Union County, Ohio Biographies Project - Henry D. Gill
HENRY D. GILL
Henry D. Gill, grain dealer, was born in Richwood, Ohio, December 22,
1848, and is a son of Joshua Gill. His father came to Richwood in
1840, and became an extensive landholder, owning what was known as the
"Cramer farm," all of which is now in the corporation of
Richwood. From 1842 to 1861, he was engaged in the manufacture of
wooden bowls, an enterprise in which he was very successful. In
1845, he married Eliza A. C. Haynes, who was born in 1825, and who now
resides with her son, Charles F. Mr. Gill was an honored and respected
citizen, and for a number of years held the office of Justice of the
Peace. He died in the spring of 1880, at an advanced age.
His parents were Selmon and Margaret (Dorrett) Gill, both of English
descent. Our subject's maternal grandfather, James B. W. Haynes,
a Colonel in the war of 1812, was born in Virginia, March 9, 1793. and
was of Welsh and French descent. He married Susan Floyd, who was
born in Virginia May 10, 1801; she was a relative of the late
Confederate Gen. Floyd. Col. Haynes was a lawyer by profession;
he came to Richwood in 1840, and remained here until his death in
1869. During most of the time of his residence here, he was a
Justice of the: Peace. Our subject received his education in his
native village, and worked at farming until 1873, when he began the
business of buying grain on commission, which he continued until 1879,
when he commenced the business for himself. He was married, in
1877, to Anne Francis, a native of England, whose parents resided at
Woodstock, Ontario. This union has been blessed with two
children, Walter L. and Clarence D. Mrs. Gill is a member of the Church
of England. Mr. Gill is a Republican in politics, a member of the
Knights of Pythias, and a member of Mount Carmel Lodge, No. 303, F.
& A. M. In 1882, he captured a thief who had broken into a
neighbor's house. The thief was a large and powerful man, but Mr.
Gill refused to release him until he was safely locked up, and marched
him along to prison. We narrate this to illustrate a marked trait
in the man's character-bravery.