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We
are pleased to make contact, or learn of the descendants of George
and Ann Gillmore.
Rev. George Gillmore (1720-1811) of Antrim, Ireland was a
Presbyterian minister, who studied in Edinburgh. In 1769, along with his wife Ann Allen and their three children, under the age of
ten, the family embarked on a voyage to America lasting almost three months. In America, he served as a minister until his
British allegiances branded him a Loyalist during the American
Revolution. He found himself fleeing his home to follow his
conscience to Canada where he settled his family in Nova Scotia on
wooded land on Ardoise Hill in 1786. He eventually returned to
active ministry in his adopted land. Journals that survived, tell
of his story.
A biography of Rev. George Gillmore
was produced by Sidvin
F. Tucker in 1960 as part of The Gillmore Saga 1720-1960. A brief biography of Rev. Gillmore
has been edited from that text as an introduction.
The Gillmore family avoided starvation in Nova Scotia, subsisting
on milk and potatoes, with Rev. George (in his late sixties)
carrying hay on his back through
deep woods - a four mile journey - to keep their two cows
producing milk. Despite these hardships, the family
survived and through six of the seven children of George and Ann,
a large number of descendants have been recorded in the
genealogical section of Tucker's book, The Gillmore Saga
1720-1960. The typescript book was printed in
1960 as the culmination of Sinvin Tucker's research.
He had previously created a title called, A
Partial List of the Descendants of the Rev. George
Gillmore, A. M., Loyalist of Horton and Windsor, Nova
Scotia which Amazon carry as a paperback under the
Leopold Classic Library imprint, listing the date Oct. 21 2015
for the reprint edition and giving credit to Sidvin Tucker as
author, and naming his father-in-law as original publisher -
"privately printed by Harry C. Gillmore at the Press of C. B.
Hogg, 1918."
The family of Rev. George and Ann included:
- Rebecca (Gillmore)
Densmore
- Jane (Gillmore) Hunter
- Samuel Gillmore
- Ann (Gillmore) Smith
- Sarah (Gillmore)
Bennet-Cummings
- George Gillmore Jr.
An additional biography of Rev.
George Gillmore, is included in the Dictionary of Canadian
Biography Online. The FindaGrave
entry shows his headstone.
A lasting monument to his efforts stands in the restored and still
active Covenanter Church in Grand Pré, Nova Scotia, built during
his ministry there. He remained active until his death in his
90s. A dozen of his descendants have entered the Christian
ministry including, Rev. John
Redford Scott. The Covenanter
Church
at Grand Pré,
is both a National Historic Site of Canada and a Registered NS
Heritage Property. A brief history
brochure had been distributed by the congregation. The
Covenanter Church is now operated as part of Orchard Valley Pastoral
Charge.
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have information that could be helpful in correcting or adding
to the contents of HomePort ? We appreciate your comments,
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