was known to
have other family members live with him from time to time and they could have
contributed to the farm labor.

Wiley Gilstrap last shows up in public records in the 1880 Mortality Census. It
shows his death as being from Dropsy (a heart ailment) after an illness lasting
45 days. Wiley's will was written on March 31, 1879, and was probated in White
County on January 5, 1880. C. H. Kytle, a name not familiar in relation to
Wiley other than in this instance, is the Administrator of the will. As
mentioned earlier, Wiley's name in the probated copy of the will is shown as
Rufus W. Gilstrap. For that reason I overlooked his will for several years
before correctly identifying it. I cannot explain why his name was shown
reversed that way unless he was commonly called by his middle name but used his
given first name on most documents. I doubt that due to a reference in the
Minutes of the White County Board of Education on August 8, 1899 that refers to
the possibility of a school "being established near Wiley Gilstrap's old place
in Mossy Creek district". The most likely reason would be a mistake by the
transcriber into the county records. I am sure that this is his will because of
his bequeaths to his wife Letticia and Grandson Milton H. Gilstrap.

An inventory of Wiley's assets was not taken to settle his estate. This was not
done at his request. Wiley's will contains a pretty good inventory of the major
items as he lists them and his wishes for who they are to go to. There are only
two people to whom Wiley leaves his estate, his "beloved wife Lettica" and his
"beloved Grandson Milton H. Gilstrap". Wiley divided the property and household
items between his wife and grandson. Wiley added the stipulation that at
Letticia's death everything he had left to her would then go to his grandson,
thereby making his grandson the eventual heir to his entire estate.


Some events that happened during Wiley's lifetime Just to put into perspective
the time period during which Wiley lived, consider the following things that
occurred during his lifetime.

Presidents who served: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James
Madison, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin van Buren, William Harrison,
John Tyler, James Polk, Millard Filmore, Zachary Taylor, Franklin Pierce, James
Buchanan, Jefferson Davis (CSA), Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses Grant,
William Wheeler.

The following states were only territories before, but became states during his
lifetime: Tennessee (1796), Ohio (1803), Louisiana (1812), Indiana (1816),
Mississippi (1817), Illinois (1818), Alabama (1819), Maine (1820), Missouri
(1821), Arkansas (1836), Michigan (1837), Florida (1845), Texas (1845), Iowa
(1846), Wisconsin (1848), California (1850), Minnesota (1858), Oregon (1859),
Kansas (1861), West Virginia (1863), Nevada (1864), Nebraska (1867), Colorado
(1876).

Famous people who lived during his lifetime: Ludwig van Beethoven, Napoleon
Bonaparte, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allen Poe, Hans Christian Anderson, Leo
Tolstoy, Mark Twain
Events:
Louis & Clark Expedition 1804 - 1806

War of 1812 against England

1827-1833: Davy Crockett served as a member of Congress from the state of Tennessee

1833: The telegraph was invented

1835: Trail of Tears - Cherokee Indians driven from Georgia and their land distributed by lottery.

1836: The Battle of the Alamo

1839: The first bicycle was invented

1842: The settlement of six buildings and 30 inhabitants gets a name change,
from "Terminus" to "Marthasville". The town became know as Atlanta in 1845.

1849: California gold rush

1860-1865: Forming of the Confederate States of America and Civil War. Wiley
loses his sons during the war, serving for the Confederacy.

1869: Transcontinental railroad completed.

1876: Battle of Little Big Horn

1879: Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb

Wiley's Children

Wiley has been credited over the years as having had as many as six children;
however, the research I have done on Wiley indicates to me that he had only two
children. These were sons John Milton and William Harrison, both born in White
County, Georgia. I also feel certain that their mother was Letticia (b. 1802,
d. 1858). Other children often attributed to Wiley are Lewis (b. 4/20/1825 d.
2/07/1906), John J. (b. c1824 d. 1866), Yancey (b. c1820 d. 5/06/1864), and
Hardy (b. c1820 d. unk). Even though I do not consider these to be Wiley's
children I have included a brief description for each one.

The reasons I feel certain about the father/sons relationship between Wiley and
John M. and William H. are because of the continuous family situation evident in
the censuses of 1840, 1850 and 1860. John M. and William H. are evident as the
children of Wiley and Letticia. In addition, Wiley acknowledges John M's only
child, Milton Harrison Gilstrap, as his Grandson in his will. He also makes his
grandson the eventual heir to his entire estate, with the exception of a few
personal items specifically left for his wife, and subject to possession of a
portion of the property by his wife until her death (see Attachment 2). Wiley
mentions no other descendants, either children or grandchildren in his will.

Because I am sure that the two youngest on the list are his children, and less
sure about the others, I will start with the youngest.

William Harrison Gilstrap
Father: Wiley Gilstrap Mother: Probably Letticia #1
Born: 1834 GA. Died: May 7, 1865 Baltimore, Maryland
Buried: Mass grave at Loudon Cemetery, Baltimore, Maryland
Married: No Children: None

William H., as I will call him, was Wiley's youngest son. Born in Georgia, he
grew up in the Mossy Creek area of Habersham/White County on his father's farm.
He shows up as a member of the Wiley Gilstrap household in the 1840, 1850 and
1860 censuses. From all indications he lived there on the farm his entire life
until going away to war. Public records do not show that William H. ever owned
any land. His profession is unknown and it is curious that the 1860
Agriculture Census lists his father and brother, John M., as farmers, but does
not list William H. at all. The regular 1850 and 1860 censuses also leave a
blank next to his name in the profession column, although he is an adult.
Again, his brother John M., only two years older, and his father have farmer
listed as their profession. Beyond this the only information we have about
William is one entry in the records of White County and what we can gather from
his military records from the Civil War.

William H. was chosen during the February 1860 term of the White County Inferior
Court to serve as a juror in the June 1860 term. William appeared, answered to
his name and was sworn in as a juror on June 25, 1860.

William H. enlisted in Company G of the 24th Georgia Infantry Regiment on
August 24, 1861, ahead of his older brother by a little over three months.
William was not married and it seems he was more eager to get to this great war
than his brother, John M. Military records obtained from the National Archives
indicate William H. was enlisted in White County, Georgia, by Captain Leonard
for the duration of the war. William H. started his military service as the
drummer for Company G. Oddly enough, military records obtained from the
National Archives indicate that William H. was sick in the hospital from his
enlistment date of August 24th to October 31st of 1861. The next records
available show Private William H. Gilstrap present on the muster roll of Company
G for the periods March & April 1864, and May & June, 1864. William H. is
promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on August 24, 1864, by Brig. Gen Wofford. A copy of
Special Order No. 58 announcing the promotion is included in the National
Archives records. The muster roll shows that 2Lt. W. H. Gilstrap was present
with the company in July & August 1864. Also included in the records is a
payroll statement for William H. for the period September 1 to October 31, 1864,
showing he received two months pay at $80.00 per month on December 7, 1864.

William H. fought through almost the entire war. The remaining records I
obtained from the National Archives relate to his having been wounded, captured
and his death. William H. was first wounded on August 19, 1864, at Farmesville,
Virginia. The nature of his wound is not shown, but events surrounding it may
have led to his promotion to lieutenant a few days later. The history of the
24th Georgia Regiment shows that it was engaged in a campaign known as
Sheridan's Campaign in the Shenandoah Valley, where Farmesville was located,
from August 7th through November 28, 1864.

The 24th Georgia fought in numerous other battles during which William H. was
present. Some of the more well known ones were the siege of Yorktown, VA; the
Seven Days Battles; Second Bull Run (or Second Manassas); Fredricksburg, VA, the
24th being positioned behind the famed stone wall at Mayre's Heights;
Chancellorsville, VA; and Gettysburg, PA. The records then show that William H.
was wounded at a battle known as Sailor's Creek (or Saylor's Creek) on April 6,
1865. This was one of the final battles of the war and Robert E. Lee's last
major battle. After being bested on the battlefield the Confederate army
retreated and nearly one-fourth of the infantrymen were captured. This battle
was considered the death knell of the Confederate army and upon seeing the few
survivors straggling down the road, Lee is reported to have said, "My God, has
the army dissolved?" There were 9,980 combined casualties from this battle.
William H. received a gunshot wound in the middle one-third of his left leg that
fractured both bones. He was captured and admitted to the 2nd Division of Depot
Field Hospital at City Point, Virginia, where splints were applied to his leg.
He was transferred via U. S. A. Hospital Steamer Connecticut to U. S. A. General
Hospital, West's Building in Baltimore, Maryland on April 21, 1865. The
transfer record lists him as "W. H. Gilstrap (Reb), 2Lt", hospital patient
number 3617. West's Buildings consisted of a row of six large warehouses. They
were located on Union Dock along which steamboats and other vessels could
unload. As indicated, William was transported there by steamer. 2Lt. W. H.
Gilstrap died on May 7, 1865, "from debility and effects of his wound". He was
buried May 8, 1865, in a mass grave in Loudon Park Cemetery in Baltimore,
Maryland.

General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox,
Virginia Courthouse on April 9, 1865, ending the conflict. After fighting in
many of the major battles of the war, William H. received his mortal wound only
three days before Lee's surrender.

John Milton Gilstrap
Father: Wiley Gilstrap Mother: Probably Letticia #1
Born: November 8, 1832 GA. Died: December 2, 1863, Monroe County, Georgia
Married: Martha Camilla Pascoe Date: August 2, 1860
One child - Milton Harrison Gilstrap b. 1862 in White County, GA


The picture to the left is thought to be John M. Gilstrap, taken around 1860.
John M., as I will call him, was born in Georgia. He also grew up in the Mossy
Creek area of Habersham/White County on his father's farm. He shows up as a
member of the Wiley Gilstrap household in the 1840, 1850 and 1860 censuses.
From all indications he lived there on the farm his entire life until going away
to war. Public records do not show that John M. ever owned any land. In 1860
he is 28 years old and the census indicates he is a Farmer, the same as his
father. His profession as a farmer is made more evident by an inventory in 1865
of his possessions, which include many farm related articles. The Georgia
Agriculture Census of 1860 lists Wiley Gilstrap and John M. Gilstrap in
succession under the columnar heading of "Owner, Agent or Manager of the farm".
Wiley lists 470 acres of land, 100 acres improved and 370 acres unimproved.
John M. doesn't list any land. Wiley lists livestock on hand as 1 horse, 2
mules, 3 milch (milk) cows, 2 other cows, 12 sheep, and 35 pigs. John M. only
lists one mule. Under columns showing produce on hand Wiley lists 500 bushels
of corn, 30 bushels of oats and 25 pounds of wool. John M. lists 600 bushels of
corn and 40 bushels of oats, so he must have been working with his father and
sharing the produce.

