Jeff & Eli Gaskill
When
Rev. Joseph Aaron Gaskill was born on
October 5, 1814, in St. Clair,
Illinois, his father, Paul, was 39 and his
mother, Jemima Crocker, was
34. Joseph Aaron Gaskill was a farmer
and Baptist preacher.
Joseph married
Tabitha Canada on January 4, 1835 in Clinton
County,
Illinois, and they had 13 children
together including 2 sets
of twins. Tabitha died March 27, 1854
and is buried in Barth
Cemetery, Mascoutah, St. Clair County,
Illinois.
Children of
Joseph Aaron Gaskill and Tabitha Cannady:
Louisa Jane
Gaskill (1835-1937)
Paul
Jefferson, twin of Frank Gaskill
(1837-1919)
Elijah Franklin,
twin of Jeff Gaskill (1837-1904)
George Washington
(1838-1905)
Mahala C. Gaskill
(1840-1940)
Mary D. Gaskill
(1842-1942)
Henry C, Gaskill
(1844-1882)
Jonathan Julian
Gaskill (1846-1850)
Tabatha E.
Gaskill (1848-1850)
Joseph B (Twin
Gaskill)
Martha, twin of
Joseph B. Gaskill (1850-1950)
Joseph B.
Gaskill, twin of Martha Gaskill
(1850-1860)
Ermae Gaskill
(1853-1953)
Joseph's second
wife was Catherine Wanita "Kate" Fisher
whom he married on December 23, 1854 in
Belleville, St. Clair, Illinois; they had
six children together.
Joseph died in November 1869 in
Henry
Co., Missouri, in November 29, 1869 at the
age of 55. Catherine
came to Grayson Co., Texas after 1880 where
she died in February 1919
and is buried in Dripping Springs Cemetery
along with two of her sons.
Children of
Joseph Aaron Gaskill and Catherine
Fisher:
Orion Gaskill
(1857-1948) Fairview
Joseph Aaron
Gaskill, Jr. (1863-1933) Dripping Springs
Hubert
Oliver Gaskill (1859-
James B . Gaskill
(1856_
Moses Alexander
Gaskill (1860-1941)
Walter L Gaskill
(1866-1891) Dripping Springs
Sarah Lucretia
"Lulu" Gaskill (1868-1962)
Paul
Jefferson "Jeff" and Elijah Franklin
"Frank", identical twins of Rev. Joseph
Aaron Gaskill Sr.
(1814-1869) and Tabitha Canada (1813-1854)
were born and reared in
Clinton, Clinton County, Illinois.
They both arrived in
Grayson County, Texas on October 29, 1859,
coming to
Texas as surveyors under contract with the Butterfield
Overland
Stage Co.
and laid out a trail for the stage from
Arkansas to West
Texas. The stagecoach service
operated from 1858 to 1861,
carrying passengers and U.S. mail to San
Francisco, California.
Jeff fell in love with the area known
as Dripping Springs in
Grayson County and decided to make it his
home, where he cultivated his
farm of 180 acres.
Jeff married
on November 22, 1860 in Grayson Co.,
Texas:
(1) Lucy Ann
Gooch,
daughter of L.Y. Gooch of North Carolina: b. North
Carolina; d. 13 September 1865 in Grayson
Co., Texas
They had one son
- Joseph Y. Gaskill
Jeff married the
following year on February 18, 1866 in
Grayson Co., Texas
(2) Mary E.
Tatum, daughter of John H. Tatum: b.
1838; d. 22 February 1866
They had 9
children: John F., Tabitha C., William H.,
Walter F., Virginia E., Thomas C. Louisa J.,
Oscar A., and Benjamin C.
Jeff
was a member of the Farmer's Alliance and
with his wife, were members of
the Missionary Baptist Church, Grayson Co.,
Texas.
When
the CIvil War broke out, Frank went back to
Illinois to join the Union
Army, Illinois
Infantry, 87th Regiment during the Civil
War, while Jeff enlisted March
13, 1862 in the 34th Texas Calvary
under Col. Almerine M.
Alexander for the
Confederate Army. He served west of
the Mississippi River.
The Confederate Army failed to prevent
the Union Army from
crossing Atchafalaya River at Simmesport,
Louisiana on May 18, 1864. Jeff
was captured and imprisoned in Parish Prison
at New Orleans. The
old parish jail was used by the Union forces
from 1863 to 1865 and
ranked in the top 10 worst prisons in the
United States.
("Orleans Parish Prison."
Wikipedia. Viewed February 16,
2021) The prison held a maximum of
1,900 men. He was
sent for exchange at the Red River Landing
on July 22, 1864. He entered
the Confederate Army again and served until
the end of the war.
In
the late summer of 1877 the author of
"Dripping Springs News" reported
that "Messrs. Thomas Headrick, P.J.
Gaskill and Sherley had about
60 acres of watermelons..." that weighed
60-100 pounds.
("Dripping Springs News," The Daily News,
July 22, 1877, pg. 5)
Jeff Gaskill
began his teaching career in the public
schools of Denison in the fall of 1887.
(The
Daily Register,
Saturday, October 29, 1887) In
October 1889 J.M. Gaskill,
teacher at White Mound, presented to the
Grayson County Teachers'
Institute the subject of georgraphy along
with Miss Sallie Watson and
Prof. N. Somerville. ("Teachers
Institute.From the Courier. The Sunday Gazetteer,
November 3, 1889, pg. 1)
Jeff and Frank
did not see each other again until Frank
traveled to visit his brother in 1900.
A few years later Frank died
in Illinois in the summer of 1904 and is
buried in Zion
Grove Cemetery at Kell, Marion County,
Illinois.
Jeff died in 1919
and is buried at Dripping Springs
Cemetery, Sherman, Grayson Co., Texas.
Dripping
Springs, June 3 -The funeral of P.J.
Gaskill, who died at the
home of his daughter, Mrs. Jewell Sanders in
Sherman Thursday night was
held at the Baptist Church Saturday
afternoon, and interment by the
side of his wife, Mary E., who passed
away 6 years ago. Mr.
Gaskill was a pioneer citizen of this place,
coming here in 1859 and
had since resided on the same farm until 6
years ago when he went to
Sherman and made his home with his daughter.
He was an upright
citizen, a noble Christian, a man always
ready to help his fellowman, a
loving father, a considerate neighbor.
He leaves to
mourn his
loss the following sons and daughters:
Mesdames Jewell Sanders of
Sherman; Robert Adkins, Nacosa; Gus Groves,
Denison; J.Y. and Tom of
this place; Will of Oklahoma City; Walter of
Denison; and Oscar of
Dallas; a number of grandchildren and
great-grandchildren. Six
grandsons were pallbearers. Dr. F.F.
Brown of Sherman delivered a
beautiful oration on the life of the
deceased. The funeral was
under the direction of S.L. Talley of
Sherman. Music by Mr. and
Mrs. Geo. Miller, Miss Sanders, and Mr. Cox
of Sherman. The
flowers were many and beautiful. The
sympathy of all go out to
the bereaved ones. ("Dripping
Springs." Sherman Daily Democrat,
Thursday, June 5, 1919, pg.3)
Sources:
1850 census
Clinton County, Illinois
Illinois, County
Marriages, 1810-1940
Illinois
Marriage, 1815-1935
Souvenir
of Texas
Texas, County
Marriages 1837-1977
Susan
Hawkins
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