Person Page 321

John Milton Gilstrap

Parents

Father	Wiley Rufus Gilstrap (b. 18 December 1793, d. 22 November 1879)
Mother	Letticia Hamilton (b. 2 February 1803, d. 9 October 1858)

Child with Martha Camilla Pascoe (b. 17 September 1838, d. 27 April 1923)

Son	Milton Harrison Gilstrap+ (b. 10 April 1862, d. 15 April 1944)

Person Exhibits

Biography

ChildParent1,2
DNA Verified		2 DNA matches through John Milton Gilstrap
Person Source		He had person sources.3
Birth	8 November 1832	He was born on 8 November 1832 in Mossy Creek, White, Georgia, United StatesBGO.3,4
Residence	15 November 1850	He lived in Habersham, Georgia, United StatesBG, on 15 November 1850. Name: J M Gilstrap, Age: 18, Birth Year: abt 1832, Birth Place: South Carolina, Gender: Male, Race: White, Record ID: 8054::18703021, Household Members: Wyley Gilstrap, L W Gilstrap, W H Gilstrap, Matilda Hamilton.5
Anecdote	1860	The picture above is thought to be John M. Gilstrap ,taken around 1860. John M., as I will call him, was born in Georgia. He also grew up in the Mossy Creek area of Habersham/White County on his father's farm. He shows up as a member of the Wiley Gilstrap household in the 1840, 1850 and 1860 censuses. From all indications he lived there on the farm his entire life until going away to war. Public records do not show that John M. ever owned any land. In 1860 he is 28 years old and the census indicates he is a Farmer,the same as his father. His profession as a farmer is made more evident by an inventory in 1865 of his possessions, which include many farm related articles. The Georgia Agriculture Census of 1860 lists Wiley Gilstrap and John M. Gilstrap in succession under the columnar heading of "Owner, Agent or Manager of the farm". Wiley lists 470 acres of land, 100 acres improved and 370 acres unimproved. John M. doesn't list any land. Wiley lists livestock on hand as 1 horse, 2 mules, 3 milch (milk) cows, 2 other cows, 12 sheep, and 35 pigs. John M. only lists one mule. Under columns showing produce on hand Wiley lists 500 bushels of corn, 30 bushels of oats and 25 pounds of wool. John M.lists 600 bushels of corn and 40 bushels of oats, so he must have been working with his father and sharing the produce.   John M. was elected as Constable of District 862 (Shoal Creek) for 1853. He would have been 20 years old when elected. His term ran the calendar year and he was required to post a Constable Bond of $500. His bond was guaranteed by Andrew Hamilton (or Hambleton), John Modell, and his father, Wiley Gilstrap. There are no duties for the Constable position included in the appointment records, but other research indicates it was not a law enforcement position. Rather, the Constable served as the legal representative of the Justice of the Peace and performed such duties as serving summons and warrants. Their jurisdiction is limited to militia districts within respective counties. Each Militia District had one Justice of the Peace and one Constable elected annually. John M. served this one year and county records do not show anything further on him.   We are fortunate to have a handwritten letter from John M. to his girlfriend Martha Camilla Pascoe. The letter is dated April 4, 1860, and gives a brief glimpse of a few of his thoughts as he pursues this romance. Before getting into the letter, I will explain that John M. and Martha met during the wedding preparations of John M.'s cousin, John Louis Gilstrap (b.3/4/1833, d. 9/21/1862), and Martha's next younger sister Grace Elizabeth Pascoe (b. 10/2/1840, d. 1/2/1930). John M. and Martha were both attendants at the wedding. John Louis and Grace Elizabeth were married on April 7, 1859, in Forsyth County. John Louis lived in Cherokee County,Georgia, and his father was William Maxwell Gilstrap, younger brother by 10 years of Wiley. The Pascoe family also lived in Cherokee County. John Lewis died of illness while serving in the Confederate Army. They had one daughter, Mary E. Gilstrap (b. 1860, married John W. Hawkins) and one son, John L. (Bud) Gilstrap (b. August 1862). Grace Elizabeth apparently did not remarry, as evidenced by a letter she wrote on September 1, 1926, to her niece Josie Bowen Simmons, one of Martha's daughters, which she signs "your Aunt, G. E. Gilstrap". She did apply for and receive a widow's pension based on John L.'s Confederate service.   