James (Gilleland) Gilliland (bef. 1775 - 1825)

Born before 1775 in North Carolina

Descendants

Died 3 Jan 1825 after age 50 in Barren County, Kentucky, USA

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Biography

James Gilleland was born in 1775 in North Carolina to Capt. Thomas Gilleland Jr. and Mary Polk. He married Mary Polly Morrison before 1800 in North Carolina. Children: John, Wilson, Samuel S, James, Thomas, Joseph, Margaret, Rachel, Luticia, Thomas C. He died on 3 Jan 1825 in Barren County, Kentucky.

Research Notes

This James Gilliland was enumerated at over age 45 years during the US Federal Census of 1810 so was born prior to 1775. His will was dated 15 November 1816.^[1] He died prior to his will being "first" presented to the Court of Barren County, Kentucky on 20 Jan 1817 and proved by only one of his subscribing witnesses.^[2] His will was further proved at the February Court by a second of his three witnesses.^[3] His will was again presented to the Court during the January Term of 1825 by his third subscribing witness, John Gilliland, and ordered to be recorded.^[4] This latter date may mark the death of Gilliland's widow Mary, to whom he had bequeathed the entirety of his estate for life. It was only then that his executor would need to administer his estate, which was to be divided between two, of what he called, "sets" of children, his younger six named children, and his older married and gone children. His will proves an older son John and indenture made after his death prove his son James, why he called himself senior.

Will

In the name of God Amen I James Gilliland Segnior [sic] of the County of Barren and State of Kentucky being low in health, but in sound mind and memory Calling into mind the mortalety of my body, and knowing that it appointed for all men once to die, do ordain this my Last Will & testament; first of all I recommend my soul to the Almighty God who gave it and my body to Earth from whence it came~~Secondly for all my Just Debts to be levied out of my Estate.

Thirdly I will & bequeath to Mary Gilliland my dear and beloved Wife, all my land and tenaments, by her to be freely enjoyed together with all my stocks Horses Cattle & Hogs, till God shall think fit to take her to himself~ and after my wife Mary Gillelands departure from this world for the land to be equally divided between my six Youngest children, mentioning their names are Rachel, Thomas, Wilson, Samuel, Joseph and Margaret Gilleland, and likewise after the decease of my Wife for all the youngest set of my children beginning at Rachel Gilliland unto the Youngest child to have an equal share with those that are married, and gone and what is remaining to be divided amongst all my children equally. I do appoint my beloved son John Gilleland as Executor, to this my Last Will & Testament. In Witness whereof I here unto set my hand and seal this 15th Nov 1816

James Gilleland

Signed, Published & prenounced this my last

Will & Testament, In Witness whereof we

have hereunto Subscribed our names

Harrelson Glover

John Gilleland

John Denham

— Barren County, to wit, January Court 1817

The within and foregoing writing purported to be the last will & testament of James Gilliland Dec'd was produced in Court, and proved by the oath of Harrilison Glover one of the subscribing Witnesses thereto, and again at a Court held for said County of Barren, on the 3rd Monday in January 1825, the aforesaid writing was proved by the oath of John Gilliland another of the Subscribing Witnesses whereupon the said Writing was Ordered to be Recorded, as the true Last will & Testament of James Gilliland Deceased which hath been duly entered of Record accordingly. W. Logan, Clk

On the 5th December 1818, James Gilliland and Eleanor [Wilson] his wife sold 52 acres of land in Barren County described as on Shoal Creek on the waters of Skagg's Creek and part of the land of James Gilliland, Sr.^[5] On the 8th January, 1825 Thomas, Samuel, Rachel, Joseph, and Margaret Gilliland sold 32 acres, 144 poles of their deceased father's land described as part of a 200 acre grant on Skaggs Creek to their brother James.^[6] James and his wife "Nelly" sold this same 32 acres, 144 poles in addition to another tract of almost 7 acres by an indenture dated 4th October, 1830, all described as from the 200 acre patent of James Gilliland, deceased.^[7] This same day, James and wife Nelly and Rachel Gilliland entered into an indenture and sold 125 acres of the same 200 acre patent of James Gilliland, deceased, on the Shoal Creek waters of Skagg's Creek.^[8] Per "The Kentucky Land Grants; Volume Number: 1; Part: 1; Title: Chapter IV Grants South Of Green River (1797-1866)" this land was surveyed 31 Aug 1799. The last two deeds state the said 200 acres of land was entered by John Twitty and by him patented to James Gilliland.

