James G. Gilfillan    

JAMES G. GILFILLAN, farmer, post-office Balm, was born December 21, 1816, in Mercer County, to John and Mary (Glenn) Gilfillan. The father was a native of County Derry, Ireland, born October 14, 1783, and immigrated to America when eleven years old, with his parents, James and Martha (Wiley) Gilfillan. The family settled in Lawrence County, where James and Martha died after having been blessed with the following children: John, Alexander, a physician, drowned near New Castle while fishing; Ebbie, married Joseph Law; Sarah, married James Gill; Thomas; Nancy, married John Green; Martha, married Abraham Green, and James, a blacksmith, who learned his trade with Robert Stewart, the father of the distinguished William Stewart, and married Jane, a daughter of William Adams, once the owner of the "Ranals Mills." These became the property of James Gilfillan, and were afterward known as the "Gilfillan Mills." John Gilfillan and his father, James, were among the prominent members and founders of the "Slippery Rock" Church. The former was in the War of 1812, was educated in the country schools, and brought up on a farm. When he was about sixteen years of age, and at home by himself in a log cabin, an Indian came and took dinner with him. John was married in 1814 to Mary Glenn, and settled on the farm, where he died May 20, 1857. His first wife died in 1828, and her children were: Martha, married Thomas McClemen; James G., Robert, Isabella, married Samuel Adams; John, Mariah, married George Mathers; Robert (2). His second wife was Jane Lowry, and she, as well as his first wife, was a member of the United Presbyterian Church, to which he also was attached. James G. Gilfillan was educated in Mercer and Lawrence Counties, and studied surveying with Samuel McDowell, now deceased, but once a well-known character of Lawrence County. He began surveying in 1840, and has surveyed the greater part of the roads in the southern portion of Mercer County and many in Lawrence. He bought a farm of 100 acres in the woods in Liberty Township in 1839, the greater part of which he cleared. In 1878 he sold it for $10,000, and bought the place where he now resides in Findley Township. He was married December 15, 1842, to Mary A. Brewster, a daughter of Robert and Mary (Tonnihill) Brewster, the parents of eight children: John T., James, Rebecca, married Robert Tigert; Tonnihill, died young; Robert, Mary, Emeline, who died small, and the parents named their next Emeline. The children of our subject are: R. A., graduated at Westminster College and at the Theological Seminary of Allegheny City, is now in charge of a United Presbyterian congregation at Turtle Creek; Emma, married William Wilson; and John N., died young; R. Brewster, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, dropped dead with heart disease at Stonebore; J. Calvin, a farmer and an agent for evaporators; A. J., engaged in the millinery and dress-making business in Fairview, Butler County; Flora P., teaching at Turtle Creek; Lulu M., Ella M., married A. K. Miller, and Charles, who died at the age of nineteen years. He and wife are members of the United Presbyterian Church, and he is a Prohibitionist.

History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present : including its aboriginal history, its early settlement and development, a description of its historic and interesting localities, sketches of its boroughs, townships and villages, neighborhood and family histories, portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, statistics, etc. : also, a condensed history of Pennsylvania. Chicago, Ill.: Brown, Runk & Co., 1888.  Read this book on line - Free Trial  Search Hundreds of 1880s-1890s Pennsylvania County History Books for biographies and historical information on your ancestors.  View the book page images on line and print them out for your genealogy file!  Free Access to the old history books - plus birth & death records, census images and ALL other records at ancestry.com.