John M. was elected as Constable of District 862 (Shoal Creek) for 1853. He
would have been 20 years old when elected. His term ran the calendar year and
he was required to post a Constable Bond of $500. His bond was guaranteed by
Andrew Hamilton (or Hambleton), John Modell, and his father, Wiley Gilstrap.
There are no duties for the Constable position included in the appointment
records, but other research indicates it was not a law enforcement position.
Rather, the Constable served as the legal representative of the Justice of the
Peace and performed such duties as serving summons and warrants. Their
jurisdiction is limited to militia districts within respective counties. Each
Militia District had one Justice of the Peace and one Constable elected
annually. John M. served this one year and county records do not show anything
further on him.

We are fortunate to have a handwritten letter from John M. to his girlfriend
Martha Camilla Pascoe. The letter is dated April 4, 1860, and gives a brief
glimpse of a few of his thoughts as he pursues this romance. Before getting
into the letter, I will explain that John M. and Martha met during the wedding
preparations of John M.'s cousin, John Louis Gilstrap (b. 3/4/1833, d.
9/21/1862), and Martha's next younger sister Grace Elizabeth Pascoe (b.
10/2/1840, d. 1/2/1930). John M. and Martha were both attendants at the
wedding. John Louis and Grace Elizabeth were married on April 7, 1859, in
Forsyth County. John Louis lived in Cherokee County, Georgia, and his father
was William Maxwell Gilstrap, younger brother by 10 years of Wiley. The Pascoe
family also lived in Cherokee County. John Lewis died of illness while serving
in the Confederate Army. They had one daughter, Mary E. Gilstrap (b. 1860,
married John W. Hawkins) and one son, John L. (Bud) Gilstrap (b. August 1862).
Grace Elizabeth apparently did not remarry, as evidenced by a letter she wrote
on September 1, 1926, to her niece Josie Bowen Simmons, one of Martha's
daughters, which she signs "your Aunt, G. E. Gilstrap". She did apply for and
receive a widow's pension based on John L.'s Confederate service.

A study of the John M/Miss Martha letter shows some interesting facts. John M.
is apparently well enough educated for the time given the fact that he can write
at all. Even through misspellings and mid-nineteenth-century dialect his
thoughts and feelings come through to the reader. John M. states in his letter
that he has written Martha three prior letters and this letter is in response to
her second letter to him. He and Martha had known each other for a little over
a year at this time. It is obvious from the letter that John M. is very much in
love with Martha and has pretty much decided on marriage. Throughout the letter
he recalls her beauty. He mentions that she is the only thing on his mind and
he is reminded of her "turns and actions he likes so well" and tells her that he
cannot stop thinking about her to the point of dreaming she is there with him.
They have apparently not visited each other many times, but living about 50
miles apart at the time makes this understandable. After all, travel was by
horseback or wagon over dirt roads. Long distance relationships like this were
not uncommon and correspondence went a long way towards building the
relationships. John M. mentions that he had visited Martha's area before and he
apparently knows some folks in her area. He may have gone to that area before
due to his cousins and uncle living in the same area. Towards the end of the
letter, and after dancing all around the subject of love and marriage, he writes
to her that should she wish to keep company with any other young men then she
should do so. But, if she was to slight these other young men they should think
that she has slighted them for him. He adds, "Especially those hoo are
acquainted with me".

John M. states that there was a wedding "in our neighborhood last tuesday night"
and he adds that the bride was "the girl that I used to fly around with". We
can assume that this means she was formerly his girlfriend. The Tuesday prior
to the letter would be either April 3, the day before, or March 27, eight days
before. Review of the marriage records in the White County Probate Office shows
only one wedding during that week. William K. Wilkerson married Sarah Ann Nix
on Sunday, April 1. Because the date does not match the letter's description
this may not be the wedding John M. is referring to. An interesting phrase he
has used here is "in our neighborhood" which doesn't seem to fit in a rural
setting. John M. also mentions in the part about his dream that Martha is there
"with me at our house" and "we were all setting a round". This tells us that he
was not living alone and was probably living at the house of his father with
other family members, including his younger brother William. He also gives some
descriptive clues about Martha. Aside from the fact that she is "as swete as
ever" he mentions she has blue eyes, rosey cheeks and a clear voice. We have
some additional description of Martha at age 21 from another source as "a
beautiful woman, an artist who made her own clothes" , and as "raven haired".

At the end of the letter he comes as close to a marriage proposal as he could
without actually saying it. I get the feeling he is looking for some indication
of her willingness before he takes that step, and that he does not want to ask
her in a letter. As he says, "I cannot right to explain myself as if I could
se(e) you". John M. and Martha Camilla Pascoe were married on August 2, 1860,
only four months after this letter. Who would disagree that on his next visit
to see Miss Martha that he asked her to marry him?

About their wedding we know nothing. There is no record of a marriage license
in White County and the County Courthouse in Cherokee County, where Martha was
from, was burned by Union troops in 1865 so we don't have any records from
there. Of the marriage itself we also know nothing.

John M. joined up to serve the Confederacy on December 1, 1861. He followed
younger brother William and cousin John R. Youngblood, who joined the same unit
on August 24, 1861. Their unit was Company G of the 24th Georgia Infantry
Regiment. Company G was mustered in Gainesville in Hall County even though a
lot of its recruits were from White County. The roster of Company G shows that
most of the unit mustered in on August 24, 1861. A second and smaller group
joined on December 1, 1861. We don't know exactly why John M. did not join up
with his brother and cousin in August, but seeing as how his only son, Milton
Harrison Gilstrap, was born in April 1862, the month of August 1861 had a
significant outcome over time and I, for one, am glad he did not hurry his
enlistment.

The official military records of John M. also show that he was admitted to the
Chimborazo Hospital No. 2 in Richmond, Virginia on February 21, 1863. He is
also on the hospital register on February 22nd and the reason for his admission,
his "complaint", is shown as diarrhea. Diarrhea was one of the most common
illnesses for Southerners during the war due to their lack of proper food
supplies and the poor sanitary conditions. It was also the most common cause of
death due to disease during the war. A soldier from Company C of the 24th
Georgia, E. H. Sutton, put in his personal recollections of the War that in late
1862 "Many of us were afflicted with diarrhea, which had become chronic and was
wasting us away until we were so weak we could barely keep going". John M.'s
name on the February 22nd record shows his last name as "Gilssap". He remained
at Chimborazo for about two months and he was transferred on April 18, 1863, to
the CSA General Hospital at Danville, Virginia, suffering from the same
complaint. He was returned to duty on August 18, 1863. After that there is no
other mention of John M. in military records. His recovery must not have been
to a state of good health because he died less than four months later in another
hospital, and not as a result of battle.

The story most often told about the circumstances of the death of John M. is
that he died at the Forsyth County Courthouse. His wife, Martha, and her father
are said to have driven a horse and wagon there to retrieve his body and bring
it home for burial. Forsyth County is but two counties south of White County
and only about 30 miles away. This seemed a plausible story until while doing
research I saw one mention that John M. died at the "Forsyth Courthouse" in
Monroe County, Georgia, the city of Forsyth being the county seat of Monroe
County. Further research into Monroe County revealed that the county was
selected as a suitable and safe place by the Confederate States of America to
become a hospital care center for the sick and wounded. As the war grew more
fierce in battle and in the conditions to foster illness, what started as only a
few sick and injured grew to an estimated 20,000. The hospital sites set up in
Forsyth included the Courthouse, the Lumpkin Hotel, the Monroe Female College
(later Tift College), the Hilliard Institute, the Hardee Hospital, the Clayton
Hospital, and several temporary hospitals in the Confederate Hospital Camp which
was set up in a grove of trees. Even stores, churches and private homes were
used at times to house the patients. I found information about a soldier named
Daniel Stevens of Co. C, 66th GA which indicated he became sick while in Dalton,
Georgia and was sent to the Fair Ground Hospital in Forsyth, Georgia. Based on
what I found out about the Forsyth Courthouse in Monroe County, I believe this
to be the most likely place where Miss Martha and her father came to get John
Milton and bring him home.

Whether John M. died in Monroe County or later, after being brought back home
from the hospital there, is not known. There are stories both ways. He died
from the effects of illness brought on by his exposure as a soldier. Personal
accounts from the 24th Georgia are few, but one soldier from Company E recalled
that most of the unit's time was spent around Richmond, VA, and that during his
3 years and 2 months in the 24th he never slept in a bed.

When John M. died as a result of the war he left a wife and one year old son.
He also left a father and a brother with whom he had lived and worked all his
life. Life continued for those left behind and Martha and son continued to live
on the Wiley Gilstrap home place until the war ended. It was in 1865 that
Martha married Helum Bowen and moved to live with him. It must have become
evident at that time that John M.'s personal possessions had to be separated
from Wiley's and passed on in some way to his heirs. Helum Bowen took over as
head of their new family and because John M. had died without a will (intestate)
Helum had himself appointed by the County Ordinary as Administrator of John M.'s
estate on May 7, 1866. Helum had to take an oath and post a $300 bond for this
position. In order to settle an estate there were specific steps to follow
under the law and Helum took those steps and documented his actions.

First a Warrant of Appraisement on the estate was filed on October 27, 1865.
The appraisal was done by three disinterested persons who concluded the estate
was worth $393.38. Next a sale or auction was held and a copy of the Bill of
Sale was filed on August 5, 1866. See Attachment 5 for a listing of the items
sold and the purchasers.

One of the hardest things to get over when reading the sale record is seeing
Martha and Wiley among those purchasing the possessions of their husband and
son. But, that is how an estate without a will was settled in those days.
Everything was sold and the proceeds divided among the heirs. Those heirs were
allowed to purchase items from the estate and the money they paid was later
returned to them, at least in part in that they were heirs, at the division of
the proceeds. The appraisal list shows a desk, bookcase and one lot of books,
but these do not show on the Bill of Sale. Looking at the list of possessions
sold it is clear that John M. was educated, a farmer, and pretty well off. It
is interesting to see among the household items a spinning wheel. Also, three
overcoats, one selling for over $10.00. He must have been a pretty sharp
dresser to have a coat like that. There is a shotgun, a rifle, and a revolver
pistol. Among the list of livestock and farming related items is a curious list
of something called "Bee Gums", seven of them with sale prices ranging from $.35
to $2.10.

John M. was apparently keeping bees for their honey. My research found that Bee
Gums were a method of bee keeping peculiar to the South for over 200 years.
Bee gums were made from sections of hollow trees and were used as bee hives up
until the 20th century. They were called "gums" because they often were sections
from red gum trees. A farmer would pick out a section of a decayed tree trunk
and saw off two foot sections. He would then clear out the decayed wood from
around the hollow section with a long chisel, and near the middle bore four
holes through which two sticks would be inserted at right angles to each other.
These horizontal sticks acted as supports from which the bees suspended their
brood combs. Sections of the hollow trees were set upright in "bee yards" or
apiaries.

