Biographies and Obituaries
In loving memory
William Henry Harrison Gilley
William Henry Harrison Gilley, was born 6 March 1838. Both of his parents died by the time he was seven years old. William Ratton (who married Lucinda Gilley in 1843) was appointed guardian of William and four of his sisters who were under 14. When his sister Winney married Jesse Colbert, William H.H. Gilley was indentured to Jesse to learn the trade of farming. He lived near Hudsonville, Harrison Township, with Jesse andWinney Colbert until he enlisted in the U.S. Army.
On 28 September 1861 William H.H. Gilley enlisted as a private in Company "G" 42nd Regiment of Indiana Volunteers. He was mustered in at Evansville on 10 October 1861 at the age of 23.
Early in February 1862 the 42nd received orders to move to the area of Fort Donelson, Tennessee on the Cumberland River in preparation for a battle. The 42nd was to leave its camp at Calhoun and proceed to Owensboro, Kentucky, where it would be transported by steamer down the Ohio River and then up the Cumberland River to Fort Donelson. They responded to the order immediately and began striking tents and loading wagons. By 9:00 p.m. they were ready to march. During the night they marched twenty-six miles through rain, mud and slush. In the morning they boarded steamers which headed down the Ohio, stopping at Evansville just long enough for the men to greet a large crowd of friends and relatives.
It was during this time that William came down with typhoid fever which is an infectious and sometimes fatal bacterial desease spread by contaminated water or poor sanitary conditions. He was sent to a hospital in Evansville where he remained for three months. Upon being released from the hospital, William H.H. Gilley reported to Pittsburg Landing. Benjamin Hopkins of Company "G" 42nd was also released from the hospital at the same time. They traveled together to Pittsburg, Tennessee (near Shiloh) expecting to rejoin their regiment. The regiment, however, had been sent in another direction. They were placed with the 49th Ohio and did duty there until the fall of Corinth, Mississippi.
William never recovered from the effects of the Typhoid Fever. He returned to the 42nd and remained in the army, but was assigned to detached duty much of the time due to his health. On 9 October 1864 he was discharged at Billanova, Georgia, as a corporal.
He returned to Daviess County and lived with Jesse and Winney Colbert for a while. When his health permitted he farmed--some of the time for himself and some of the time as a hired hand. On 28 December 1864 William H.H. Gilley and Margaret Alice McCracken were married by Reverend Slater of Mount Olive Baptist Church. The Gilleys lived in Daviess County and continued their membership at Mount Olive until 1871 when they moved to Clay County, Illinois. They lived near Flora, Illinois, and William worked at farming and, for a short time, on the railroad.
William first applied for a pension in 1879. It was rejected, apparently for lack of hospital records from Evansville, Indiana. Several more attempts were made to secure a pension and it was finally granted in 1885. It took an Act of Congress to accomplish it.
In 1886 William and Margaret moved back to Washington, Indiana. They lived at 1306 W. Walnut. William H.H. Gilleydied 26 October 1906 in Washington at the age of 68. Margaret received a widow's pension after his death. She lived at 1216 E. JVanTrees and owned realestate valued at $1200.00 and household goods valued at $25.00. She lost her rights to a pension when she married John M. Jackman on 13 August 1911.
Contributed by Mrs. Jeanne Everett, McCracken Family Historian