Ezekiel Gillham (abt. 1732 - abt. 1800)

Husband of Sarah (Clements) Gilham — married about Nov 1760 in Virginia

Descendants

Died about 1800 at about age 68 in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, United States of America

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Biography

Gilham sometimes spelled Gillam and Gillum.

Ezekiel Gilham was born about 1732, though the exact place is unknown. He may have been born in Pittsylvania or Augusta County in Virginia.^[1]His parents were Thomas GIlham and Mary Meade. His parents immigrated the colonies from Ulster County in Ireland about 1729.

Ezekiel moved with his family from Pennsylania to Augusta County in Virginia. Ezekiel was married to Sara Clements per the Family Bible Record of Ezekiel Gilham in about 1758. His son Jacob was born in Augusta County, Virginia in 1761. Ezekiel moved his family from Virginia about the year 1764 to what became the New Acqusition District in South Carolina. This area was below the boundary between Virginia and South Carolina and between the Broad River on the west and Catawba River on the east.

The 1768/1769 District Court Acts had only recently established seven new "districts" - Beaufort, Camden, Charles Town, Cheraws, Georgetown, Ninety-Six, and Orangeburgh - and each of these new districts had only recently began to operate as true judicial identities with their own district court houses and associated legislative members. Most new court houses were not operational until 1772, some even later. The "voting precincts" were still maintained in the low country at the well-established "parishes," and this was also true for most parts of the Orangeburgh and Camden districts.

See map of Camden District.

https://www.carolana.com/SC/Counties/Camden_District_1769_to_1784.html

The 1768/1769 Orangeburgh District was subdivided into three new districts - St. Matthew's Parish, Saxe-Gotha District, and the District Between Savannah River and North Fork of Edisto River. The 1768/1769 Ninety-Six District was split into two districts, one retaining the name Ninety-Six, plus the District Between Broad and Saluda River.

The 1768/1769 Camden District was divided into three new districts - District Eastward of Wateree River, District Between Broad and Catawba River, and the New Acquisition District. Needless to say, these new districts/subdistricts with such long names were never popular with the people.^[2]

Ezekiel had moved his family to the New Aquisition District in South Carolina. The district became became York District in 1800.

See map of York District, South Carolina from 1825. https://tile.loc.gov/image-services/iiif/service:gmd:gmd391:g3913:g3913y:cws00157/full/pct:12.5/0/default.jpg

Ezekiel and Sara were living in South Carolina before the Revolutionary War began. He and Sarah had a son born in 1761. This son, Jacob, was the first of 9 children born to Ezekiel and Sarah.

War of the Revolution

Although it took some time for "news" to travel from other colonies to the backwoods of South Carolina, by the summer of 1775 there was virtually no one within the colony who did not know what was going on all across the new country.^[3] War came to the South Carolina colony after April of 1775. News came to South Carolina of the fighting in Massachusetts at Lexington and Concord between patriots and British soldiers. By this time Ezekiel and his wife had 6 children.

Many battles were fought in the district where Ezekiel and his family lived.

June 1780 - Bullock's Fork September 26, 1780 - Bigger's Ferry June 18, 1780 - Hill's Iron Works October 7, 1780 - King's Mountain July 12, 1780 - Stallion's Plantation September 6, 1781 - Turkey Creek July 12, 1780 - Williamson's Plantation

^[4]

Military

During the Revolutionary War Ezekiel took an active part in the war for independence. He provided sundries for the militia and he was a private in the South Carolina troops. He was about age 48 when he served in the South Carolina Militia. By the end of his service He was about age 50.

Gillham, Ezekiel New Acquisition District Regiment 1780 1782 1780-1782, 40 days as a Horseman under Capt. James Jamieson; 31 days as a Horseman under Capt. Frame Woods; 29 days as a Horseman under Capt. John Kirkland. A.A.2848. https://www.carolana.com/SC/Revolution/patriot_military_sc_privates_g.htm Ezekiel's eldest son, Jacob, served in the South Carolina Militia as well.

The regiment was in many engagements during March of 1780 to Sept of 1781.

https://www.carolana.com/SC/Revolution/patriot_militia_sc_new_acquisition_district_regiment.html

Capt. James Jamieson, https://revwarapps.org/s21839.pdf

Capt. Frame Woods. https://www.carolana.com/SC/Revolution/patriots_sc_capt_frame_woods.html

Patriot Militia changes:

By January of 1781, a third brigade of militia was established - SC 3rd Brigade of Militia, led by Brig. Gen. Andrew Pickens. Both Sumter and Marion had already been promoted to Brigadier Generals by this time. By this time, all regiments of militia assembled into one of these three brigades. Patriot Militia changes:

During April of 1781, BG Thomas Sumter was authorized by Gov. John Rutledge to establish six new regiments of State Troops within his brigade that previously consisted of only militia - the South Carolina 1st Regiment of State Dragoons, South Carolina 2nd Regiment of State Dragoons, Hampton's Regiment of Light Dragoons (earlier militia), Polk's Regiment of Light Dragoons (earlier militia), and Hill's Regiment of Light Dragoons (earlier militia) - plus one other that is yet to be determined.