The sale brought a total of $383.48, very close to what the appraisers
estimated. After payment of fees and costs of conducting the sale, on July 6,
1867, the remainder of $337.16 was divided evenly between Martha and her son.
On July 10, 1867, Helum Bowen was appointed guardian for Milton Harrison
Gilstrap. Helum kept the child's portion of the estate in trust until Milton
Harrison reached age 21. He filed annual returns with the county detailing any
transactions during the year including the interest earned on the estate and
costs of board, clothing and schooling for the child. In reviewing the annual
returns it is interesting to note that every year the amount of interest earned
was exactly what it cost to feed, cloth and educate Milton Harrison. In 1884
the final return was filed by Helum and it showed the estate was handed over to
its rightful heir.

John Milton's grave is in the Mossy Creek Methodist Church cemetery in the old
section. He is buried at the feet of his father and mother, his grave sunken in
over time but clearly marked. The original headstone was readable but beginning
to reach the point of deterioration where it would not be readable, so in 1987 a
new headstone was ordered from the Veterans Administration, based on his
Confederate Service, and placed back to back behind the original stone.

Lewis Gilstrap:
Father: Possibly Wiley Gilstrap Mother: Unknown
Born: April 20, 1825 SC. Died: February 7, 1906, White County, GA
Married: Sarah A. Smith December 8, 1844 in Pickens District, SC
Children:
1. William Jackson Gilstrap b: 1845 in South Carolina
2. Louisa Gilstrap b: 1848
3. John L. Gilstrap b: Abt. 1850
4. Susannah Gilstrap b: Abt. 1852
5. Hardy Ransom Gilstrap b: Abt. 1854
6. David Perry Gilstrap b: September 1856 in Cleveland, White County, GA
7. Thomas Gilstrap b: Abt. 1859
8. Rufus Wiley Gilstrap b: 25 May 1861 in Georgia
9. Robert Harrison Gilstrap b: 18 February 1864 in Rome, Bell, GA
10. Peter Calvin Gilstrap b: 20 October 1866 in White County, GA
Second Marriage: Tennessee Jackson
No children.

Lewis Gilstrap has been thought to be a son of Wiley. It is doubtful to me that
Lewis is Wiley's son; however, some circumstances point to Lewis being a son of
Wiley. Lewis was born in SC in 1825. Wiley was approximately 32 years of age
and living in South Carolina at that time. The 1830 census included in Wiley's
household a male of at least 5 years and less than 10 years. This could have
been Lewis who would have just turned 5 years old at the time of the census.
Lewis later lived in White County, Georgia, close to Wiley, and they apparently
attended the same church.

However, Lewis is married in South Carolina in 1844 at the age of 19. The
marriage announcement in the newspaper, the Pendleton Messenger, describes the
bride and groom as both being lifelong residents of Pickens District, South
Carolina. Wiley is known to have moved to Georgia no later than 1832. These
facts would have Wiley leaving an 8 year old son to live in South Carolina until
sometime after 1844. It does seem clear that Lewis and Wiley were close because
in White County they lived in close proximity and attended the same church.
Lewis named one of his sons Wiley, but so did a lot of other Gilstrap families.
It seems more probable that Lewis was Wiley's nephew.

Lewis and Sarah A. Smith were married in South Carolina before coming to
Georgia. They were married by Rev. William G. Mullinnix and it was announced in
the December 20, 1844, edition of the Pendleton Messenger.

Lewis served in Co. E, 11th Ga Calvary during the Civil War. He returned to
White County to live as a prominent citizen and businessman. Along with Wiley,
Lewis signed an oath to the Union in 1867. He farmed in the Mossy Creek
District and was also involved in the business community in Cleveland. In 1881,
he founded a store on the square in Cleveland with a partner, James A. Nix. The
store was called "Gilstrap and Nix" and the legal description of the lot in the
White county land records places it on the east side of the square facing the
courthouse. This is now the site of Nix Hardware store. Lewis' daughter Louisa
married a member of the Nix family, Joseph Nix.

Lewis shows up numerous times in the White County Courthouse records. Numerous
loans, property transactions and civic duties were noted. Lewis' property was
in the south part of White County close to Hall County. Some of the promissory
notes contained descriptions of Lewis' possessions he had put up as collateral
for the loans. These included stores of crops and farm animals indicating he
was a farmer as well as a businessman.

Two of the items in the Courthouse records were these:

Lewis Gilstrap was chosen during the December 1860 term of the White County
Inferior Court to serve as a juror in the June 1861 term. His name is drawn
along with H.H. Bowen. Lewis and H.H. Bowen were seated as jurors on June 24,
1861.

Inferior Court, June Term 1861: A petition submitted by Lewis Gilstrap on May
6, 1861, was heard by the Court. The petition asks that a new road be made by
way of Lewis Gilstrap's and John Payne's. It states that "Gilstrap's Meeting
Road is stopt up. Said Gilstrap has notified A. W. Smith to open the road and he
refuses to do so." The Inferior Court approved the new road request.

An item in a book about Hall County, Georgia, also pertains to Lewis. It shows
a part of Lewis' industrious and business side. This story was contained in a
book named, The History of Hall County, Volume I, 1818-1900, by James E Dorsey.
The operation of private "distilleries" was not a new thing to the mountains of
Georgia, but after the Civil War was over the revenue laws were more strictly
enforced by law enforcement officials, or "revenuers". This newspaper report in
1878 described the arrest of some White County distillers who were brought to
Gainesville after their arrest:

A gentleman who arrived in this place from Gainesville Wednesday informs us that
Marshall Gaston brought to that city from White County, on Tuesday, eight
revenue prisoners - four white and four colored. The white men whose names were
Lewis Gilstrap and son, and Joseph Cooley and son gave bond, but the Negroes
whose names we did not learn, were remanded to jail in default of bail. Two
barrels of whiskey and three stills were also captured. The parties were
arrested while at work in their distilleries.

Later in his life Lewis applied for and received an Indigent Soldier's Pension
based on his service in the Civil War. The pension was granted showing - "cause
for which pension is granted, Age and Poverty". His service was witnessed by
three others and he received annual payments of $60 from 1896 through 1906.

Lewis marries again after the death of his first wife. He marries Tennessee
Jackson Gilstrap (b. 06/10/1854, d. 02/25/1903). She is buried in the Cleveland
City Cemetery. They did not have any children.

John J. Gilstrap:
Father: Possibly Wiley Gilstrap Mother: Unknown
Born: about 1822-24 SC. Died: 1866
Married: Louisa Jenkins b. 1824 in GA
Children:
1. William D. Gilstrap b: September 5, 1845 in Georgia
2. Mary A. Gilstrap b: 1848 in Georgia
3. Martha Gilstrap b: November 20, 1849 in Georgia
Wiley's wife Letticia would have been about 20 at the time John J. was born.
However; as with Lewis, John J. did not move to Georgia with Wiley in 1832.
John J. would have been about 8 or 10 years old at the time and it seems
unlikely that he would have been left behind like that, especially if Letticia
was his mother. John J. apparently stayed in South Carolina until he moved to
Georgia in time for the 1850 census. Other than being in close proximity to
Wiley in 1850 there is no indication that John J. was a son of Wiley. As in
Lewis' case, it seems more probable that John J. was Wiley's nephew.

John J. is listed in the 1850 White County census as the head of household. He
is 28 years old and his birthplace is shown as SC. That would have him born in
1822. John J. died in 1866, but we don't know where or why. He is not listed
as a soldier in any Georgia units and there are so many John Gilstraps in
military units of other states that it cannot be determined if he served in any
of them.

His wife, Louisa, was a nurse and in 1880 she was living in Sacramento,
California, with her son-in-law Levi A. Stokes and daughter Martha and their
children.

Yancy B. Gilstrap:
Father: Possibly Wiley Gilstrap Mother: Unknown
Born: about 1820 SC. Died: May 6, 1864, Spotsylvania, VA
Married: Nancy E.? March 7, 1839
Six children:
1. Sarah A. Gilstrap b: 1839 in South Carolina
2. Ann W. Gilstrap b: 1842 in Pendleton, SC
3. Delilah A. Gilstrap b: 1843 in South Carolina
4. Rufus Wiley Gilstrap b: November 29, 1844 in Cass County (later Bartow), GA
5. Mary J. Gilstrap b: 1846 in White, Bartow County, GA
6. Andrew Gilstrap b: 1849 in White, Bartow County, GA
7. William Gilstrap b: 1853 in White, Bartow County, GA
Yancey is also thought by some to be a son of Wiley. Yancey B. Gilstrap was
born about 1819-20 in the Pendleton District of South Carolina (Called Pickens
Co. after 1830). Yancey is attributed as one of Wiley's sons based on ages and
proximity, but there is no definite proof. The 1820 census records of Pendleton
District, list four Gilstrap families - Lewis Gilstrap, Hardy Gilstrap, John
Gilstrap, and Wiley Gilstrap. In the 1830 census of Pickens, County SC., the
families of Lewis, Bright, William, Wiley, John and James were listed. The
census records for these years showed names of only the heads of the families,
number of males & females by age categories, and number of slaves. In all
probability, Yancey was one of the children in one of these households.

Wiley's wife Letticia would have been about 18 at the time Yancey was born so
she was of an age where she could have been his mother. However; as with Lewis,
Yancey did not move to Georgia with Wiley in 1832, when he would have been 12
years old. It seems unlikely that he would have been left behind like that,
especially if Letticia was his mother. Yancey apparently stayed in South
Carolina until 1843, after he was married. As in other cases, it seems more
probable that Yancey was Wiley's nephew.

Yancey moved around a lot, beginning with a move to Cass County, Georgia in
about March 1843. Yancey apparently spent some time in the Habersham County
area because he witnessed the signature of Wiley Gilstrap on October 6, 1845, in
a court document at the Habersham County Courthouse.

I also found items in the Habersham County Courthouse mentioning Yancey. The
first was in the minutes of the Superior Court showing that at the October 1847
term he was drawn to serve as a Grand Juror at the next session. There was no
indication that he served in the next session which was in April 1848.

In the Georgia census records, Yancey first appears in the 1850 census of Cass
County (later Bartow Co.). His profession is shown as a farmer, he is 30 years
old, born in South Carolina, and married to Nancy, age 34, also born in South
Carolina. They list seven children ranging in ages from 5 months to nine years.
They were married on February 7, 1839, in South Carolina.

In Habersham County records I found that Yancy B. Gillstrap had a complaint
(lawsuit) filed against him by three others in April 1852. There was no
explanation for the basis of the suit but the end result was that Yancey was in
the wrong and had to pay the following items:

Former Cost $59.62 ½
Jury Fee 3.00
Clerk 2.50
Sheriff 1.25
Witnesses 25.50
Fifa .62 ½
$92.50

In the minutes of the White County Inferior Court, July 1855 term, Yancey
appears again back in Habersham County. Yancey was chosen during the July 1855
term of the Habersham County Inferior Court to serve as a juror in the January
1856 term. His name is spelled in the record as "Yansey Gillstrapt". He was
not selected for any jury during the term.

