Earl T. Gillespie

EARL T. GILLESPIE considers it one of the fortunate influences of his life that brought him to Kansas some years ago. He is one of the rising young bankers of the western part of the state, and is now cashier of the First National Bank of Plainville.

Mr. Gillespie was born at Carlisle in Nicholas County, Kentucky, February 9, 1887. His people have lived in that section of Kentucky for a century or more. His grandfather, W. F. Gillespie, was born in the same county in 1833, and descended from Scotch ancestors. He spent his life as a farmer there and died at Carlisle in 1897.

James C. Gillespie, father of the Plainville banker, still lives at Carlisle, Kentucky, where he was born in 1859. He has been a prominent tobacco farmer in that community and has also been a leader in political and civic life. He served one term in the Legislature, representing Nicholas County, and also one term in the State Senate. He is a democrat, is a Knight Templar Mason, and for four successive terms was master of Carlisle Lodge. He married for his first wife Emma Clark, born in Kentucky in 1859, and died at Carlisle in 1887. Her three children were: Hattie Clark, wife of Ward F. Juett, a farmer and tobacco raiser at Georgetown, Kentucky; Anna Lute, wife of W. B. Stewart, who for twenty-five years has held the post of agent for the Louisville and Nashville road at Carlisle, Kentucky; and Earl T., the youngest of his mother's children. The father married for his second wife Willie Martin. She was born in Kentucky in 1866. Her only son, Reynolds E., is a sergeant with the United States army in France.

Earl T. Gillespie attended the public schools of Carlisle, including high school, but at the age of sixteen his school days ended. For three years previous he had worked as a night operator for the Telephone Company. He acquired a thorough knowledge of the telephone business and from operator he was promoted to cable splicer, and was employed in that and kindred lines of work at Lexington, Kentucky, until 1906.

He came to Kansas in company with his aunt, Mrs. Ed T. Gore, who is living at Larned. For one year Mr. Gillespie farmed near Larned and then entered the First State Bank of that city as bookkeeper. He was there until February, 1912, when he entered the First National Bank of Plainville as bookkeeper. In July of the same year he was promoted to assistant cashier and since July 1, 1917, has been cashier of the institution. The First National Bank of Plainville was established in 1904. It is one of the prosperous banks of the Cochran chain of banks in Western Kansas, and has a capital stock of $50,000 and surplus and profits of $55,000. C. G. Cochran is president and N. F. Shaw, vice president.

Mr. Gillespie is county chairman for Rooks County for the Liberty Loan Committee, and has been assistant county chairman for other war activities. He is a member of the City Council of Plainville and in politics is a democrat. He also belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church and for the past six years has been secretary of Paradise Lodge No. 290, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, is a member of Excelsior Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, at Larned, and of Apollo Commandery, Knights Templars, at the same place.

November 12, 1912, at LaGrange, Indiana, Mr. Gillespie married Miss Elsie J. Mills, daughter of J. W. and Alice (Jeffrey) Mills. Her parents still live at LaGrange, Indiana, where her father has been a farmer for thirty years. Mr. and Mrs. Gillespie have one child, Richard Mills, born September 27, 1917.

Pages 2293-2294.