From: Commemorative and Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania including the Counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, and Many of the Early Settlers. Illustrated. Chicago: J..H Beers & Co., 1898

Transcribed by Kate Maynard, 2008.

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 Catherine 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 July18, 1830.
   Col. James Gilliland was born in Buffalo Valley, Penn., January 27, 1804, and his early days were spent at Spring Mills, were his father kept a hotel. Young Gilliland was a keen observer of events, had 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 in 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 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 Mosbannon, 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, “admirably and with great fidelity.” This is also the unanimous tesitmony 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, genetleness 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.