In 1860, Yancey was back in Cass County, Georgia. In the 1860 census records of
Cass County, Yancy was 41 years old, Nancy is listed as 42, Delila 17, Mary J.
15, Willy 13 & William, seven. In the 1870 census of Bartow County, Nancy was
52, Delila A. 28, Mary J. 23, and William 18. It's interesting to note that
Yancey's family members aged at differing rates in the ten years since the 1850
census. Yancey has aged eleven years while Nancy has aged only eight years.
Daughter Delilah aged eight years as did son Rufus Wiley. Son William was the
slowest, aging only three years between censuses.

Yancy B. Gilstrap enlisted in Co. H, 18th Regt. of Georgia, Hood's Brigade of
Northern Virginia on June 13, 1861, in Bartow County, Georgia. He was killed in
battle on or about May 6, 1864, at Spotsylvania Courthouse in the state of
Virginia.

Nancy E. Gilstrap applied in 1890 for a widow's pension based on Yancey's
service in the Confederacy. In the application Nancy stated that she married
Yancey on February 7, 1839, and the family had lived in Georgia since March
1843. Nancy applied for the pension each year, using different lawyers in
Cartersville, Georgia, as her power of attorney and making her mark "X" on the
application. The last claim was Jan. 11, 1900 and it is believed she died about
1903 in the town of White, Georgia.

Hardy Gilstrap:
Father: Possibly Wiley Gilstrap Mother: Unknown
Born: about 1820 SC. Died: unk

I am unable to find any information that this Hardy Gilstrap lived. The
information that I came across which suggested Wiley had a son by this name was
vague and usually only included the following statement:

Hardy Gilstrap was born and died in South Carolina. He owned a large plantation
in that state and was a wealthy man and a slave owner.

I located a Hardy Gilstrap who was born in 1818 in Pickens County, South
Carolina, and died there in 1882. He was the son of John and Susan Sargent
Gilstrap. He was married three times and had nine children from those
marriages. This was definitely not a son of Wiley.

Back at home during the War


While the soldiers were away, White County attended to its business of becoming
a part of the new country of the Confederate States of America. Taxes were not
a favorable thing but they were the only way the county could raise the needed
funds. White County appointed Commissioners in June 1861 to "open books of
subscription to raise $1214, this county's apportionment of the million dollars
for the support of the Army of the Confederate States. At the same time White
County dedicated much of its attention and resources to helping the families of
soldiers away or killed in service as much as they could. On August 7, 1861,
the record of the Inferior Court states:

"Whereas a state of war exists between this government and that of the United
States, the hostile forces on the latter having invaded our soil for the avowed
purposes of subjugating and reducing to the conditions of a conquered province,
this fair and goodly land; and whereas many of the good citizens of this county
have, and will, volunteer their personal services to fight the battles of
liberty, who have families at home who are entitled to the fostering care of
this Court, it is therefore, ordered by the Court that a tax of twenty five
percent upon the state tax of White County be levied, and collected by the Tax
Collector thereof to be distributed to the families of absent volunteers under
the supervision of the Inferior Court. Ordered by the Court that an election be
held at the various precincts in this county on the first Tuesday in December
1861. At which election the voters shall endorse on their tickets 'tax' or 'no
tax' and if a majority of the legal votes in said election be for 'tax' then
this order to be in force, otherwise void.

There was apparently no time to wait for a vote because in September 3, 1861,
the minutes state:

Ordered by the Court that the Tax Collector of this county be authorized to
collect the twenty five percent on the state tax for the support of the families
of those who have gone to defend our liberties".

Occasionally, an individual would come forth and offer help. On July 12, 1862,
Dr. John W. Lewis donated $100 to the county to be distributed to the needy
wives and children of soldiers that were in service of their country.

Another program was initiated by the State called the Salt Ration. Because salt
was scarce, Gov. Joseph E. Brown came up with a plan to help the families of
soldiers by supplying them with salt. Under his order, once a year the widows
of soldiers and those who had lost a son in the CSA were entitled without charge
to one half bushel of salt. One half bushel could also be purchased for one
dollar by the immediate family of a current soldier. Gov. Brown's distribution
orders came at various times from 1862 to 1864. In order for the distribution
to be done in a fair and equitable manner the counties were given the
responsibility for registration of the recipients, transporting the salt supply,
and making the distributions. The details of the job fell to the Inferior Court
of the counties. Committees were appointed in April 1862 for each Militia
District to investigate the standing of soldier's families and report their
findings to the Court. The wives, widows and families were required to
register as they received their salt ration. Luckily, these registers survive
and offer up a little information for us.

Distribution Order of December 16, 1862 - Salt distributed to families of John Gilstrap, W. Gilstrap (William?), and L. Gilstrap (Lewis?)

Distribution Order of July 24, 1863 - Salt distributed to wives of soldiers now in service, included Mrs. M. Gilstrap (Martha?)

Distribution Order of September 26, 1864 - Salt distributed to Mrs. Martha Gilstrap

Distribution Order (undated) - Salt distributed to wives of soldiers, included Mrs. Martha Gilstrap

The White County Inferior Court was also in charge of public assistance to
soldiers' families provided by the State of Georgia. The minutes of March 7,
1863, show an agent was appointed to distribute the funds appropriated by the
State Legislature for soldiers' families. This was for monetary support and was
in addition to the Salt Ration mentioned above. [Also on that date, five
individuals were appointed to be Quarantine Police to suppress the introduction
of small pox to the county.] The minutes of June 3, 1863, show an agent was
appointed to receive and distribute the corn for soldiers' families. In the
minutes of August 2, 1864, an account of funds for distribution to soldiers'
families is detailed. The minutes show:

Funds from the 3rd year draw for
Soldiers' families for distribution $3,090.30
County tax raised 127.60
Money raised from sale of corn 608.00
Making in the aggregate $3,897.90

Amount paid to 683 beneficiaries at $5.50 each ($3,756.50)
Amount paid to 26 beneficiaries at half pay (71.50)
Back pay to 7 beneficiaries at $5.00 each (35.00)
On hand $ 34.90
There was no list of beneficiaries along with the minutes so we do not know that
the Gilstraps received distributions, but we can assume they did. In 1863 the
county purchased $5,529.50 worth of corn to distribute for the relief of
indigent soldiers' families. White County's actions in supporting the families
of its soldiers by distributing food and other items to families in need was
extensive to the point that more detailed descriptions of it would be too
lengthy to include here.

Wiley suffered terrible loss as a result of the Civil War. As described above,
Wiley lost both of his sons in service from battle wounds or disease. It's hard
to say how much wealth Wiley lost, but the possessions he names in his will at
the time of his death show that he was still prosperous and not poor. His land
was not directly affected by enemy soldiers, but the loss of his sons, who
helped run the farm, and his slaves, made it necessary for Wiley to get others
to help.


After the War

After the war, our Miss Martha was left in a disadvantaged state - Her husband
dead and a young son to take care of. Martha had lived with her father-in-law,
Wiley, and his new wife on the family farm in White County during the war. This
would explain the closeness of Wiley and his grandson Milton Harrison that is
evidenced in Wiley's will. It is possible Martha could have lived some of the
time back at her family home in Cherokee County, but all of the distributions of
assistance from White County to her during that time would indicate she was
living in White County. Also, her daughter Neela Bowen recounts that when Helum
Bowen was home on furlough toward the end of the War he passed by the Gilstrap
home in Mossy Creek and talked with Martha. There is nothing left of the old
Wiley Gilstrap place now, so we cannot see how the living structure was set up.
It is doubtful, however possible, that John M. and Martha had their own house on
the family farm. That possibility is based on the household goods and furniture
that was part of John M.'s estate. Included were kitchen items and several
pieces of furniture that if they were living with Wiley would not have been
necessary. Martha married Helum Hunt Bowen on March 26, 1865 . The War was not
quite over yet, but Helum Bowen was home on furlough due to illness (fever).
There are a couple of accounts of how Martha came to marry Helum and both are
given by Neela Bowen, daughter of Martha and Helum, in newspaper articles. In
these articles Ms. Bowen is passing along a story she had heard as she grew up
in the Helum Bowen household, where the oldest brother has a different last name
from everyone else. The story begins in 1860 with John M. and Martha being
newly married and visiting Shoal Creek Church. John M. and Martha were probably
members of the Mossy Creek Church since that is where John M. is buried. Neela
explains, "Well, they being acquainted now, Gilstrap brought his new wife over
to the church in Shoal Creek. The Bowens asked Mr. and Mrs. Gilstrap home for
dinner." Helum Bowen was about 35 years old at this time, a confirmed
bachelor and he still lived at home with his parents. "At supper that night
Helum Bowen said he didn't wish Gilstrap no harm, but said 'I wish I had his
wife.' " When chastised by one of his sisters, he added, " 'Well I do, that is
the prettiest woman I ever saw in my life. If I'd seen her before Gilstrap, I'd
have proposed marriage and she'd have had one of us to refuse.' " In one
account Neela Bowen says that when news of the death of John M. reached Helum
Bowen he worried over his remarks at dinner that night. He must have gotten
over that pretty quickly because it is also attributed to Helum as saying "if I
live through the war, I'll propose to his widow and she'll have to refuse me or
accept me". When Bowen was home on medical furlough towards the end of the war,
he passed by the Gilstrap home on his way to join the Masons and talked with
Martha. They were married soon afterward.

In another account, Neela says that before they went away to war, John M. and
Helum Bowen made an agreement that if anything happened to John M. during the
war that Helum would take care of his wife and their as yet unborn child. I
have doubts that this story is true.

Martha applied for and received an Indigent Widows pension before she died. She
applied on the service of Helum Bowen and not that of her first husband, John M.
Gilstrap. She received eight annual payments before her death. She received
$60 each year from 1912 to 1916, $70 for 1917, $80 for 1918 and $90 for 1919.
Helum Bowen died on September 2, 1907. Martha Gilstrap Bowen died on April 27,
1923. Both are buried in the Shoal Creek Baptist Church cemetery.
*********************************************************
Part 2
"Beloved Grandson"
My research has told me that Wiley died having only one direct descendant, that
being the only son of Wiley's son John Milton Gilstrap and his wife Martha
Pascoe Gilstrap. Milton Harrison Gilstrap was the "beloved Grandson" of Wiley
Gilstrap. Named after both his father and uncle, he went by the name of
Harrison and usually spelled his last name Gillstrap. Harrison grew up in the
household of Helum Bowen and he had seven siblings, two half brothers and five
half sisters. There was one other half brother who died an infant. I had
assumed Harrison was somewhat isolated from the Gilstrap family by growing up in
the Bowen family, but I now believe he remained close to his Grandfather Wiley.
As mentioned earlier, I think that when Harrison's father, John M., went off to
war, Martha continued to live with Wiley and his second wife. Harrison was born
April 10, 1862, and he and Martha continued to live in Wiley's house until
Martha married Helum Bowen in 1865. Wiley would have been the only father
Harrison knew up until then and I feel certain this is where the close
attachment between Wiley and Harrison came from. We do not know if Harrison and
his father, John M., ever saw each other.

