Beloved Minister Passes
Into The Life Eternal.
The Rev. James Marshall Gill, D.D.,
passed peacefully away at his home
here Wednesday afternoon at 12:15
o'clock. For several days he had been
steadily sinking, and his condition for
some time had been such that his
physician and family had been forced
to practically abandon hope of his re-
covery. He had been a sufferer from
heart disease the last few years of
his life, and frequently suffered acute
attacks which threatened to prove
fatal in their termination.
Dr. Gill's parents moved to David-
son county, Tennessee, from North
Carolina, being among the first
settlers in the White Creek neighbor-
hood, near Nashville. Here Dr. Gill
was born on April 1, 1827. After re-
ceiving his rudimentary education in
such schools as were then open in that
section, he attended Cumberland Uni-
versity, at Levanon, completing his
education there in both the academic
and the theological departments.
After leaving the university, Dr. Gill
taught school for a number of years.
He was for a number of years the
principal of the Murfreesboro, Tenn.,
Female Academy.
It was in September, 1857, that Dr.
Gill came to Elkton, the town which
had ever since been his home.
At the earnest solicitation of patrons
of the Green River Female Academy,
he became the head of that then
famous institution, and until the
beginning of the Civil War, which
sounded the death knell of many
kindred institutions, he gave it all the
benefits of his ripe scholarship in that
capacity.
At about the same time he became
pastor of the Cumberland Presbyteri-
an churches here and at Hermon, and
had served both charges continuously
since. It is doubtful if there is an
other minister in either Kentucky or
Tennessee who has seen such long
service in the same charge with the
exception of Eld. W.E. Mobley, of
the Christian church of this place.
Dr. Gill married, in 1861, Miss
Mattie Bristow, a daughter of the
late Francis M. Bristow, and she,
with one daughter, Mrs. Ben T.
Perkins, and two sons, Jalier James
Gill and Attorney Frank B. Gill, all
of this city, survive. Besides these
are two sisters, Mrs. Sue Hallum and
Miss Nannie Gill, of Nashville, and a
brother, the Rev. Nathan Gill, of Los
Angeles, Cal. His first wife was Miss
Nannie Woodard, of Charlotee, Tenn.,
who lived only a short time after
their marriage.
Dr. Gill's ability and integrity,
both of the highest order, were fully
recognized by his church. He had
been elected Moderator of the General
Assembly, the highest honor it could
bestow, and his worth was further
recognized by it when it sent him to
London in 1888 as delegate to the
ecumenical conference.
He was devoted to his church, and in
one of the last sermons he preached
stated he had lived a Cumberland
Presbyterian, and hoped to die one.
He was one of those who remained
with the Cumberland Presbyterian
church after the division which was
recently brought about.
There was hardly a dry eye in all
the large congregation that gathered
at the Cumberland Presbyterian
church yesterday afternoon to pay the
last tribute of respect to the beloved
minister in the edifice where for so
many years he had preached the gos-
pel of Christ as he saw and believed
it. There were few families repre-
sented that had not received at some
time, either in the long ago or in
recent years, his services at a marri-
age or a funeral. After the rendition
of the following services the body was
taken to Glennwood cemetery for in-
terment:
Duet- "Waiting and Watching
For Me: - Mrs. B. B. Petrie and Miss
Jennie Petrie
Scripture reading - Ninetieth psalm
-the Rev. S. M. McCarter, of the
Baptist church.
Quartett- "In the Bright Forever"
--Dr. Gill's Favorite Hymn. -- Mrs. B.
B. Petrie, Miss Jennie Petrie, J.F.
Bell and D. A. Smith.
Remarks - by the Rev. Geo. E.
Foskett, of the Methodist church,
and Eld. W. E. Mobley, of the Chris-
tian church.
Sermon - the Rev. A. C. Biddle, of
Hopkinsville.
Prayer and Closing Hymn, "Near-
er My God to Thee."
In the pulpit Dr. Gill was eloquent
in the truest sense, thorougly famil-
iar with the book which was his life-
time guide and of a presence which
drew his hearers to him. He was al-
ways firm in his views, but his minis-
try was never marked by bitterness
nor by the denunciation of those
whose lives were less consecrated than
his own. His presence in homes
made sad by death or other great
trials was always to be noted, and
many generations must come and go
before the voice which with rare
sweetness and elequence spoke com-
forting words to those bereaved will
be forgotten. He was a man whose
learning reached out into every ave-
nue of life which was of interest to
his people and this made him, with
his culture, one of the best and most
entertaining of companions. If ever
a man lived without enemies, he did,
and his death today is mourned by
hundreds of people in two states.
With ripe scholarship he combined an
enviable knowledge of practical
things; leading a blameless life him-
self; he was the first to make allow-
ance for the faults of others; firm
and steadfast in adhering to his own
creed, his breadth of view made him
perfectly tolerant of the views of
others. His life was more eloquent
than any sermon that ever fell from
the lips of men, however gifted.
