George Gillespie Notes
George had come west by sea. He was 16 years old in 1850 - living in Chicago. Shortly after 1850, he left his Chicago home & traveled by ship with a sea Captain family friend to San Francisco. The entire crew, including the Captain, contracted gold fever, abandoned ship, & joined the gold rush. George apparently did not strike it rich, because sometime during the 1850's (probably the latter half), George (it is alleged by my brother) took an overland trail (Applegate ?) to Oregon on foot. Whenever that was, he arrived at Yamhill in time to marry Elnora's mother on June 3, 1860 - about 4 years before Elnora's birth. George & Angeline's subsequent four children were: Mary Agnes, born in 1862 at Yamhill; Elnora Anna, born May 14, 1864 at The Dalles; Jennie, born in 1871 at The Dalles; & John Edward, born in 1873 at Moscow, Idaho."
My Brother Jim's e-mail information of 1/27/01: With respect to George's early life, my memory is that Mom told me that as a young boy he had bad asthma. A Sea Captain who was a friend of the family told his parents that he would die unless he went to sea, presumably where the air was cleaner. Accordingly they turned him over to the Captain who took him on ship as a cabin boy. He would have been 15 years old in 1949, the year of the Gold Rush.
He would have been 16 probably when the crew jumped ship in San Francisco as you describe. Assuming that he stayed in the Gold Fields for a couple of years, he would have been 18 when he started the overland trek to Oregon and would have arrived there in 1851 or so. This is based upon what I recall Mom telling me.
Mom also told me that he was very friendly with the Nez Perce and that he taught them to sing in harmony, whether or not he taught them Scottish songs I don't recall her saying.
George's obituary: "George C. Gillespie, a pioneer of Oregon and a former resident of Wheeler County died at the home of his daughter. Mrs. Clayton Shackleford of Clarkston Washington on November 15, 1910.
Mr. Gillespie had lived past the age at which men ordinarily drop out of the ranks, being well up in the 70's at the time of his death.
He leaves to mourn his loss four children: J. E. Gillespie, of Heppner, Mrs. Shakelford, of Clarkston, Idaho, Mrs. Davis of Enterprise, Ore., and Mrs. Kitchen of California and numerous grandchildren.
A man of a generous, straight, forward nature and a friend to everyone, his passing will be learned with regret by all who knew him.
George had come west by sea. He was 16 years old in 1850 - living in Chicago. Shortly after 1850, he left his Chicago home & traveled by ship with a sea Captain family friend to San Francisco. The entire crew, including the Captain, contracted gold fever, abandoned ship, & joined the gold rush. George apparently did not strike it rich, because sometime during the 1850's (probably the latter half), George (it is alleged by my brother) took an overland trail (Applegate ?) to Oregon on foot. Whenever that was, he arrived at Yamhill in time to marry Elnora's mother on June 3, 1860 - about 4 years before Elnora's birth. George & Angeline's subsequent four children were: Mary Agnes, born in 1862 at Yamhill; Elnora Anna, born May 14, 1864 at The Dalles; Jennie, born in 1871 at The Dalles; & John Edward, born in 1873 at Moscow, Idaho."
My Brother Jim's e-mail information of 1/27/01: With respect to George's early life, my memory is that Mom told me that as a young boy he had bad asthma. A Sea Captain who was a friend of the family told his parents that he would die unless he went to sea, presumably where the air was cleaner. Accordingly they turned him over to the Captain who took him on ship as a cabin boy. He would have been 15 years old in 1949, the year of the Gold Rush.
He would have been 16 probably when the crew jumped ship in San Francisco as you describe. Assuming that he stayed in the Gold Fields for a couple of years, he would have been 18 when he started the overland trek to Oregon and would have arrived there in 1851 or so. This is based upon what I recall Mom telling me.
Mom also told me that he was very friendly with the Nez Perce and that he taught them to sing in harmony, whether or not he taught them Scottish songs I don't recall her saying.
George's obituary: "George C. Gillespie, a pioneer of Oregon and a former resident of Wheeler County died at the home of his daughter. Mrs. Clayton Shackleford of Clarkston Washington on November 15, 1910.
Mr. Gillespie had lived past the age at which men ordinarily drop out of the ranks, being well up in the 70's at the time of his death.
He leaves to mourn his loss four children: J. E. Gillespie, of Heppner, Mrs. Shakelford, of Clarkston, Idaho, Mrs. Davis of Enterprise, Ore., and Mrs. Kitchen of California and numerous grandchildren.
A man of a generous, straight, forward nature and a friend to everyone, his passing will be learned with regret by all who knew him.