After marrying Martha Gilstrap, Helum Bowen took Harrison in to raise as his
son. Helum did not, however, adopt Harrison or change his last name to Bowen.
I believe this is more evidence that Harrison was Wiley's only living
descendant. Had Helum Bowen adopted Harrison and changed his name to Bowen the
Gilstrap line through Wiley would have ended, at least in name.

As explained earlier, Helum was appointed executor of John M.'s estate and
handled the sale of his assets and settlement of the estate. Harrison's part of
his father's estate came to $168.58. Because Harrison was only four years old
at the time, Helum petitioned the Court in White County to be the legal guardian
of Harrison and held his portion of the estate in trust until Harrison reached
the age of 21.

Harrison was seventeen when his Grandfather Wiley died. According to Wiley's
will, Harrison immediately inherited part of Wiley's land. Wiley's wife,
Letticia, was given a life estate on the other part of the land. Her part
included the 150 acres first purchased by Wiley in 1833. We can assume that
Wiley built his house on this parcel and Letticia continued to live in the
house. Wiley also left Letticia a portion, although we don't know how big, of
the 120 acre tract he purchased in 1836. Harrison inherited the other portion
of this 120 acre tract, plus 200 acres that Wiley had purchased in 1847. He
and Letticia each also received half of Wiley's money and notes (money loaned
out at interest) and various other articles listed in the will. We don't know
how much this inheritance totaled up to, but it appears that Harrison had a good
financial head start on life.

There is nothing to show when Letticia died or if she moved away. There is also
nothing to show when or if Harrison inherited the other portion of Wiley's
property. Letticia just disappeared and Wiley's land suddenly belonged to
others. The White County property records lack any indication of what happened.
There comes a point around 1885-90 when Helum Bowen owns and sells portions of
Wiley's lands. Harrison also begins to buy and sell land in this time period,
but it is all in other areas of the county, mostly in the Shoal Creek area. We
could assume that Harrison and Helum did some trading of land and those trades
were never recorded at the courthouse. It is also possible that as Harrison's
legal guardian, Helum had control of these assets until Harrison reached the age
of 21. Whatever the real story is, there are a lot of land transactions
recorded in White County under Harrison's name. So many that is it difficult to
draw any conclusions from them as to what his land holdings were and what he did
with them. The first purchase I have found was on March 11, 1887. Harrison
purchased 40 acres from John C. Martin for $100.00. He had apparently learned
something about real estate from Helum Bowen because a month later, on April 12,
Harrison sold the 40 acres to Mary E. Logan for $150.00. Mary Logan was a very
wealthy land owner in White County. It is also interesting to note that in 1899
the White County Board of Education discussed establishing a school site "near
Wiley Gilstrap's old place in Mossy Creek". This was never approved
apparently because some of the Shoal Creek district did not want the school to
be on the other side of the mountain. Harrison had school age children at this
time and may have been involved in the recommendation to build near his
Grandfather's land. Harrison was appointed as a Trustee of the Shoal Creek
School in 1900 and again in 1911.

On September 9, 1883, Harrison married Emily A. Martin. Emily was born on May
22, 1864. We are fortunate to have a set of pictures of them that were taken
around the time of their marriage.


Milton Harrison Gilstrap - 1883 Emily Martin Gilstrap - 1883

The children of Harrison and Emily, as recorded in Harrison's family Bible are as follows:
Homer Marlow Gillstrap b. Dec. 29, 1884, d. October 1, 1931
Flora Daisey Gillstrap b. Dec. 26, 1886, d. September 4, 1958
Grover Gordon Gillstrap b. Feb. 16, 1891, d. January 22, 1966
Edker Millard Gillstrap(twin) b, June 17, 1894, d. July 23, 1894, age one month, 16 days
Osker Dillard Gilstrap(twin) b. June 17, 1894, d. July 23, 1984,
Comer Wiley Gillstrap b. Aug. 7, 1899, d. April 25, 1973
Fannie May Gillstrap b. Aug. 15, 1900, d. April 2, 1924
John Oliver Jennings Gillstrap b. May 1, 1903, d. February 25, 1983

Harrison was a carpenter and brick mason. In fact, he was known as the "best
carpenter in White County". He built many prominent buildings in White County
and the surrounding area, including the Shoal Creek Baptist Church, Shoal Creek
School, the Westmoreland House, many commercial use buildings, and many more
houses. It has been said that he would drive a nail by setting it with a tap
and then driving it home with one blow of his hammer. Two of Harrison's sons,
Marlow, the oldest, and Johnnie, the youngest, also became carpenters. They
worked with their father on many of the White County projects. In 1885, at the
age of only 23, Harrison completed building the Shoal Creek Baptist Church. He
completed the entire building for $100. When he was paid for the job he gave
back $25 to the church. This building stood until 1957 when it was torn down
and replaced by the current brick structure.

Harrison also made some furniture. He and Emily were married under a Walnut
tree in White County and Harrison was able to salvage the wood from the tree
when it came down. He made a bedstead, dresser and dining table from the wood
and these were used in their house. He also made a broach for Emily from brass
inlaid with some of the wedding tree's walnut wood. Harrison owned and operated
at least two saw mills. One of them was located in Lumpkin County, Georgia, but
the exact location is not known. White County records indicate that Harrison
operated this saw mill in the time period of 1889 - 1891, but he wasn't able to
make a success out of it. White County records show that on January 11, 1889,
Harrison, S.G. Martin and J.C. Martin borrowed $100.00 from Marion C. Smith for
one year. Things did not progress well from that point and by January 1890
Harrison and the Martin's had paid only $8.00 towards the loan. Smith sued for
the remaining $92.00 and the Court ordered the debt paid and placed a levy on
Harrison's saw and other equipment. This matter continued to progress for
several years as Harrison and the Martins filed for injunctions. In 1895
Harrison sued Smith for fraud.

The other saw mill that Harrison started was located in Alabama. The exact
location of this saw mill is also not known; however, a letter written by
Harrison's business partner in the mill gives some clues. A. O. LaPrade was
Harrison's brother-in-law, the husband of Harrison's half sister Emma Bowen. On
May 17, 1906, Laprade writes, "I rec'd a letter from Harris just a little bit a
go stating that his machinery, Tools and all had arrived there last Tues. eve.
and for me to come at once." Soon after, LaPrade, Harrison, and son Marlow
were in Alabama setting up the saw mill and getting ready to open for business.
On June 2, 1906, LaPrade wrote to sister-in-law Josie Bowen responding to her
letter in which she informs them of the imminent death of her father, Helum
Bowen. The letter is postmarked from Enterprise, Alabama; however, further
research into the location muddies the water. According to the Historical Atlas
of Alabama - Historical Locations by County, Vol. I, there have been four
communities in Alabama named Enterprise. The northern most one was a flagstop
along the Alabama-Chattanooga Railroad about 5 miles west of modern day Gadsden.
It no longer exists and probably did not have a post office. The second was
directly west of there and was an earlier name for the modern day town of
Bremen. The third Enterprise is a current place directly in the middle of the
state, about 6 miles south of the town of Clanton. The fourth is also a current
town and just west of Dothan. The mystery is solved by another letter from
LaPrade to Josie Bowen in which he states he and Gilstrap are going to Ozark to
run a saw mill. Ozark is just northeast of the Enterprise, Alabama, that is
close to Dothan.

LaPrade states in his next letter that "Our saw has not come yet but we expect
it Monday or Tuesday". He adds that "we are all ready for business if it was
here". Harrison and Marlow are mentioned as being there, and it seems that
Marlow has brought his wife and family also. There is also mention of another
person, Joe, who has been cutting logs for them. What we do know from oral
history and documentation is that this saw mill was also a failure. According
to family stories, the saw mill was destroyed soon after it started operating by
a deliberate fire set by a competitor. Harrison returned to White County having
lost his entire investment. LaPrade writes in 1909 from Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma, where he has moved his family to, that he has managed to pay back the
rest of the money he borrowed on the mill that "broke Gillstrap and myself".
LaPrade and Harrison also worked together on the building of a new power dam on
the Wahoo Creek in north Georgia. Harrison seems to have done some farming, too.
According to a letter he writes to his half sister Josie Bowen Simmons on
September 29, 1911, "we are in the fodder business now … have up some of the
finest fodder I ever saw. Our bottom corn is sure fine. The Wilkey &
Richardson corn is the corn for me." Around this time Harrison also ran a
Grist Mill outside of Cleveland with his son-in-law, Fed West. Regardless of all
of his other business ventures, Harrison was foremost a carpenter and a builder.
In 1922 he contracted with the School Board to build a new Shoal Creek School
building. The contract called for Harrison to build a two story building 40
feet by 52 feet for $500, a lock and key job. The Cleveland Courier newspaper
reported on May 19, 1922 that Mr. Gilstrap and his son John began work on the
new Shoal Creek School building. Johnnie would have just turned 19 at the time.
On October 30, 1922, a rally and picnic was held at the new school building with
speeches and dinner on the grounds. The building stood for over 50 years and
almost defied destruction, according to those who tore the building down in the
early 1970s. It was purchased from the County by one of Harrison's grandsons,
Lester West, who lived next to the school . The building was torn down by a
later owner.

Harrison wrote to his son Johnnie on September 24, 1928, and said "your Ma is
not any better & I don't think she will ever be any better with out a great
change. I think she is gradually getting worse all the time. She has got so
she cant eat mutch & she has to set up in a rocker & doe the most of her
sleeping at night as she cant lie down & sleep to doe any good. I don't think
she is going to be here long if she don't get better soon & I don't see no
chance for that." Emily died October 2, 1928, 8:45 pm at age 64 from Heart
Dropsy. Harrison married again on January 5, 1931, to Harriett White. Miss
Harriet, as she was known, always addressed Harrison as Mr. Gilstrap. She was
from an area known as Wahoo and she had never been married before. After
Harrison died Miss Harriet is reported to have moved to Gainesville. Details of
her after that we don't know. Described in his later years as a "Country
Gentleman", good natured but stubborn as an ox, tall with a heavy build, bald on
top, with a heavy mustache that was always neatly trimmed. He loved to hear
music played. He had an organ in his house but he could not play. He didn't go
to church a lot but he always went to the Camp Meeting, usually at Loudsville
Campground north of Cleveland.