His was indeed "a heart of pure
gold, coined into the highest curren-
cy." He will yet live in hearts whose
wounds he healed in lives that have
been the beneficiaries of his ministry
-a ministry not limited by the nar-
row confines of any creed, nor yet by
individual ideas, but which reached
out to all made weary on life's toil-
some journey, to all who were heart-
sick; tired and forlorn, so that today
his people of every age and condition
of life place upon his grave a flower
and pronounce upon him that brief
but comprehensive and well-earned
tribute: "He was beloved."
__________________________
Deaths.
MRS. JOHN P. SMITH
Mrs. Katherine Smith, wife of John
P. Smith, was gound dead in her room
at her home on Clarksville street
Monday afternoon. She had retired
after dinner, as was her custom, to
take a nap, and when her daughter,
Mrs. Alice Anderson, went to arouse
her shortly after 4 o'clock, she was
found to be cold in death. From the
appearance of the body the end had
come without a struggle. Mrs. Smith
was almost 82 years of age and for
several years had been very feeble.
Death is thought to have been due to
heart failure.
She was a member of the Methodist
church. Her husband, a daughter,
Mrs. Alice Anderson, of this place,
and two sons, E. B. Smith, of Pem-
broke, and Finis Smith, of Illinois,
survive. Another son, John W.
Smith, for many years a well-known
liveryman of this city, died several
years ago.
Mrs Smith was born in Bucking-
ham county, Va., Aug 6. 1826, and
when she was only four years old her
parents moved to this county. She
had lived in and near Elkton ever
since, and had been married 63 years.
The burial took place in Glenwood
cemetery Tuesday afternoon, the Rev.
Geo E. Foskett conducting services
at the grave.
----
MRS. MARY A. MILLER.
Mrs. Mary A. Miller, widow of Geo.
C. Miller, died at the home of her
daughter, Mrs. R. F. Burrus, yester
day afternoon at 1 o'clock. Mrs.
Miller would have been 84 years old in
June. She had been in very feeble
health for a year, and the end was not
unexpected.
She was the great-grand-daughter
of Gov. Jas. Garrett, the second Gov-
ernor of Kentucky. She is survived
by three sons, Ben and Jas. G. Miller,
of this county, T. A. Miller, of Pem-
broke, and two daughters, Mrs. R.F.
Burrus and Miss Jennie Miller, of this
county. She was a life-long member
of the Christian church. The funeral
and burial will take place some time
today, but the arrangements at The
Times' press hour had not been per-
fected.
_____________________________
EDWARDS- ADAMS
Mr. Ed Edwards and Miss Rosa
Adams, an estimable and popular
young couple of near Trenton, were
married Wednesday afternoon in
Springfield, Tenn. They were accom-
panied by Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Foster,
J.R. Moore, Mis Columbia Lewis,
Henry Mobley and Will Edwards.
Mr. and Mrs. Edwards returned Wed-
nesday evening, and are now at home
to their friends, who extend all pos-
sible good wishes. |
April Real Estate Transfers
------
Following are the real estate trans-
fers in Todd county for the month of
April, as recorded in the county
clerk's office:
L. M. White and wife to Rosa B.
Knight, 2 acres on Whippoorwill
Creek, $150.
Mrs. Myrtle Ware and others to J.
H. Capshew, two lots in Mimms addi-
tion to the town of Guthrie, $150.
Lillie Kendall to J. W. Cook, lot in
Guthrie.
J.C. Penick and wife to Sallie
Kendall, small tract west of Elkton,
$75.
Calvin R. Atkins and wife to Joseph
Campbell and wife, lot in Hadens-
ville, $125.
S. M. Russell to J. W. Francis, 90
acres near Allegree, $490.
G.B. Wright to J. N. Hadden, 143
acres northeast of Elkton, $2,500.
J.N. Hadden and wife to D. E.
Hadden, half interest in 205 acres
northeast of Elkton, $1,100.
T.H. Lindsey and wife to Mrs.
Julia Compery, 75 acres near Allegree
$500.
A.U. Kimbrough and wife to R. F.
Thomas, Graham mill property, near
Hadensville, containing 120 acres of
land, $5,500.
Florence Jones and her husband,
Leslie Jones, to J. W. Clover, small
tract north of Elkton, $100.
John Orgain and wife to Lou
Stovall, interest in small tract near
Trenton, natural love and affection.
D.T. Tatum and wife to B.T.
Fleming, 287 acres northeast of Elk-
ton, $1000.
Geo Francis and others to Arthur
Francis, interest in tract near Al-
legree, $100.
Same to G.G. Francis, same.
Edmond Booth and wife to J.M.
Booth, one-half undivided interest in
20 acres near Allensville.
_____________
Personal Mention.
Elmer Williams is at Dawson Springs.
H. E. Conover is visiting relatives
in Hopkinsville this week.
Mrs. Chas. E. Robers and children
are visiting relatives in Hartford.
Born, to Mr. and Mrs. Herbert
Wolfe, Saturday morning, a boy baby.
Judge W. B. Reeves was in Rus-
sellville Monday.
Mrs. S. B. Jesup has returned from
a visit to relatives in Pembroke.
Chas E. Rogers was in Leitchfield
several days this week.
S. F. Davis was in Louisville this
week on business.
Geo. Sweitzer, of St. Louis, was here Monday.
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