The children Luticia & Thomas C. named in the existing biography of this profile were children of a different and younger James Gilliland, who emigrated to Hardin County, Kentucky from Ohio County, Virginia. That James Gilliland married in 1808 to Mary Morrison in Hardin County, Kentucky. Her family was from New Jersey. The daughter Mary Gilliland currently attached to this profile was a daughter of this James Gilliland and wife Mary Morrison.

There does not appear to be documentation to support James Gilliland, subject of this profile, was also married to a woman named Mary Morrison. It appears these two men have been conflated. The witness to the will of this profile, named Harrelson Glover, was possibly married to this man's daughter Mary Gilliland in Barren County, Kentucky in 1812. She was possibly one of the older daughters, age 10-16, enumerated in this James' 1810 household. This may be why James' will had to be proved 3 times prior to execution because witnesses were suppose to be impartial and not have interest in the estate of the deceased. The John Gilliland who witnessed his will "may" have been the John Gilliland who was enumerated near James during the U. S. Census of 1810 at over age 45, rather than his named executor son. This older John also had a 200 acre land grant in Barren County but it was overlapped by someone else's survey. Could these men have been brothers? He was married to Elizabeth Wilson in Barren County in 1799, about the same year this James arrived in Barren County. John Gilliland's heirs were named in a 1857 Commissioner's Deed (D. B. Vol. Z, p. 106), after the death of his widow Elizabeth Wilson (who was born in North Carolina). Also of note, this James Gilliland named a son Wilson in his 1816 will. His son James married Eleanor Wilson in 1813. These two families may have been connected prior to leaving North Carolina.

Sources

1. ↑ F S Image Link Will of James Gilliland dated 15 Nov 1816, first produced to the January Court of 1817 and proved by the oath of one subscribing witness Harrilson Glover, and again on the 3rd Monday of Jan 1825, proven by the oath of John Gilliland, another of the subscribing witnesses and ordered to be recorded. Barren Co. KY Will Book 2, p. 397.
2. ↑ F S Image Link 20 Jan 1817 Last Will & Testament of James Gilliland, dec'd, Exhibited into Court and partly proven by Harrilson Glover a subscribing witness and ordered to be certified. Barren Co. KY Order Book 4, p. 241.
3. ↑ F S Image Link 17 Feb 1817 The Last Will & Testament of James Gilliland, dec'd, proved by John Dunham & OR (margin reads proved by Glover before, the word fully written above approved). Barren Co. KY Order Book 4, p. 245.
4. ↑ F S Image Link 17 Jan 1825 Will of James Gilliland proven by oath of John Gilliland and ordered to be recorded. Barren Co. KY Order Book 4B, p. 378.
5. ↑ F S Image Link 5 Dec 1818 James Gilliland & Eleanor his wife to Theodorick Webb, 52 acres on Shoal Cr., on Skaggs Cr., part of a tract of land of James Gilliland, Sr. Barren Co. KY Deed Book G, p. 296.
6. ↑ F S Image Link 8 Jan 1825 Indenture from Thomas, Samuel, Rachel, Joseph, and Margaret Gilliland to James Gilliland. Barren Co. KY Deed Book K, p. 54.
7. ↑ F S Image Link 4 Oct 1830 James & Nelly Gilliland to Robert Robinson, 32 acres, 144 poles and another almost 7 acres in Barren Co., on the Shoal Creek waters of Skagg's Creek, part of a 200 acre patent entered by John Twitty & by him patented to James Gilliland, dec'd. Barren Co. KY Deed Book M, p. 85.
8. ↑ F S Image Link 4 Oct 1830 James Gilliland & wife Nelly & Rachel Gilliland to John Biggers, in Barren Co., on the Shoal Creek waters of Skagg's Creek, part of a 200 acre patent entered by John Twitty & by him patented to James Gilliland, dec'd. Barren Co. KY Deed Book M, p. 86.

• US Federal Census 1800, 1810, 1820

• American Genealogical Biographical Index

• Kentucky Land Grants

• Kentucky Compiled Marriages

• Kentucky County Marriage Records

• Kentucky Death Records