Harrison died April 15, 1944, at his home in Cleveland from complications from diabetes and possibly influenza. On the day he died he wrote a letter to his son Johnnie. The letter describes in great detail his condition and suffering. Better than to describe the letter is to include it here in its entirety as written:

Cleveland, GA. April the 15, 1944
Dear son a few lines to let you hear from us. We are boath in very bad shape
with the flue. One not able to wait on one or & other. Neither one of not able
to to wait on one or another. Fed went down to Clermont yesterday & brought Dr
Williams up here to see me & carried him back home & Paid the bill. He said I
had a bad case of sugar diabeties & incuriable disease. & I met up with Dr
Philips from Helen down here in town & he talked with me a good while & he said
what ailed me was diabetis & it was & incuriaable disease. But it could some
times patch up. Dr Williams instructed me to go to see Dr Cheek at Clermont as
soon as I could get able to go & consult him. He said he knowed more than all
the Doctors in the state put together a bout diabetis. As he went up to new
york & staid there 3 month & studied that one course & he was the best up on
that one course of any one Dr in Ga. So as soon as I can get able I wan to go &
see him & see if there is any thing he can doe for me.
I cant walk a round in the the house with out holding to sumpthing & harriett is
a bout as bad. Fed brought Wilda up to stay with a few days & wait on us. I
cant eat one bight of nothing. I just gag at anything. Water, sosage,
chicking, aples, oranges, nothing I can think of is fit to eat. I haven't eat a
hand full this week. Nor harriet neather. Cant get up a thing that is fit to
eat & my mouth stays as drye as a chip & haft to take a little water every once
& a while to keep my lips from getting to drye. You can call Osker if you want
to as I cant set up long enough to wright him. M H Gillstrap As you can see,
for all of the head starts Harrison received early in his adult life he received
about an equal number of setbacks. Such that at the end of his life he was
about even. He died owning no property, only his carpentry tools. His will
required that his possessions be sold and the proceeds given to his wife. The
Notice of Executor's Sale listed his possessions as consisting of "every kind of
household furniture together with the finest selection of Carpenter's tools of
every kind and description, there being about $400 worth of said Carpenter's
tools and a fine set of extension ladders". Of course, family got first
opportunity at buying and many of his tools were purchased by family members and
remain treasured today.

The Next Generation
Harrison and Emily's children were all born in White County, but they and their
descendants mostly migrated away from White County. Current day descendants are
4 and 5 generations along and number over 100. Following is a summary
descendant chart with some detail, excluding details on the living generation:
Homer Marlow Gillstrap was born December 29, 1884, in White Co. Georgia. He
went by the name of Marlow or used the initials H.M. Marlow married Ethel
Redmon on October 2, 1904, and they had two children; he married Mary Lou Parks
on June 24, 1924; and then married Omie Canaday May 1927. Marlow was a
carpenter and was said to be the kind of person everyone wanted to be around.
Marlow died October 1, 1931, of Acute Indigestion.

Ruth Gilstrap b. 7/18/1905 d. 9/1973, m. (1) unk, (2) Harold Dreeben b. 9/29/1902 d. 2/1984

John Henry Gilstrap b. 6/4/1910 d. 7/30/1993, m. 12\10\1936 Gertrude Johnson b. 2/10/1910 d. 4/29/2003
Living Daughter

Flora Daisey Gillstrap was born December 26, 1886, in White Co, Georgia. On
December 18, 1904, she married Fernando (Fed) West b. 7/2/1880 d. 10/7/1963, and
they lived in White County. Fed, a miner and carpenter, was the son of Rev.
James F. West and Edith Nix West. Flora died September 4, 1958. They had five
children, who lived beyond infancy.
Baby West died in infancy

Chester H. West b.1/13/1907 d.7/6/2000, m. April 12, 1937 Pauline Brown b.10/24/1909 d. 10/9/2001
Living Daughter
Living Daughter
Lester West b. 8/27/1910 d. 6/__/1984, m. Myrtle Anderson b.12/17/1916 d.2/__/1980
Wayne West b. 2/6/1932 d. 10/21/2002 m. Frances Eller
Living Daughter
Living Daughter
Willa Nell West m. Paul J. Gilliland b. 6/21/1914 d. 5/26/1991
Living Daughter
Living Daughter
Living Son
Rhonda West m. James Chapman d. 2004
Living Daughter
Living Daughter
Hazel West m. Louis Carder b. 10/10/1916 d. 9/4/1990
Living Daughter
Twin sister of Hazel died in infancy

Grover Gordon Gillstrap was born on February 16, 1891, in White Co. Georgia.
Gordon married Nannie Belle Smith (b.10/12/1897; d. 3/14/1968) on August 15,
1915. They had one child that died as an infant. They raised Neva Belle
Gilstrap, daughter of Gordon's brother Osker (or Oscar). Gordon purchased what
was known as the Old Home Place of Thomas Bowen from the estate of his
grandmother, Martha Pascoe Gilstrap Bowen in 1923. Gordon died January 22,
1966, of Coronary Occlusion.

Osker Dillard Gilstrap (twin) was born on June 17, 1894, White Co. Georgia. His
name was usually spelled Oscar. Oscar married Montie Campbell on August 13,
1916, and they had three children. Montie died shortly after the birth of their
third child.

Elkin Gillstrap b. 9/5/1917. He died the same day.
Maude Lenora Gilstrap b. 3/10/1919 d. 2/25/1984 m. (1) 1/3/1938 Carl Young b. 1/31/1906 d. 9/7/1987; (2) Paul Ballard
Living Daughter
Ruth Young b. 6/14/1943 d. 10/17/1959
Minto Geoffrey Gilstrap b. 11/2/1920 d.3/2/2000, m. Frances Rebecca Rolader b. 5/4/1924 d.5/23/1998
Living Son

Oscar then married Nancy Leola (Ola) Morris Gilstrap (b. 3/25/1897 d. 10/23/1936) on December 2, 1922, and they had three children.

Mary Marie Gilstrap m. (1) 1/14/1950 Robert Lee Langley (2) 6/28/1980 John Sherman Wilcox b.7/25/1928
Living Son
Living Daughter
Living Daughter
Living Daughter
Living Son
Living Daughter
Emily Aileen Gilstrap m. (1) 1/29/1944 Charles Jesse Nix; (2) 10/15/1954 William Richard Wheeler
Living Son
* Living Step-Daughter
* Living Step-Son
Neva Belle Gilstrap m. Russell Pruitt
Ricky Pruitt b.5/2/1960 d. Jan. 1968
Living Son

Oscar had no further children, but continued to marry. His other wives were
Mary Cash, Canarie Bowen Shellnut, and Zora Boggs. Oscar died on July 23, 1984,
of Diabetes complications.

Edcar Millard Gillstrap (twin) was born on June 17, 1894, in White Co. Georgia,
and died July 23, 1894, age one month & 16 days.

Comer Wiley Gillstrap was born on August 7, 1899, in White Co. Georgia. Comer
married Zola Smith on December 24, 1922, and they had three children. Comer was
a career civil servant working at the U. S. Mint in Washington, D.C. Comer
died April 25, 1973. His widow, Zola was born on September 27, 1904, and lived
to be 99 years old. She died on January 21, 2004. They had three children who
lived to adulthood. One son, David, died at three years old.

Gloria Gilstrap m. 7/1946 Chester Uselton b. 10/11/1923 d. 2/2/1980
Living Daughter
Comer Wiley Gilstrap Jr. m. Mary Ann Ellis
Living Daughter
Living Daughter
Living Son
Harold E. Gilstrap b. 8/14/1929 d. 3/4/2004 m. 1976 Clara Rolen
No children

Fannie May Gillstrap was born on Aug. 15, 1900, in White Co. Georgia; died at
Grady Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia on April 2, 1924 at 4:20 pm. Married Arthur
Payne on December 23, 1923. They did not have any children.

John Oliver Jennings Gillstrap was born on May 1, 1903, in White Co. Georgia; d.
February 25, 1983 at West Paces Ferry Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. He married
Cleo Morris on September 25, 1926, in Smyrna, Georgia. She had grown up in the
Shoal Creek area of White County also, but moved around some with her family.
She died February 9, 1991. John (usually called Johnnie) was also a carpenter
and worked with his father on many jobs in White County. They had two children.

Joe Neal Gilstrap m. Tommie Ernestine Corbitt
Living Son
Living Son
Living Daughter
Raymond Duell Gilstrap m. Patricia Collier
Living Son

Attachment 1
Will of PETER GILSTRAP, Jr.
Craven County, North Carolina
In the name of God, Amen, the 10th day of November 1795, I, Peter Gilstrap of
the county and state aforesaid. Planter, being in perfect mind and memory,
thanks be given to God therefore calling to mind the mortality of my body and
knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make and ordain this my
last will and testament, that is to say:

Principally and first of all I give and recommend my soul into the hands of God
that gave it, and for my body I recommend to the earth to be buried in a
Christian like and decent manner at the discretion of my Executrix and Executor,
nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again
by the mighty power of God, and as touching such worldly estate wherewith in
this life, I give and dispose of the same in the following manner and form:

Imprimis, it is my will and I do order that in the first place all my just debts
and funeral charges be paid and satisfied.

Item, that in this manner I lend to my well beloved wife, Mary Gilstrap, the
plantation whereon I now live, the same containing 76 acres, that is if she
shall chuse to sell it and to go into the back country and carry the children
with her, her deed shall be good, otherwise if she continues here at her death
the said land shall be sold and the money equally divided betwixt these four
children: Polly Gilstrap, Bright Gilstrap, Welthy Gilstrap, and Winifred
Gilstrap.

Item, I lend in like manner as before mentioned to my well beloved wife, Mary
Gilstrap, 96 acres of land on the gum pewson to be disposed of as the land
before mentioned, the same lying near and adjoining the land I now live on.

Item, I give to my beloved wife, Mary Gilstrap, during her natural life all the
household furniture that I have and then to be equally divided between my
children before mentioned, the three girls each to have a feather bed in their
parts. Also I leave all my cattle, horses, and plantation tools for the same
purpose before mentioned.

Item, I give to my beloved son Benjamin Gilstrap - 5 shillings. Item, I give to
my beloved son Richard Gilstrap - 5 shillings. Item, I give to my beloved
daughter Ellender Johnson - 5 shillings.

Item, I give to my beloved son Lewis Gilstrap - 5 shillings whom I likewise
constitute, mark, ordain and appoint my executor with my beloved wife executrix
of this my last will and testament.

