Kate’s Notes: Both the obituary for and report of the funeral service for W. A. Gilleland were published in the Athens Banner of July 28, 1891 and are presented here.

The Athens Banner
Athens, Georgia
28 July, 1891

MR. GILLELAND DEAD.
_______________

A GOOD MAN PASSES BEYOND
THE RIVER.
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TO JOIN THE MAJORITY.
_______________

A Life of Usefullness and Many Victories
Ended in Sudden Death -- A Solemn Spell
of Grief and Sorrow in Athens -- His
Life Work Closed.
_______________

    Mr. W. A. Gilleland is dead.
    And many a heart will be bowed in profoundest grief at the news to-day.
    A man whose honorable bearing in public and private affairs has always won naught but good esteem; a man whose generous heart and hand have always served humbly at the command of charity; a man whose very life from cradle to grave has been righteous and unstained, he passes away with the unstinted love and admiration of every one.
    Athens will miss him sorely.
    The City Council will miss him at their regular meetings, for when they gathered to deliberate for Athens’ good he was ever there to render information and advice from the Clerk’s desk such as they cannot expect from his successor.
    The business world will miss him, for as cashier of the Athens Savings Bank and in other business relations he has done much for the material advancement of Athens.
    But most of all he will be missed at home where a devoted family of wife and son knew his good heart best, and hence knew best to love him.
MR. GILLELAND’S LIFE.
    Mr. Gilleland was nearly fifty-three years old. He was born in Athens, and was a son of Mr. John Gilleland.
    He was educated here at private schools, not having the advantage of a university education. Mr. Gilleland was a self-made man. Schools before the war were not what they are today, and Mr. Gilleland went out from their walls to enter the busy fields of life untutored to an extent, but bent upon paving the way to success in whatever he undertook to do.
    Just after he had left school the first guns of the civil war were thundering out their frightful summons to the patriotic sons of the sunny southland and Mr. Gilleland was among the first to answer the call of his country. He left Athens in ‘61 with Mell’s Rifles as sergeant and served with the famous Cobb’s Legion where wild war’s deadly blast was blowing hardest.
    He was promoted to Lieutenant, and while engaged in battle at Chancellorsville sacrificed his left arm on the altar of his country.
    Mr. Gilleland married Miss Minerva Edge, a daughter of Mr. Warren Edge and sister of Miss E. S. Edge, of Athens. He has but one child, Mr. Clement Gilleland, a young man of many superior gifts and qualifications.
    Mr. Gilleland served as a public man all his life.
    Returning from the war he was made collector of taxes and kind in which office he served until 1871 when he was elected clerk of the city council of Athens.
    Several years ago he was elected cashier of the Athens Savings Bank and under his splendid guidance the company went on to success most speedily.
    In every relation Mr. Gilleland was a man who never failed to succeed and make firm friends. It is easy and safe to avow that no man thought ill of him at his death, but all stand up in sorrow and reverence to proclaim:
“THIS WAS A MAN.”
    Mr. Gilleland leaves a wife, a son, a brother Mr. John Gilleland and a sister Mrs. Eliza A. Pridgeon as nearest relatives to mourn his death. To them every heart goes out in simpathy[sic] and mutual grief.
    The cause of Mr. Gilleland’s sudden death was a congestion of the brain. Sunday night at one o’clock he was taken very seriously sick and from that attack he did not recover. He died last evening at ten minutes after 8 o’clock.
THE FUNERAL TODAY.
    The funeral will occur this afternoon from the Methodist church of which Mr. Gilleland was a faithful member.

********************

MR. GILLELAND’S FUNERAL.
It Was Attended by a Large Number
of Friends -- The Stores Closed.

    Tuesday afternoon a large congregation assembled at First Methodist church to pay the last tribute to the memory of Mr. W. A. Gilliland.
    The Mayor and members of the city council, together with the police officers escorted the remains to the church followed by the bereaved family and relatives and friends.
    Arriving at the church the officiating minister Rev. H. H. Parks walked in front of the remains.
    The choir, consisted of Mrs. Wallace Brumby, Mrs. W. W. Lampkin and Messrs. Haselton and J. H. Huggins while Mrs. Sallie Stanley presided at the organ. The music was very sweet and impressive, and many eyes moistened at the solemn words “I would not live alway,” in soft and subdued notes fell upon the ear.
    Mr. Park read the 9th Psalm and a part of the 15th chapter of 1st Corinthians, as the scripture lessons and then gave out hymn 895. “Thee we adore, eternal name,” etc. After the singing of the hymn, Dr. Lane offered up a most fervent prayer. Mr. Parks here read another short lesson from Ecclesiastes, and selected as a text a verse from St. John’s gospel “I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work.”
    The preacher first explained the text with reference to the work of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and that it applied to his work while incarnated and to the sacrifical offering which he made of Himself for the sins of the world. The minister then applied the words of the text to his congregation. And what is the great work enjoined upon every human being? A preparation to meet God. The minister showed in what this preparation consisted. By nature all are sinners, and in rebellion against God. The heart must be changed and the nature renewed. This is clearly taught in the scriptures. What is man’s work in this matter? Repentance, and this is enjoined upon all men. Coupled with this there must be faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Genuine repentance, faith and prayer accompanying, always lead to conversion and regeneration. When this is attained, a man’s Christian life is just commenced, and it must be a warfare from that time till the day of death. “Do the work of Him that sent me.”
    The preacher next showed the time when this work was to be done -- “while it is day,” -- that is during the probation which is given us. He impressively warned that unless the preparation was made in life, there could be no opportunity after death to attend to it. Sometimes death was sudden as in the case of Mr. Gilleland and he urged upon all to attend to the great work enjoined upon them speedily.
    In conclusion Mr. Parks spoke feelingly of the character of Mr. Gilleland, and of how faithful he had always been in all the relations of life. He read a brief outline of the life of [the] deceased and said Mr. Gilleland had been a church member from early manhood and while undemonstrative was always faithful. After this tribute to the memory of the deceased Mr. Parks made an earnest appeal to the city officers to heed the Providence of God in thus removing one of their number, and then urged the lesson upon the congregation at large.
    As the saddened congregation left the church the tremulous notes of the organ and the saddened voices of the singers sang in tones of melting pathos, of 
“Home, Sweet Home?”
    A large number of friends followed the funeral cortege to Oconee cemetery and the solemn service was read and W. A. Gilleland’s body was placed into the grave.

-- transcriptions by Kate Maynard, 2011