There are some indications that all three of these Brigades were now considered to be State Troops - at least at the brigade level. The existing regiments of militia continued as previously to be assembled into these three brigades.

In May of 1781 two regiments left Sumter's brigade and allied themselves under Pickens' brigade - the Turkey Creek Regiment and the New Acquisition District Regiment.

GILLAM, EZEKIEL Ancestor #: A044748 Service: SOUTH CAROLINA Rank(s): CIVIL SERVICE, PATRIOTIC SERVICE, PRIVATE Birth: CIRCA 1732 VIRGINIA Death: ANTE 7-10-1800 OGLETHORPE CO GEORGIA Service Source: SC ARCH, ACCTS AUD # 2848, ROLL #54; HENDRIX & LINDSAY, JURY LISTS OF SC 1778-1779, P 58; SALLEY & WATES, STUB ENTRIES TO INDENTS, BOOKS R-T, P 77, LIBER R #469 Service Description: 1) CAPTS JAMESON & WOOD

Life after the Revolutionary War

After the war Ezekiel and his family continued their lives. About the year 1785 Ezekiel moved his family to Wilkes County in Georgia. He is on the 1785 poll tax in Wilkes County for 200 acres of land. He also has land in Franklin County of about 34 acres in 1788. In 1793 a part of Wilkes County became the new county of Oglethorpe, named for the founder of the Georgia Colony, General James Oglethorpe.

Ezekiel received a Headright Grant from the state of Georgia of 431 acres on Long Creek which fell in the newly formed county of Oglethorpe in 1796. He also owned additional land in Franklin County of 400 acres in 1798.

Ezekiel was Presbyterian by faith. Near Lexington in Oglethorpe County the Beth Salem Presbyterian Church was organized on December the 20th of 1785. The church was the first of a chain of Presbyterian churches established in North Georgia in the latter part of the 18th Century by the Presbytery of South Carolina. Ezekiel was one of three elders.

Family

Ezekiel was married to Sarah Clements about 1758 in Virginia.

Children of Ezekiel and Sarah:

1. Jacob Clements born 1760 married Mary Greer
2. Mary born in 1763 married Thomas Good
3. Charles born in 1765 married Jane Finley
4. Thomas born in 1765 married Martha Milligan
5. Margaret born in 1769 married Bryant Mooney
6. Nancy born in 1775 married Edmund Griffin
7. Ezekiel Jr. born 1777 married Rebecca Vint
8. Ruth born in 1780
9. Edith born in 1784

Death and Burial

Ezekiel died in Oglethorpe County, Georgia sometime after his will was written in November of 1799.

Research Notes

Clachans developed around the Presbyterian Kirk or meetinghouse. For example, Bethel, Bethesda, Beersheba, and Bullock's Creek Presbyterian Churches served the Scotch-Irish communities in the New Acquisition District of South Carolina during the American Revolution.

During the southern war of 1780, Presbyterians were considered guilty of treason by virtue of association. In a war where it was often hard to sort enemies from friends, Presbyterians became primary targets for the British because they were easier to identify;

It was no coincidence that at least six of the militia colonels at King's Mountain were elders in the Presbyterian Church, and the good majority of the men who fought with them were drawn from Presbyterian settlements west of the Catawba River.

Freedom's Gate: The Southern Insurgency in the American Revolution 1780-1781 by Stephen E. Bower, Ph.D

Ezekiel was Presbyterian by faith

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/57246/?offset=0#page=12&viewer=picture&o=search&n=0&q=Ezekiel
2. ↑ https://www.carolana.com/SC/Revolution/sc_revolution_districts_parishes.html
3. ↑ https://www.carolana.com/SC/Revolution/revolution_sc_troops_1775_03_01.html
4. ↑ https://www.carolana.com/SC/Revolution/sc_revolution_engagements_york_county.html

• Gillham, W. Clark, "The Family of Thomas Gillham", microfilm #1321309 Item 5, (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1986)

• "Georgia, Wills and Probate Records, 1742-1992", Ancestry.com (Online: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015), [Original source: Georgia, Probate Court (Oglethorpe County), "Estate Records, 1790-1962"], <http://www.ancestry.com>

• Oglethorpe County, Georgia Will Book A p. 97

• DAR Patriot Index Vol 1, page 268

• DAR # 155853

• Revolutionary Claims in S.C. Aug 20 1783 to Aug 31 1786 index book, original copied by Janie Revill p. 125

• STUB ENTRIES to INDENTS/Claims Against South Carolina Books R-T, page 72

Historical Commission of South Carolina 1917

• Deed Records, Oglethorpe County, Georgia

• http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/oglethorpe/deeds/grantsndx.txt

• https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/tree/7285682/person/-1126695148/media/850fbbbc-90c2-40bc-8ace-55bd75ac4436

• Georgia Historical Commission Maker 109-6 in Oglethorpe County, Georgia