In witness whereof I have here unto set my hand and seal the day and year above
written, signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of us. NOTE: Peter
Gilstrap made his (X) mark on his will Witness: Thos Pryor, Ephm Swann Owen
This was the foregoing last will and testament of Peter Gilstrap proved in open
court by the oath of Thomas Pryor, one of the subscribing witnesses, thereto,
agreeable to law and Mary Gilstrap, the executrix therein named qualified as
such. Ordered that letters testamentary issue. Attest.: Samuel Chapman, CC.
Record of Wills - Craven County Courthouse, Volume A, Page 361 Estates of Craven
County, North Carolina Department of Archives and History, Raleigh, North
Carolina

**************************************************



June 11, 1796 A true inventory of the estate of Peter Gilstrap, deceased:

Money in hand, £27, a note against Frederick Lane for £27, 10 shillings. A book
of account against William Johnson for £4, 18 shillings; a book of account
against Frederick Lane £4, 5 shillings; a book account against Lewis Gilstrap
for £6; a book account against Daniel Striand(?), 25 shillings; a book account
against Thomas Green for 600 shillings. Two horses and one mare, 2 saddles and
bridles, 14 head of cattle and 12 barrels of corn and 200 weight of bacon and 40
weight of hogs lard and 3 feather beds and furniture - 4 bedsteads and cords(?).
1 loom, 3 slays(?), 1 harness and 2 chests and 3 tables, 9chairs and 1 case and
bottles and 5 club bottles and 2 jugs and 1 pitcher; 1 gun and 2 cotton wheels,
2 flax wheels, 2 pair cotton cards and 1 pair wool cards, 13 oak barrels and 4
pine barrels, one hogshead, 2 watering tubs, 1 pail, 1 juggin, 1/2 bushel, 1
churn, 1 keelein, 1 keg, 1 fruiten dish, 2 basins, 5 fruiten glasses, 13 spoons,
1 earthen dish and 13 plates; 4 earthen bowls, 1 coffee pot, 1 tea pot and 2
milk pots, 8 cups and saucers, 6 teaspoons and 4 mugs, 1 canister, pepper box, 8
knife and forks, 3 iron pots, 2 pot hooks, 1 tea kettle, 1 frying pan, 1
skillet, 1 pr. Tongs, 1 flat iron, 1 tray, sifter, 2 stocks of beafs, 9 head of
geese, 1 crosscut saw, 1 hand saw, 1 drawing knife, 3 augurs, 1 hammer, 1
gimblet, 3 planes, 2 weeding hoes, 2 grubbing hoes, 2 vises, 1 hatchet, 11
jointer, 1 jack plane, 2 carpenter adzs, 1 fro, 1 iron wedge, 1 halter, 4 bells,
1 slate, 1 Bible, 1 testament and 5 small books, 1 grindstone, 1 cart, and 2
sides of leather.

Mary Gilstrap (signed)



Attachment 2
Will of
RUFUS W. GILSTRAP

State of Georgia |
White County | In the name of God, Amen. I Rufus W. Gilstrap, of said
state and county, knowing it is appointed for all men once to die, deem it right
and proper as regards myself and family that I should make a disposition of the
property with which a kind providence has blessed me. I therefore make this my
last will and testament, hereby revoking and annulling all others heretofore
made by me.

Item First: I desire and direct that my body be buried in a decent and
Christian like manner suitable to my circumstances and condition. My sole I
trust shall return at rest with God who gave it, as I hope for eternal salvation
through the Blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Item 2 Second: I desire and direct that all my just debts be paid without delay
by my executor, hereinafter made as I am unwilling my creditors be delayed of
their rights - especially as there is no necessity for delay.

Item Third: I give and bequeath to my beloved wife Lettica during her life time
the Home place consisting of all that tracts and parcel of land known as part of
Lot of Land number (28) Twenty-eight and also part of Land Number (45) forty-
five being the North part of said lot joining lot No 28 and bounded on the South
side by a conditional line beginning on the east side on the public road leading
from Hensley Paynes to the Camp Ground at a rock corner, thence along the fence
on the south side of the open field, thence along the cross fence leading rather
southwest across the bottom. Thence to the corner of the swamp thence west the
original line to O'Kelly's corner. Both parcels of land being in the second
district of originally Habersham, now White county, for her to have the use of
so long as she lives, and at her death to belong to my Grandson, Milton H.
Gilstrap. The following property and effects I give and bequeth to my wife
Letticia to do with and dispose of as she wishes, all the property owned by her
at our marriage, the largest trunk, and bed stead, lace, and clothes for it.
The largest chest, one cooking stove, and the clothing that belonged to my first
wife in my possession. All of my __ and one loom, and one hundred and twenty
five dollars for one year's support for her after my death. And I desire that
she have all the land in the Camp Ground so long as she lives and at her death
to belong to my Grandson Milton H. Gilstrap. And I give her one table.

Item forth: I give and bequeath to my beloved Grandson Milton H. Gilstrap, the
remainder of my lands not heretofore mentioned, consisting of part of Lot of
Land number (46) forty-six, known as the O'Kelly lot, part of Lot of Land number
(45) forty-five, known as the Smith lot bounded on the north by the conditional
line mentioned above as the southern boundary of the land given to my wife.
Those parcels of land on parts of lots being in the second district of
originally Habersham, now White county. I also give to my grandson the smallest
trunk, the best bed stead, the smallest chest, and one __, and all of my lands I
give and bequeath to my grandson at the death of my wife Letticia and also the
land at the Camp Ground at her death. I desire that all of my property not
heretofore mentioned and disposed of to be sold by my Executor with out the
intervention of any Court and without any appraisement on the part of at a sale.
And after taking out of such the one hundred twenty five dollars given to my
wife for her year's support the proceeds then to equally divide between my wife
Letticia and grandson Milton H. Gilstrap. I also desire and direct that my
money and notes be equally divided between my wife and grandson Milton H.
Gilstrap. I desire that my wife have absolute control of all given her by me
except the land. Once and hereby appoint Calvin H. Kytle as my Executor to this
my last will and testament. In witness my the said Rufus W. Gilstrap To
this my last will consisting of the three foregoing pages of paper I have set my
hand and seal this 31st day of March 1879. his
Rufus W. Gilstrap
Mark

Signed, sealed and published and declared by the said Rufus W. Gilstrap as his
last will and testament in presence of us who have in his presence once at his
special request he gives the same as witnesses once in the presence of each
other.
W. C. Cantrell
W. R. Sargent
G. W. Fields


Georgia
White County| Before me came in person on the 5th day of January 1880, in open
court for the purpose of proving the Last Will and Testament of Rufus W.
Gilstrap, the witnesses to said will, (to wit) W. C. Cantrell, W. R. Sargent,
and G. W. Fields. And the Will having been before that time brought before me
for probate by the Executor C. H. Kytle who has filed a petition for probate for
the same. They, the said witnesses now dispose of the same that they saw the
said Rufus W. Gilstrap sign and publish the same as his last will on the day and
year herein stated as the Executor by him. That the witnesses the same at his
request once in his presence and in the presence of each other that the same was
voluntarly executed by him while he was of sound and disposing mind and memory.

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 5th day of January 1880
Isaacs Oakes W. C. Cantrell
Ordinary W. R. Sargent
G. W. Fields




Attachment 3


Letter from John M. Gilstrap to Martha Pascoe
First is the actual letter as hand written by John. Following that is the typed
version as best as I can determine it. The actual letter is in my possession
having been given to me by my father Joe Neal Gilstrap. He received it from his
father and had it preserved in onionskin paper by the State Archives in the
1950s. The letter is in exceptional condition. Compared with other writings of
common folk of this time period, John's writing is impressive. He appears to
have been schooled to a fairly high level for someone not in a profession. Even
though his spelling is not the best he has a large vocabulary. John's
handwriting, though graceful and beautiful penmanship, takes some concentration
to read. If a word does not seem correct, try alternate pronunciations of it.
For example, "now" may be written as "know". Some words used in the letter had
meanings at that time not commonly associated with them today. [One that starts
with an "i" will be noted as he discusses old girlfriends. At least I'll give
him that allowance.] Furthermore, in those days, the letters "f" and "s" were
often interchanged. For example the word business, owing to the Old and Middle
English symbol "?", often appeared to be spelled "businifs" and "Miss." appeared
to be either "Mirs" or "Mifs" (the difference between Mrs. and Miss). John
refers to Martha throughout the letter as what appears to be "Mifs Martha",
which should be read as Miss Martha. John occasionally uses the old English
"thee" when addressing Martha. At times he also misspells it as "the". Other
words were simply misspelled or misused and I wrote them just as I read them.
For example - know for now; deside for decide; rite or right for write; hoo for
who. There were some words that no one could recognize. Those words are simply
written here with xs, In other words, an unrecognizable 3-letter word was simply
written in as "xxx". When I could not determine the number of letters a ____ is
used.
****************************************************************************


