John Ambrose Gilcrease (abt. 1839 - abt. 1882)

Born about 1839 in Alabama, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Nancy Alletha (Gilcrease) Drury — married 5 May 1865 (to about 1882) in Clarke, Alabama, United States

Descendants

Died about 1882 at about age 43 in Jackson, Clarke, Alabama, United States [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Nelda Spires [send private message] and Sandy Beynon [send private message]

Biography

Birth and Parents: John Ambrose Gilchrist/Gilcrease was the son of John A. Gilcrease (abt.1788-abt.1860) and Priscilla Amelia Gilcrease (abt.1798-abt.1853). Many variations of his last name are seen on documents and records and descendants use many variations such as Gilcrease, Gilchrist, Gilchrest, and Gilcrest. John was born about 1839 in Alabama, an estimate based on the 1850 United States Census. On that census, he was recorded as being eleven years old and living in the household of his parents in Sumter County, Alabama.

1850 United States Census, Sumter County, Alabama:^[1]

No record of John Ambrose Gilcrease/Gilchrist and his family has yet been located in the 1860 United States Census.

Marriage and Family: John Ambrose Gilcrease/Gilchrist and Nancy Alletha Gilcrease/Gilchrist were married on 05 May 1865 in Clarke County, Alabama. W. H. Waite, Justice of the Peace, presided over their nuptials. It is possible they are related through a common ancestor, but who that ancestor is and the degree of their relationship is unverified.^[2] Together John Ambrose and Nancy Alletha Gilcrease/Gilchrist were the parents of about seven children.

1870 United States Census, Good Springs, Grove Hill, Clark County, Alabama:^[3]

The 1880 United States Census contained some inaccuracies but it was likely it was the census record of this John A. Gilchrist. There were similar discrepancies in the record of his brother/neighbor Bart Gilchrist, so it was possible the information was supplied by someone who did not know the families' details well. In 1880 the family was living in Jackson, Clarke County, Alabama.

1880 United States Census, Enumeration District 22, Jackson, Clarke County, Alabama:^[4]

In 1835, John's son Edmond (Edom) Messer Gilchrist submitted a sworn affidavit in a legal case regarding the ownership of land in Texas. In the affidavit, he outlined his extended family. He attested, "That his name is Edom Messer Gilchrist; that he lives at Allen, Clarke County, Alabama; that his father was John A. Gilchrist who lived in Clarke County, Alabama, and died at Jackson, Alabama... that he had two brothers, John W. Gilchrist and Seth Ambrose Gilchrist; that he had two sisters, Averilla Gilchrist and Matilda Gilchrist; that all of said brother and sisters are dead except Matilda; that Matilda married Malcolm Mott...that Averilla Gilchrist married Augustus Deubler ..." The full transcript of the affidavit can be found on Edmond Messer Gilchrist's WikiTree profile.^[5]

Military Service: According to a family story, "John was shot during the Civil War in Chattanooga, Tennessee. After being shot he walked from Chattanooga back to his home in Clarke County, Alabama. He lost the use of his left arm and had complications from the gunshot wound for the rest of his life."^[6]

Death: John Ambrose Gilcrease/Gilchrist passed away about or after 1882. This date is an estimate. On the 1910 census, Nancy Gilcrease, then widowed, says she was married 17 years. If she was married in 1865, 17 years of marriage would put John's death at about 1882. It is assumed he died in Jackson, Clarke County, Alabama, since that is where he was living when the 1880 United States Census was taken and also because his son Edmond (Edom) Messer Gilchrist attested to this fact in an affidavit in 1935.^[4][5][7] His daughter Frances Matilda was born in May of 1883 but it is possible she was born after her father passed away.^[8]

The burial place for John Ambrose Gilcrease/Gilchrist is unknown.

Miscellaneous

John's widow, Nancy A. Gilchrist Drury, petitioned for a widow's pension because her deceased husband A. J. Drury was a Civil War Veteran. A question on the petition asked if she had ever been married before and, if so, to give the name of her former husband, and the date and place of their marriage. This document, shared on her memorial, at the Find A Grave website gives John's middle name as Ambrose.^[9]

Ambrose was the middle name of a son, Seth Ambrose Gilchrist and at least one grandchild Seth Ambrose Gilchrist. On the death certificate for Matilda Gilchrist Mott, her father's name is listed as "John Ambrus."^[10]

Known Children:

1. John William Gilchrist (abt.1867-abt.1920)
2. Edmond Messer Gilchrist (1869-1949)^[11]
3. Averilla (Gilcrease) Deubler (1872-1929)
4. Seth Ambrose Gilchrist (aft.1880-aft.1917)
5. Frances Matilda (Gilcrease) Mott (1883-1971)^[8]
6. and 7. Two other children who died young and whose names are not known

Research Notes

This John A. Gilchrist/Gilcrease is sometimes confused with the John A. Gilchrist of Lawrence County, Alabama, also a Civil War veteran, but they are not the same person.

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH54-ZJB : 12 April 2016), John A Gilcrease in household of John Gilcrease, Sumter county, Sumter, Alabama, United States; citing family 805, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
2. ↑ "Alabama, Marriage Indexes, 1814-1935," Ancestry.com, citing WPA Indices to Marriage Records, by County, 1814-1935. Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama. Image or Ancestry Sharing Link
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHVB-G3X : 12 April 2016), John A Gilcrease, Alabama, United States; citing p. 145, family 1120, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 545,507.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4J4-J85 : 12 August 2017), John Gilchrist, Jackson, Clarke, Alabama, United States; citing enumeration district ED 22, sheet 321B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0007; FHL microfilm 1,254,007.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} “Edom Messer Gilchrist Affidavit,” Probate Court, Clarke County, Alabama, 17 August 1935; transcription in personal files of Nelda Gilchrist Spires, received from cousin (Living.)
6. ↑ John Gilchrist Story Ancestry.com, accessed 14 Apr 2019. (No sharing link)
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKQM-1FT : accessed 14 December 2018), Nancy Gilchrist in household of Edmond Gilchrist, Grove Hill, Clarke, Alabama, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 24, sheet 13B, family 267, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 6; FHL microfilm 1,374,019.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} "Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JNKL-C7D : 15 February 2018), John Ambrus Gilchrist in entry for Frances Matilda Mott, 11 May 1971; citing reference 13065, Department of Health, Montgomery; FHL microfilm 2,051,651.
9. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 11 January 2019), memorial page for Nancy Alletha Gilchrest Drury (9 Oct 1847–1920), Find A Grave: Memorial #115834479, citing Magnolia Cemetery, Grove Hill, Clarke County, Alabama, USA ; Maintained by anonymous 2 (contributor 47329519).
10. ↑ "Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JNKL-C7D : 15 February 2018), John Ambrus Gilchrist in entry for Frances Matilda Mott, 11 May 1971; citing reference 13065, Department of Health, Montgomery; FHL microfilm 2,051,651.
11. ↑ "Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6SK-T6K : 15 February 2018), John Gilchrist in entry for Edmon M. Gilchrist, 20 Feb 1949; citing reference 2161, Department of Health, Montgomery; FHL microfilm 1,908,836.