BIO: Col. James GILLILAND, Centre County, Pennsylvania

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Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania: Including the 
Counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion: Containing Biographical 
Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, Etc. 
Chicago: J. H. Beers, 1898.
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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD, pages 43-44

   Col. James Gilliland, whose death occurred at Linden, near Washington, D.C., 
on April 1, 1889, when he was at the advanced age of eighty-five years, belonged 
to one of the pioneer families of Centre county, in which he was an official and 
well-known business man upward of fifty years ago.
   Joseph Gilliland, his father, in 1796 removed from near Downingtown, Chester 
Co., Penn., to White Deer township, in what is now Union county, and in 1805 
moved to Spring Mills, Centre county.  In 1814 he moved up to the end of Egg 
Hill in George's Valley, where his death occurred in 1840.  He was an active 
member of the Presbyterian Church, and was elected an elder of Sinking Creek 
Church in 1815.  He adhered to the Scotch-Irish Presbyterian training, and the 
Colonel often remarked that he did not think that as long as he remained at 
home, a Sabbath ever passed without the Shorter Catechism being repeated by 
himself and his brothers and sisters.  The wife of Mr. Gilliland was Catharine 
Cowden, and their children were:  Ann, Allen, Joseph A., Jennet and Julia 
(twins), Robert, Jennet, James, John, David, William, Speer and Samuel.  The 
death of the wife and mother occurred July 18, 1830.
   Col. James Gilliland was born in Buffalo Valley, Penn., January 27, 1804, and 
his early days were spent at Spring Mills, where his father kept a hotel.  Young 
Gilliland was a keen observer of events, and a retentive memory, and his 
father's associations being with Judge Potter, Andrew Gregg and the prominent 
residents of Penn's Valley, the early incidents of the settlements of Penn's 
Valley were derived from listening to the conversation of his father's friends, 
and to Col. Gilliland, the local historian at Bellefonte is indebted for many 
important occurrences and interesting tales that otherwise would have passed 
into oblivion.  While yet a young man, Mr. Gilliland was engaged by Hon. Isaac 
McKinney as a clerk in his store near Jacksonville, where he received good 
business training.  In 1825 Judge McKinney built Hecla Furnace, and while with 
the Judge he assisted in taking "arks" down Bald Eagle and then West Branch to 
Port Deposit and Baltimore, and on one of these occasions the Judge insisted on 
his visiting Washington city.  His business connections with Judge McKinney made 
him well acquainted through Centre county, and he soon became influential in 
politics, and when William L. Smith, the prothonotary, died in office, March 11, 
1831, Mr. Gilliland was appointed his successor.  He served as such until 
January 12, 1836.
   After retiring from this office he erected the fine stone residence on 
Alleghany street, in Bellefonte, later owned by Mrs. Pifer, and engaged in the 
mercantile business therein.  In 1837 he was one of a committee, with John Irvin 
and John Hall, which erected the Presbyterian church edifice that preceded the 
present building.  He was engaged several years in settling the estate of Gen. 
Philip Benner.  In the spring of 1847 he purchased from the Gratzes three tracts 
of land in Snow Shoe township, and in partnership with Henry Van Dyke and John 
McCormick immediately built a first-class sawmill, established a blacksmith 
shop, and completed an elegant flouring-mill on the purchase.  In 1849 Messrs. 
Gilliland and Van Dyke laid out the town of Moshannon, and in 1851 the 
Presbyterian church there was built on ground donated by them.  Mr. Gilliland 
was chosen one of the elders and became clerk of the Session.  On the breaking 
out of the war, he was made captain of a company raised at Snow Shoe, but on 
going to Harrisburg, owing to his advanced age, he was assigned to duty in the 
quartermaster-general's office under Gen. Hale, where he served some time, when 
Gov. Curtin appointed him commissary and quartermaster of the 1st Regiment of 
Pennsylvania Veterans, from which position he was transferred to Washington city 
as assistant agent of the State of Pennsylvania, to look after the interests of 
the soldiers of that State; this office he filled during the war, according to 
the testimony of Gov. Curtin, "admirable and with great fidelity."  This is also 
the unanimous testimony of the soldiers from Pennsylvania.  On the close of the 
war he moved some seven or eight miles out of Washington, where he resided the 
rest of his life.
   Col Gilliland was twice married, the first time to Eliza, daughter of John 
Rankin, of Bellefonte, who died in 1854.  While on their wedding trip they 
stopped at Washington city and called on President Jackson.  They were received 
in the east room, and the President honored the bride by taking a seat on the 
sofa, between her and the bridesmaid.  He entertained the party for an hour.  
His second wife was Mary Hampshire, to whom he was married December 30,1857.
   Col. Gilliland was a genial, pleasant man, had great conversational powers, 
was a ready writer, and was all his life a great advocate of temperance and 
religion.  He went down to his grave with the respect of all who knew him 
intimately, for his promptness and diligence in performing his official duties, 
and deeply regretted by his friends and kindred for the kindness, gentleness and 
affection he always showed them.  Two sons, Capt. John R., late of the 51st 
Pennsylvania Regiment, and James C., and three daughters, Mrs. Isabella Wright 
(wife of Rev. W. O. Wright, of Milesburg), Henrietta and Catherine, survived 
him.