White Co. Ga. April the 4 - 1860
I still remember and esteem thee to by my friend - And I only hope is my sincere
friend. And in hoo I look apon to be my only true friend on earth in candid
earnest is you, Miss Martha. And if I was to say that you are all the girl that
I hav seen or conversed with that I ever loved in good earnest before is you and
hav not rit it to deceive you. But in truth it comes from my heart. But I then
only hope that it may strike your heart the same you may hav for your true
lover. Then it is the reason why that I take my pen in hand and the only
reason. And know to rite you in answer to the second letter I hav received from
you the 24 of last inst. in which I was glad to hear from you. But sorry to
hear that you had the headache or I believe that you would of rote me more than
you did. But you said I must excuse you this time and you would right more next
time and I believe you will. For the first letter I received from you was sutch
a good and long letter as I ever rote you and if you do as I do for I never
right all my letter when I right you at one time. And that is the reason why I
right you so mutch at a time. And I hope you will do the same. I always love
to right you a long letter so that you may find something contained there in
that may interest you, Miss Martha. When you are reading tho I think you was
excuseable that time and I have forgave you hoping you will do the better for
time to come. For I waunt to read a few more good letters from you before I
will get an opportunity of visiting you Miss Martha for I tell thee I am comeing
the first opportunity as shore as I live in health. For you dont know how glad
I would be to see you. And in the same way when I visited thee last - But
hoping in thee is all I have of the know. But then if it be otherwise I only
hope that we may meet with the more love and true love for each other than in
the past but again Miss Martha I say I have hope in thee an I will not stop hear
for I have confidense in thee and know do you think that is all no for where in
I have put in as mutch confidence in you as I have. As I will tell you I have
put all confidence in you and in ho I think is a friend of mine and in hoo I
like to be my friend and and one that I think will be my friend. And Miss
Martha as I must tell you that you have been my hole study so mutch that I
dreamed a bout you last night again and I will tell you what it was I thought
you was hear with me at our house and that I thought you was seated down
together and was converseing as we were all setting a round and I thought you
looked as swete as ever. And that it remind me of so mutch of the time we have
spent together and your turns and actions that I do like so well and the voise
that so clear and your pretty blue eyes that is so charming and read rosey
cheeks that is so fair. Which I will remember the the longest day I live. And
Miss Martha if you have any hope in me or confidense I would like to know where
you have plast it as I waunt to hear from you to know how you are comeing on for
I waunt to hear from you on the subject as you never have rote me on the reason
on love and why that you have turned your attention so fondly on me. And you
say and on me a love. And know three reason why I right thus to you to rite me
that you have so kindley fell in love with me as I believe you have but you have
none the advantage of me in that and I assure you that I believe that I have got
to think as mutch of you as I do of my self a lone. And I know explain it to
you and that is that you first gave me your hand that you would not forsake me.
And also you know that you loved me the best as you said. And also you since
answered my desireable letter and that you rote that you would go with me
anytime that I says so or or as it was you would leave it with me to deside then
I think that we ought to right more at home in our hearts or minds or as I will
more fully explain to you to rite more the desires of our minds than of the past
then I would thinke the more of thee Miss Martha as you know that we cannot git
two well acquainted with each other in true love. But when present with the I
onley could tell thee the more but when absent from thee ____ times we have
injoyed together so well. That we are know due to each other to right as nigh
the desire and wishes of our minds as we would indeaver to do. And with that
respect and affectionate love that we have for each other. For I always have
tried to rite you as nigh my thoughts and wishes. So that you may no as my my
desire and wishes as I could right you as I thought you had rather know my
intentions because I would not have you mistaken in me as otherwise to think
more of me than you ought to think. I know rite you that their was a wedding in
our neighborhood least tuesday night and it was nobody else but the girl that I
yous to fly a round with and know they last one is maried that I so highly
respected to have any intercorse with. She at last was fortuneately enough to
mary well of tho at widow he is with several children. And know if you Miss
Martha was to forsake me I then would be entirely forsaken of then all and the
only one that I ever believed that I loved before in good earnest or that I ever
thought would soot me so well. And I know that I am canded in that if I know my
mind and I claim that I do on the subject. But you know that I cannot right to
explain myself as if I could se you. And I am know and will be looking every
week when I will git an opportunity of comeing to visit the again. And in as
mutch as I promise to come it is the desire of my mind to come and not only that
to try to give the more comfurt than I have rote the and believing that you will
have some good things to tell me. And hav been saving something good for me an
that you did not rite all the good things that you could rite. That you may be
saveing some to tell me the next time I come. And so turn a lief when this you
read. Read and then remember me for when absent love I will still remember thee
and every day that pass us by I will keep thee in my mind by thinking that I
will get to see the again. My mind has been with you where ever you may be and
when I come I expect to come to your house first to see if I can git to see thee
first and to spend all the time that I will spend with you for where you are I
wount to be also. And I will tell you that I hav not got but two letters from
you since I saw you last. I thought that I would of got a letter from you last
week but I did not for I thought that you had time to of answered my third
letter and for that reason I did not rite you the last time that I should of
rote you for I had one letter a head of you and then I thought that when I rote
that it would be in answer to yours every time but I hope you will excuse me
this time and I will rite you every two weeks whether I git a answer from you or
not. And that was the only reason why I did not right you that time. This is
the fourth letter for me I rote you. And I have told you as I will tell you
again that if you wish to keep any young gentlemen company it will make no
difference with me for you could only remember that you have xxx old to save for
some of them as the case might be if you was to slight them would giv them room
to think that you had slighted them for me. Especially those hoo are acquainted
with me. And know Miss Martha one thing has been bearing on my mind every since
I read your long and welcom letter and is been on your mind I think the same and
is this. - hav you been or will you wait to hear me deside what I will do. And
on your part I think that your thought has been when will I deside or will he
deside to by my companion. Here is one thing you said to me makes me love you
so well that you would wait to hear me deside what I will do but I must know
close. This leaves me well. And I hope these few lines will find you the same
in health. I still remain yours unchanging in true love and is your most
affectionate friend.

Attachment 4

Minutes of Superior Court Habersham County, October Term 1852

Grand Jury Report

The Grand Jury of the County of Habersham for the October term of 1852 present
that all the roads of Toccoa District are in bad order and recomment the judge
of the Inferior Court to appoint commissioners forthwith to put them in good
repair.

We also report as out of order, the roads in Baitsville District. The very
great increase of the county taxes forces upon the Grand Jury an examination
into the causes thereof without any intention to reflect upon individual
officers. They present as their opinion that there has been excessively bad
management of the public property in the making of contracts for the repairing
thereof - and in the disposition thereof the same. This objection extents from
the building of this Courthouse up to a time not very remote from the present,
for the purpose of avoiding the recurrence of the same we present to the people
the obligation which rests upon all good citizens to attend at the polls on the
election of all public officers: for it not a frequently happens that improper
and incompetent persons arrive at office, by reason of the indeference of those
most interested in the proper administration of public affairs, moreover we
recomment to the judges of the Inferior Court hereafter to cause all proposals
referred as well as contracts made for the doing of public works to be placed
where they can be preserved, and be acceptible to the Grand Jury sitting next
after the completion of the work.

We report the jail out of order and requiring repair. The roof should be
covered anew. The walls are suffering for want of weatherboarding and the
stairs are almost dangerous to ascend: the locks and doors are so much out of
order as to require renewing. We earnestly recommend the subject to the
immediate attention of the Inferior Court. We also report the roof of the
courthouse so much out of order as to require entire renewing. We also
recommence this matter to the immediate attention of the Inferior Court.

We present as a grievance the unlawful practice of taking fruit from gardens,
orchards, & fields without permission of the owners, valuable property is not
only taken but mistaken notions of the moral nature of such deeds are
incalculate and the youthful find there is also an improper impression abroad as
to the extent of certain nuisances authorizing self constituted committees to
abate them, under the impression that public opinion would carry them clear of
consequences. Well intended men have made themselves liable to detection and
punishment for unroofing inhabitable houses, killing diseased cattle

We think also that Grand Jurors from the moment of their notification of
appointment should consider themselves as a kind of moral constatutory whose
duty it becomes to watch over the public interests and to note such evil as
should abated. We will here remind the public that a charge was once given to
this effect by an honorable judge of the Superior Court in his official
capacity. We the jury request that this presentment be published in the
Southern Banner. Before taking leave of the court the grand Jury offers to his
honor Judge Jackson, the Solicitor & the officers of the court generally their
thanks for the courteous & efficient manner in which they have discharged their
respective duties.

Sidney Barr, foreman; William T. Hacket; Isac Oakes; Ruben Jordan; David H.
Porter; Richard W. Habersham; Felix W. Bracket; Calleb Taylor; Thomas Sosebee;
William Dodd; Saul R. Lambert; Elijah Williams; William B. Shelton; Edwin T.
Williams; Whitfield Brown; E. M. Wyrum; John W. King; Charles Ritch; John L.
Richardson; Wiley Gilstrap.

Attachment 5
Bill of Sale of John M. Gilstrap, desd
Page 280
Article Price Name of Bidder
1 Bed & Stead $15.00 Martha Bowen
1 Bed & Stead 16.00 Martha Bowen
1 Trunk 2.50 Martha Bowen
1 Trunk 2.60 Martha Bowen
1 Trunk 3.00 Wiley Gilstrap
1 Trunk 2.05 Martha Bowen
1 Overcoat 2.15 F. D. O'Kelly
1 Overcoat 2.80 Wiley Gilstrap
1 Overcoat 10.05 Mercer Fain
1 Chest 2.00 Martha Bowen
1 Clock 5.50 " "
1 Looking Glass 1.80 " "
1 Desk 3.00 " "
1 Looking Glass 1.00 " "
1 Set cups & saucers & 1 set plates 1.85 " "
1 Set Knives & Spoons 1.00 " "
1 Spinning Wheel 1.00 " "
1 Saddle 8.25 J. P. O'Kelly
1 Lot of Chairs 2.00 Martha Bowen
1 Lot of cooking utensils 2.00 " "
19 Gallons of stone ware 1.50 " "
1 Lot of tin .75 " "
1 Slate & arithmetic .50 " "
1 Tray & sifter 1.50 - 1 table .25 1.75 " "
1 Rifle gun & shot pouch 7.55 J. P. O'Kelly
1 Shot gun 2.00 - 1 pistol 3.25 5.25 F. D. O'Kelly
1 Keg & Measure .45 Martha Bowen
1 pr cards .45 - well roller & rope .50 .95 " "
2 washing tubs .25-1 wash pot 2.00 2.25 " "
1 Lot farming tools 2.60 F. D. O'Kelly
1 Scythe and Cradle 1.70 " "
1 Buggy & Harness 18.50 " "
1 Buggy tongue 4.30 " "
Woodwork of a wagon 2.60 William McKinney
Lot of Bee gums No. 1 .35 F. D. O'Kelly
" " " 2 1.55 E. J. Ferguson
" " " 3 2.10 A. J. Hamilton
" " " 4 .75 F. D. O'Kelly
" " " 5 .65 " "
" " " 6 1.00 M. V. Hanse
" " " 7 .85 F. D. O'Kelly
2 hogs 18.00 M. Fain
2 hogs 17.00 Wm. McKinney
2 hogs 12.80 F. D. O'Kelly
Amt Fwd $190.40

Page 281
Fwd $190.40
1 Sow & pigs 26.50 F. D. O'Kelly
1 Stack of Oats 5.00 A. J. Hamilton
1 Cow & yearling 15.25 Wiley Gilstrap
1 Mule 53.25 - 1 Mule 53.20 106.45 F. D. O'Kelly
1 Lot corn 25 bushels (at 51) 12.75 " "
The Whole Amount $356.35

H.H. Bowen Admn Recorded Aug 5th 1866
John R. Holcombe Or'dy
Source: White County Probate Office, Annual Returns Book 1, pages 258, 280-281

Attachment 6

Milton Harrison Gilstrap Family Bible

Marriages

Milton H. Gilstrap & Emily A. Martin was married Sept 9th, 1883

Marlow Gillstrap & Ethel Redmon was married Oct. 2nd, 1904

Flora Gillstrap & Fernando West Dec. 18, 1904

Gordon Gillstrap & Nannie Belle Smith August 15, 1915

Oscar Gillstrap & Montie Campbell August 13,1916

Fannie Mae Gillstrap & Arthur Payne Dec. 23, 1923

Comer Gillstrap & Zola Smith 12-24-1922

Johnnie Gillstrap & Cleo Morris 9-25-1926
Smyrna, GA by Theodore A. Wills

Marlow G. & Omie Canady May 1927

Harrison G. & Harriet White 1-5-1931

Births

Milton H. Gillstrap April 10, 1862

Emily A. Gillstrap May 22, 1864

Homer Marlow Gillstrap Dec. 29, 1884

Flora Daisey Gillstrap Dec. 26, 1886

Grover Gordon Gillstrap Feb. 16, 1891

Edker Millard & Osker Dillard Gilstrap June 17, 1894

Comer Wiley Gillstrap Aug. 7, 1899

Fannie May Gillstrap Aug. 15, 1900

John Oliver Jennings Gillstrap May 1, 1903



Deaths

Edcar M. Gillstrap July 23, 1894 age one month & 16 days

Fannie Mae Gilstrap Payne died at Grady Hospital, Atlanta, April 2, 1924, 4:20 pm

Emily A. Gillstrap Oct. 2, 1928 8:45 pm

Marlow Gillstrap October 1, 1931

M. H. Gilstrap April 15, 1944, 8:00 am 82 yrs & 5 days old

Flora Daisey Gilstrap West Sept 4, 1958

Gordon Grover Gilstrap Jan 22, 1966

Comer W. Gilstrap April 25, 1973

Oscar Dillard Gilstrap July 23, 1984

John Oliver Jennings Gilstrap Feb 25, 1983