BACK to the GILLETT FAMILY
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GEORGE WILLIAM (BILL) GILLETT FAMILY HISTORY |
BACK to the GILLETT FAMILY
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Great-Grandparents (Father's Father's Parents)
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Benson Owen Gillett
Born: June, 1850, in Lawrence County, Ohio, the |
Susan Elizabeth Waltrip
Born: Born August 26, 1853 in Barry County, |
Married: November 9, 1871, in Barry County, Missouri
GO TO THEIR CHILDREN
(They were married by Alanson R. Gillett, brother of Benson O. Gillett - Alanson was blind)
Occupation: Benson was a farmer, blacksmith, owned a hardware store
and was a traveling machine agent
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Benson was named after the Rev. Joseph Benson. Rev. Benson was born January 25, 1748, in Cumberland County, England. He was raised in the Church of England but became a Methodist minister in America. A book on the Life of Rev. Benson was presented by Ann (Radford) Gillett (Benson's mother) to one of her grandchildren in 1892.
Before 1860, when he was about 11 years old, Benson traveled with his family, first to Texas and Louisiana, and finally to Barry County, Missouri, arriving sometime before 1870. They were not listed in the 1860 census for Ohio but were listed in the 1870 census for Barry County, Missouri. A few years after arriving in Barry County, Missouri, Benson Owen Gillett married Susan Elizabeth Waltrip on November 9, 1871. Their certificate of marriage was recorded on January 31, 1872, and read as follows: "This is to certify that Benson O. Gillett and Miss Susan E. Waltrip both of Barry County and State of Missouri were united by me in Holy Matrimony on the 9th day of November 1871".It was Benson's brother that performed the marriage. At the time of their marriage, B.O. (as he was listed in most of the records and history) was about 22 years old while his wife, Susan, was 18 years old. On December 21, 1881, B.O. Gillett purchased a lot in the town of Winslow (Purdy), Missouri for $50. The 1880 census for Barry County listed Benson Owen (B.O.) Gillett as being a blacksmith and farmer. About 1883 he went into the hardware business with M. W. Brown. B. O. Gillett was chairman of the committee incorporating Purdy as a town. Purdy, formerly known as Winslow, is a small town about 40 miles southwest of Springfield, Missouri - about halfway between Monett and Cassville, Missouri, near the Arkansas / Missouri border. In 1884-1885 a town meeting was called to discuss the question of annulling the incorporation of Purdy. B.O. Gillett was chairman. In 1885 on the birth certificate for George Gillett, Benson Owen Gillett's occupation was listed as being a traveling machine agent. It also indicated that he and Susan were the parents of eight children. Generally the surname listed in most of the records was "Gillet" (only one "t") in Connecticut and Ohio; "Gillett" or "Gillette" in Missouri. In the early Connecticut records there were a number of different odd spellings but this was the first listing with an "e" in the actual records although it appears that in the Rome Cemetery in Lawrence County, Ohio , some of the head stones were changed, adding the "e". A number of land and business transactions are listed in the records of Barry County for both B.O. Gillett and his mother, Ann (Radford) Gillett. B.O. Gillett was involved with deeds or court transactions on the following dates:
On March 6, 1891, Ann Gillett (B.O. Gillett's mother) sold land in Purdy to B.O. and Susan Gillett. On April 3, 1897, there was an S.E. Gillett that purchased land in Monnet, Missiouri, for $900. This could have been Susan Elizabeth Gillett. B.O. and Susan moved to Tiff City, Missouri, sometime before 1897 as their daughter, Emma, was married in 1897 in Tiff City. Also there was a Barry County record of B.O. and his wife, Susan, of Tiff City, Missouri, selling land in Purdy for $200 on October 10, 1899. Tiff City is located in McDonald County, on the border of Oklahoma and Missouri. They were listed in the 1900 census as living in the Seneca Nation of Oklahoma. Seneca is an Indiana Nation in Oklahoma, just west of Tiff City, Missouri. Tiff City was the closest city at the time. They were living in Township 25 of Range 24.
The 1910 census showed the following Gillett family members (note: the Gillett name was spelled "Gilett" in the census record):
Susan Elizabeth (Waltrip) Gillett died March 1, 1902, in Tiff City, Missouri, at the age of 48. She was buried in the Cummings Cemetery just east of Tiff City. Buried next to her was their 19-year-old son, W.C. Gillett, who died just 15 days later on March 15, 1902. The following appeared in the March 19, 1902 issue of the Anderson Argosy: "B.O. Gillett, of Tiff City, seams to be having his share of trouble. Little over two weeks ago he lost his wife, a very kind and highly esteemed lady, and last Sunday his oldest son, Clarence, about 15 or 16 years old, was buried. We deeply sympathize with Mr. Gillett and the surviving members of the family in their sad bereavement."Actually Clarence was 19 years old, their seventh child and third oldest son. He probably was the oldest son still at home at the time. B.O. Gillett then married Laura Davis November 16, 1902, in Tiff City, McDonald County, Missouri. They were married by Amos Davis, Minister of the Gospel. At the time B.O. was 52 years old. Laura was living in Tiff City, the widow of Benjamin Davis. Benjamin was probably born about 1859 in Missouri with his parents born in Kentucky. The 1880 census had a Benjamin Davis living in McMillon Township of McDonald County
B.O. and Laura (Davis) Gillett sold a tract of land in Tiff City on April 6, 1903. It consisted of six acres in the town that edged the Missouri / Oklahoma state line. They sold the property for $300. I could not determine if this property was initially owned by B.O. or Laura. This was the last record I could find on B.O. Gillett.
The following records could not be found:
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