Gilmore family - Putnam

“Cousin of JH Gilmore to be Vice-Governor”

James H. Gilmore of 129 South Bright Avenue, has received word that his cousin, Professor Eugene Allen Gilmore of the University of Wisconsin has been appointed to the post of Vice Governor General to the Philippines, by President Harding.

Regarding the ancestry and career of his cousin, Mr. Gilmore gives the following interesting account:

Prof. Gilmore comes from a sturdy stock of pioneers. His people are of Scotch-Irish descent and have been Christians for hundreds of years. They stand for education, patriotism and good citizenship.  The home of the Gilmores was Craigmiller Castle, Scotland. Before the siege of Londonderry, they went to the North of Ireland and were in that siege in 1689. The name Gilmore is said to be derived from two Gaelic words, gille and morh meaning great and servant.  And these words were applied in a descriptive way to the first Gilmores who were armor bearers of the Highland chiefs. They were usually chosen because of their extraordinary size and strength and they became, through their position, persons of considerable influence and importance in the clan. About 1730, James Gilmore came to America and settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  About 1737 with his wife, Martha (Dennison) Gilmore and family he came to what was then Augusta County but is now Rockbridge County, Virginia. James and Martha Dennison Gilmore were great great grandparents of Prof. Eugene Allen Gilmore.  

In 1748, John Leech Sr aged 9 years and his sister, Agnes, who were the only survivors of a family of seven, came from Londonderry Ireland to America and settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Lackeys took shipping from Londonderry, Ireland and coming to America settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  In 1748 Thoams Lackey, Sr born in 1728 married in 1754 Agnes Leech born in 1730, elder sister of John Leech, Sr with whom he came to America. Thomas and Agnes Leech Lackey were great great grandparents of Prof. Eugene Allen Gilmore.  John Leech, Sr. grew to manhood’s estate and married Elizabeth McComb. They were great great grandparents of Prof. Eugene Allen Gilmore. The Lackeys and Leeches moved from Pennsylvania to Rockbridge County, Virginia and settled near the Natural Bridge.

James Crawford, son of Thomas Crawford married Catherine Howell, a Welch woman. They came from North Ireland to America and settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania before the Revolutionary War. About 1774 they removed to Rockbridge County, Virginia and settled near the Natural Bridge. They were great great grandparents of Prof. Eugene Allen Gilmore. Thomas Leech, son of John Leech, Sr. and his wife, Elizabeth McComb Leech married August 4, 1792, Elizabeth Crawford, daughter of James and Catherine Crawford (sic). They were great grandparents of Prof. Eugene Allen Gilmore.  Just here let me remark that President Warren G Hardin’s grandmother was Mary Ann Craford, Elizabeth Crawford our great grandmother, had a sister Mary and sister Ann so you see they are family names.  President Harding may possibly be a relative of ours, but I cannot say).  

William Gilmore son of James and Catherine Dennison Gilmore, married Martha Lackey, daughter of Thomas and Agnes Leech Lackey, June 12, 1783 in Rockbridge County, Virginia. They were great grandparents of Eugene Gilmore.  

Thomas Gilmore, son of William and Martha Lackey Gilmore, was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, Nov 20, 1792.  He married in Rockbridge County May 29, 1815 his cousin Margaret Leech, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Crawford Leech born in Rockbridge County Nov 6, 1793. They were grandparents of Prof. Eugene Allen Gilmore

They emigrated with her father’s family to Livingston County, Kentucky in 1816.  They had one son born in Virginia; four more children were added to the family in Kentucky.  

From Kentucky they moved with their family to Preble County, Ohio and settled near Eaton. Here, five children were added to the family. Thomas Gilmore’s father, William Gilmore moved from Virginia to Preble County, Ohio in 1818.  In 1836 Thomas and Margaret Gilmore left Preble County and moved to Putnam County, Indiana and located on a farm near Greencastle, the county seat. Their youngest son was born in Putnam County, Indiana.  Thomas Gilmore owned the first wagon in Washington Township where he settled.

Andrew Hall Gilmore, father of Prof. Eugene Allen Gilmore was 7 years old when they came to Indiana where he grew to manhood.  In 1850 he and a younger brother, Nathan with some neighbor boys, started across the great plains with ox-teams to seek their fortunes in the gold mines of California., They were six months on the road and arrived in El Dorado County where they located at the little town of El Dorado, known as “Mud Springs,” because it was always muddy around the spring where everybody got their water supply.  El Dorado was five miles from Placerville the county seat known far and near as “Hang Town.” (The writer was in that country from 1879-1885).  Here they went into the gold mining business.  Some of the party opened up a store in Placerville in which they wished the Gilmore brothers to engage with them.  Some of the party wished to engage in selling alcoholic liquors. Andrew Hall Gilmore, Prof Eugene’s father quietly told them, “Then you can count the Gilmore boys out.”  So, there was one grocery store in Hang Town where alcoholic liquors were not dispensed.

Andrew Hall Gilmore returned to his Indiana home.  He married Candace Knight, who with her children died.  Mr. Gilmore married as his second wife Miss Josephine Allen. They live don a farm in Indiana for several years. About 1869 they removed with their family to Brownsville, Nemaha County, Nebraska where they lived several years and where Prof. Eugene Allen Gilmore was born in 1871.  They moved to Auburn, the county seat of Nemaha County where Andrew Hall Gilmore went into business.  He filled the office of County Treasurer.

Prof. Eugene Allen Gilmore was educated in the public schools of Brownsville and Auburn, Nebraska. He later went to Greencastle, Indiana where he entered DePauw University where he graduated with credit to himself. He then attended Harvard University where he graduated in the law department. He practiced law in Boston three years, also in Indianapolis, Indiana. He then removed to Madison, Wisconsin where he had been engaged as Professor of Law for 25 years. He was married Dec 29, 1899.  He and his good wife are the happy parents of three children.  He has recently been appointed to the important post of vice-governor general of the Philippine Islands by President Warren G Harding and has been to Washington DC for his final instructions from the president., Governor-General Wood has expressed his intention of resigning the office after six months. That will leave the way open for Prof. Gilmore as his successor in office. There are 7,000 students in the University of Wisconsin,. There are many Filipinos in attendance there. Recently they gave a reception to Prof. Gilmore which they considered a farewell to the University and a welcome to the Philippines.

Prof. Gilmore is author of several treatises on the law. He is not a politician and his work will be to a large extend educational. He will receive his ship’s passage to his post free for himself and family.  He will start about March 4. The appointment carries a salary of $10,000 a year for his services.,  We wish him God-speed and safe journey.