James Andrew Gilley 1853-1900 (1010)

James Andrew Gilley

James Andrew Gilley was born in the year 1853 (based on census estimates) to parents Hays B. Gilley and Hancy Hall, in Washington County, Texas. Texas is a hard place to grow up, since there are so many dangers there. The joke is that, "If it doesn't bite, sting or kick it ain't from Texas." James must have been a hardy fellow to survive the demanding life of a rancher. Yet, he seemed to do more than that, he thrived. He grew up on a fifty-seven acre ranch in Washington County, Texas, with about forty head of cattle to tend, and all of the other chores of a working farm to be done. It taught him the value of hard work.

He appears with his parents in the 1860 Census, as a seven year old child:

When James was about nine years old, his family moved from Washington County to Burleson County, which borders to the north. His father had purchased a tract of land there that was over two hundred acres. From tax records we can see that James had no land of his own when he came to marry, but he had begun to breed some stock of his own, so that he could support a family.

There was no Census taken in Burleson County in 1870, because all of the Marshalls had gone to serve in the Civil War, and did not return. Outlying areas assumed that not enough people lived there to make it worth their while to enumerate it. J. A. Gilley shows up in tax lists in Burleson County TX, appearing first in 1874, as would be expected, the year he would have turned 21 years of age.

It is still unclear how James may have met Lizzie Decker. James was living in Burleson County, Texas at the time of their marriage. Lizzie had been born and grew up in Montgomery County, Texas, but Lizzie's parents had died in 1873. She must have gone to live with extended family members in Waller County, Texas. Perhaps they met in Washington County, which lies between Waller and Burleson. James' family owned land in Washington County, and perhaps he was working the family farm there. Lizzie's maternal grandparents, Claiborne & Nancy Sanders, lived in Washington County. So, it is possible they may have met while each was staying in the vicinity.

James Andrew Gilley and Almira Elizabeth Decker were married in Waller County on 3 Feb 1875. Their marriage license confirms the date and place of their marriage. It also confirms Lizzie's maiden name--Decker.

They had the following children:
1) Claiborne Carrial Gilley b. 24 Jan 1876 Caldwell, Burleson, TX; d. 27 Jul 1941 San Angelo, Tom Green, TX
2) Ida Ophelia Gilley b. 8 Sep 1880 Burleson, TX; d. 20 Jun 1953 Roswell, Chaves, NM
3) Tempie Almira Gilley b. 7 Apr 1886 Burleson, TX; d. unknown
4) Carrie Una Gilley b. 17 Mar 1889 Caldwell, Burleson, TX; d. 2 Apr 1986 Brownwood, Brown, TX
5) Angie Gilley b. 9 Sep 1892 Caldwell, Burleson, TX; d. 1892 Burleson, TX

In 1880, James and his family can be found in the Federal Census near Hookerville, Burleson County, Texas:

When his father died (1884), James inherited one hundred and seventy-seven acres, as well as an addition to his breeding stock of cattle. By 1893 James had grown his herd to 100 head of cattle, and the following year he sold most of his herd to purchase an additional 1057 acres of land. He eventually owned land in three counties. Three Agricultural Schedules for James A. Gilley prove that he had property in Wilson, Parker and Burleson County TX (the last of which is where he lived). James was able to leave his children well off.

He appears in Burleson County Texas Tax Lists from 1874 through 1894. This is the last year that tax lists are available presently on Family Search. It is known that he was living in Burleson County through 1900 because he appeared in the census for that year.

In 1900 he can be found with his family in Burleson TX:

A newspaper clipping about the family, written by daughter Ida Gilley, gives a brief insight into the family at the time (16 Jun 1899). The T. Gilley mentioned was Thomas, James' younger brother (by five years):

The Caldwell News-Chronicle (Caldwell, Tex.),
Vol. 20, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, June 16, 1899, Sequence: 1 |
 The Portal to Texas History

Another clipping shows that James was preparing for a move:

The Caldwell News-Chronicle (Caldwell, Tex.), Vol. 19,

 No. 14, Ed. 1 Friday, August 19, 1898, Sequence: 1 |

 The Portal to Texas History

This renovation of the house was in anticipation of selling it, before their move to Clay County TX. The family moved to Henrietta, Clay County, Texas in October of 1900. James' daughter, Ida, was writing for the local paper in Caldwell, Burleson County, Texas at the time of their move. The newspaper made note of their sorrow that she was leaving them, and advertised for her replacement.

A few years after this relocation, James died. I have not yet found the precise date of this death, or where he is buried. Cemetery transcripts (including Indian Creek Cemetery, where his wife is buried), and a volume of abstracts from the Caldwell newspaper obituaries from 1898-1929, have been searched in vain.

Since his wife Lizzy's grave had no marker on it, and there are several unmarked graves in the cemetery, it is possible that his grave was left unmarked as well. Texas didn't begin registering deaths until 1903, so if he died after that date it was likely a death record should have been available in Burleson County TX, however nothing has been found. This makes it likely that he died between 1900 and 1903.

Other researchers, including those who contributed to Family Search, have confused our James A. Gilley with another man who had a similar name. There is a James H. Gilley b. 1863 GA (who appeared in Clay County TX in the 1900 Census at the same time our James A. Gilley b. 1853 [ten years earlier] was in Burleson County), who is probably the one who died on the date assigned to James A. Gilley on Family Search and other sites. This man was likely a distant cousin to our James, but should not be confused with him.

One researcher says that James was buried in "White Mound Cemetery, Jolly, TX." There is a "White Hill Cemetery" in Jolly, Clay County, TX. It has a man named Jim Gilley buried there, with no dates, but upon further investigation it has proven to be James H. Gilley who lived in Jolly, and who died after 1930. Jolly is just ten miles west of Henrietta in Clay County Texas. The Jolly Gilleys came through Cleburne County Alabama, and originated in Carroll County Georgia among the Gilleys who came from Habersham County GA, and are descended through one of the Francis Gilley lines, which would put the point of connection back at least three generations from James Andrew Gilley.