George Gillespie Notes
George had come west by sea. He was 16 years old in 1850 - living in Chicago. Shortly after 1850, he left his Chicago home & traveled by ship with a sea Captain family friend to San Francisco. The entire crew, including the Captain, contracted gold fever, abandoned ship, & joined the gold rush. George apparently did not strike it rich, because sometime during the 1850's (probably the latter half), George (it is alleged by my brother) took an overland trail (Applegate ?) to Oregon on foot. Whenever that was, he arrived at Yamhill in time to marry Elnora's mother on June 3, 1860 - about 4 years before Elnora's birth. George & Angeline's subsequent four children were: Mary Agnes, born in 1862 at Yamhill; Elnora Anna, born May 14, 1864 at The Dalles; Jennie, born in 1871 at The Dalles; & John Edward, born in 1873 at Moscow, Idaho."
My Brother Jim's e-mail information of 1/27/01: With respect to George's early life, my memory is that Mom told me that as a young boy he had bad asthma. A Sea Captain who was a friend of the family told his parents that he would die unless he went to sea, presumably where the air was cleaner. Accordingly they turned him over to the Captain who took him on ship as a cabin boy. He would have been 15 years old in 1949, the year of the Gold Rush.
He would have been 16 probably when the crew jumped ship in San Francisco as you describe. Assuming that he stayed in the Gold Fields for a couple of years, he would have been 18 when he started the overland trek to Oregon and would have arrived there in 1851 or so. This is based upon what I recall Mom telling me.
Mom also told me that he was very friendly with the Nez Perce and that he taught them to sing in harmony, whether or not he taught them Scottish songs I don't recall her saying.
George's obituary: "George C. Gillespie, a pioneer of Oregon and a former resident of Wheeler County died at the home of his daughter. Mrs. Clayton Shackleford of Clarkston Washington on November 15, 1910.
Mr. Gillespie had lived past the age at which men ordinarily drop out of the ranks, being well up in the 70's at the time of his death.
He leaves to mourn his loss four children: J. E. Gillespie, of Heppner, Mrs. Shakelford, of Clarkston, Idaho, Mrs. Davis of Enterprise, Ore., and Mrs. Kitchen of California and numerous grandchildren.
A man of a generous, straight, forward nature and a friend to everyone, his passing will be learned with regret by all who knew him.
George had come west by sea. He was 16 years old in 1850 - living in Chicago. Shortly after 1850, he left his Chicago home & traveled by ship with a sea Captain family friend to San Francisco. The entire crew, including the Captain, contracted gold fever, abandoned ship, & joined the gold rush. George apparently did not strike it rich, because sometime during the 1850's (probably the latter half), George (it is alleged by my brother) took an overland trail (Applegate ?) to Oregon on foot. Whenever that was, he arrived at Yamhill in time to marry Elnora's mother on June 3, 1860 - about 4 years before Elnora's birth. George & Angeline's subsequent four children were: Mary Agnes, born in 1862 at Yamhill; Elnora Anna, born May 14, 1864 at The Dalles; Jennie, born in 1871 at The Dalles; & John Edward, born in 1873 at Moscow, Idaho."
My Brother Jim's e-mail information of 1/27/01: With respect to George's early life, my memory is that Mom told me that as a young boy he had bad asthma. A Sea Captain who was a friend of the family told his parents that he would die unless he went to sea, presumably where the air was cleaner. Accordingly they turned him over to the Captain who took him on ship as a cabin boy. He would have been 15 years old in 1949, the year of the Gold Rush.
He would have been 16 probably when the crew jumped ship in San Francisco as you describe. Assuming that he stayed in the Gold Fields for a couple of years, he would have been 18 when he started the overland trek to Oregon and would have arrived there in 1851 or so. This is based upon what I recall Mom telling me.
Mom also told me that he was very friendly with the Nez Perce and that he taught them to sing in harmony, whether or not he taught them Scottish songs I don't recall her saying.
George's obituary: "George C. Gillespie, a pioneer of Oregon and a former resident of Wheeler County died at the home of his daughter. Mrs. Clayton Shackleford of Clarkston Washington on November 15, 1910.
Mr. Gillespie had lived past the age at which men ordinarily drop out of the ranks, being well up in the 70's at the time of his death.
He leaves to mourn his loss four children: J. E. Gillespie, of Heppner, Mrs. Shakelford, of Clarkston, Idaho, Mrs. Davis of Enterprise, Ore., and Mrs. Kitchen of California and numerous grandchildren.
A man of a generous, straight, forward nature and a friend to everyone, his passing will be learned with regret by all who knew him.
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