Kate’s notes: Nellie Gillilan was the eldest daughter of William and Martha E. (Walls) Gillilan.
    William Strickland Gillilan, 1836-1895, was a son of Jesse Gillilan and Irish-born Elizabeth Coleman. Among his siblings was Capt. Coleman Gillilan, whose portrait is posted in the album for descendants of James Gillilan, Jr.  James Gillilan, Jr. and Margaret Boggs, who migrated to Gallia County, Ohio from Greenbrier Co (W)Virginia, were William's grandparents. Though many of the legal documents, as well as this obituary, spelled his name as Gilliland, members of the family signed their names as Gillilan, befitting the descendants of James Jr.
    William's wife was Martha E. Walls, a daughter of William M. Walls. The couple had five children, including two sets of twins: Thurman and Nella "Nellie", and Jennie and Frank. Kate was the youngest child. The family was terribly beset with tuberculosis and William's wife and eldest daughter, Nellie, preceded him in death. William’s obituary is among those to be found in our archives.
    Following the death of William, Asaph McCall became the guardian for the minor children: twins Jennie and Frank, who were 17 years old and Kate, who was 14.

The Portsmouth Daily Times
Portsmouth, Ohio
12 February, 1895

MISS NELLIE GILLILAN

    Miss Nellie Gillilan, daughter of Ex-United States Gauger W. S. Gillilan, died at her home in South Webster, last evening. She had been ill for some time with consumption. A sad feature of the case is that the whole family are sufferers of this dread disease and other members are now critically ill. The deceased was 20 years old and beloved by all for her charming disposition. The funeral will be held tomorrow afternoon at 3 o’clock.

-- transcription by Kate Maynard, 2010