Mary Elizabeth GILLESPIE, Amherst, Virginia, 1827 - 18xx
Jeremiah was born in Amherst, Virginia probably around 1827. He is documented as the son of Tarlton GILLESPIE, and given that we believe Tarlton only had one wife, I am assume that Mahala REYNOLDS was his mother.
Jeremiah married his cousin Mary GILLESPIE on 20 Nov 1848 in Amherst, VA. My great aunt Eva GILLESPIE told my father that Jeremiah married his first cousin. I believe that the Mary GILLESPIE that he married was the daughter of Willis GILLESPIE and Harriet SMITH. Evidence will be given in the discussion.
From census' we have determined that Jeremiah and Mary had at least 6 children: Harriet A GILLESPIE, James GILLESPIE, William GILLESPIE, George GILLESPIE, Sarah H GILLESPIE, Wyatt Paul GILLESPIE
This particular family and generation has been a bit of a puzzle for me. Documentation has been sparse. I'm guessing a good deal of it was burned or otherwise destroyed during the civil war. Or I'mlooking in the wrong places.
Facts and Timeline for GILLESPIE Mary Elizabeth
1826
Birth
Amherst, Virginia
Mary Elizabeth GILLESPIE was born, daughter of Willis GILLESPIE and Harriet SMITH. Date is approximate. We know that she is the daugther of Willis and Harriet, via his will.
1827
Birth
Virginia, probably Amherst
Jeremiah GILLESPIE was born, son of Tarlton GILLESPIE and Mahala REYNOLDS. Date is approximate from census reports.
We know that he the son of Tarlton, via Tarlton's will and we know that Tarlton only had one wife, so we assume that Mahala was his mother.
28 Mar 1848
Marriage
Amherst, Virginia
Jeremiah GILLESPIE, about age 20, son of Tarlton GILLESPIE and Mahala REYNOLDS, of Amherst, Virigina, marries Mary Elizabeth GILLESPIE, about age 21, daughter of Willis GILLESPIE and Harriet SMITH, of Amherst, Virginia.
According to my great aunt Eva (Eva Dold GILLESPIE), Jeremiah and Mary were first cousins, which is the best evidence I currently have that Tarlton GILLESPIE and Willis GILLESPIE are brothers.
28 Mar 1848
Marriage
amherst
Jeremiah GILLESPIE, about age 20, son of Tarlton GILLESPIE and Mahala REYNOLDS, marries Mary GILLESPIE, about age 22, daughter of Willis GILLESPIE and Harriet SMITH. Tarlton and Willis are believed to be brothers.
Witness for husband is Tarlton GILLESPIE as Jeremiah is under age. (Legal age for a male to be married in Virginia at that time was 21.) Also listed as witnesses were James GILLESPIE (no idea which one, J POWELL, Jr., Rich WAUGH (not sure if this was Roderick WAUGH or some relation.) (Record 408; record 490)
15 Jul 1865
Birth
Amherst, Virginia
Wyatt Paul GILLESPIE was born in Amherst, Virginia, son of Jeremiah GILLESPIE and Mary Elizabeth GILLESPIE. He was the youngest of six children, five who survived until adulthood.
1880
Census
Lexington, Virginia
Jeremiah, age 53, and Mary, age 54, live in Amherst, Virginia, with 3 of their children. Note, Jeremiah is listed as being 60, and Mary as 40, but I'm pretty sure this is the right family.
They are living with three children: Harriet, age 31, George, age 24, and Paul (Wyatt Paul), age 16 (or 14). All three are listed as working on the farm.
Next door to Jeremiah and Mary, lives Almira (or Elmira Heck GILLESPIE), widow of Jeremiah's youngest brother John. According to a Civil War database, John was killed in 1879 by a freed slave with an axe.
Almira lives with her 5 children, Clara, age 10, John, age 3 (really age 8), Netty (Rena Janette), age 6, Thomas, age 4, and Daniel, age 1
Next door to Almira lives Jeremiah's brother Varlan, age 42, his wife Eliza, age 25, and their two daughters, Maggie, age 4, and Cora, age 3.
Also, on this page is Mahala REYNOLDS, Jeremiah's mother, living with her daughter, Edith, age 58, and her son, William age 44. All three are listed as being widowed. I've never figured out who William's wife was.
24 Jan 1894
Marriage
Buffalo Forge, Rockbridge, Virginia
Laura Cecile DONALD, age 17, daughter of James Calvin DONALD and Elizabeth Jane WALLACE, married Wyatt Paul GILLESPIE, age 29, son of Jeremiah GILLESPIE and Mary Elizabeth GILLESPIE, of Amherst, Virginia. They are married in Lexington, Buffalo Forge, Virginia.