A study of the John M/Miss Martha letter shows some interesting facts. John M. is apparently well enough educated for the time given the fact that he can write at all. Even through misspellings and mid-nineteenth-century dialect his thoughts and feelings come through to the reader. John M. states in his letter that he has written Martha three prior letters and this letter is in response to her second letter to him. He and Martha had known each other for a little over a year at this time. It is obvious from the letter that John M. is very much in love with Martha and has pretty much decided on marriage. Throughout the letter he recalls her beauty. He mentions that she is the only thing on his mind and he is reminded of her "turns and actions he likes so well" and tells her that he cannot stop thinking about her to the point of dreaming she is there with him. They have apparently not visited each other many times, but living about 50 miles apart at the time makes this understandable. After all, travel was by horseback or wagon over dirt roads. Long distance relationships like this were not uncommon and correspondence went a long way towards building the relationships. John M. mentions that he had visited Martha's area before and he apparently knows some folks in her area. He may have gone to that area before due to his cousins and uncle living in the same area. Towards the end of the letter, and after dancing all around the subject of love and marriage, he writes to her that should she wish to keep company with any other young men then she should do so. But, if she was to slight these other young men they should think that she has slighted them for him. He adds,"Especially those hoo are acquainted with me".   John M. states that there was a wedding "in our neighborhood last tuesday night" and he adds that the bride was "the girl that I used to fly around with". We can assume that this means she was formerly his girlfriend. The Tuesday prior to the letter would be either April 3, the day before, or March 27, eight days before. Review of the marriage records in the White County Probate Office shows only one wedding during that week. William K. Wilkerson married Sarah Ann Nix on Sunday, April 1. Because the date does not match the letter's description this may not be the wedding John M. is referring to. An interesting phrase he has used here is "in our neighborhood" which doesn't seem to fit in a rural setting. John M. also mentions in the part about his dream that Martha is there "with me at our house" and "we were all setting a round". This tells us that he was not living alone and was probably living at the house of his father with other family members, including his younger brother William. He also gives some descriptive clues about Martha. Aside from the fact that she is "as swete as ever" he mentions she has blue eyes, rosey cheeks and a clear voice. We have some additional description of Martha at age 21 from another source as "a beautiful woman, an artist who made her own clothes", and as "raven haired".   At the end of the letter he comes as close to a marriage proposal as he could without actually saying it. I get the feeling he is looking for some indication of her willingness before he takes that step, and that he does not want to ask her in a letter. As he says, "I cannot right to explain myself as if I could se(e) you". John M. and Martha Camilla Pascoe were married on August 2, 1860, only four months after this letter. Who would disagree that on his next visit to see Miss Martha that he asked her to marry him?   About their wedding we know nothing. There is no record of a marriage license in White County and the County Courthouse in Cherokee County, where Martha was from, was burned by Union troops in 1865 so we don't have any records from there. Of the marriage itself we also know nothing.   John M. joined up to serve the Confederacy on December 1,1861. He followed younger brother William and cousin John R. Youngblood, who joined the same unit on August 24, 1861. Their unit was Company G of the 24th Georgia Infantry Regiment. Company G was mustered in Gainesville in Hall County even though a lot of its recruits were from White County. The roster of Company G shows that most of the unit mustered in on August 24, 1861. A second and smaller group joined on December 1, 1861. We don't know exactly why John M. did not join up with his brother and cousin in August, but seeing as how his only son, Milton Harrison Gilstrap, was born in April 1862, the month of August 1861 had a significant outcome over time and I, for one, am glad he did not hurry his enlistment.   The official military records of John M. also show that he was admitted to the Chimborazo Hospital No. 2 in Richmond, Virginia on February 21, 1863. He is also on the hospital register on February 22nd and the reason for his admission, his "complaint", is shown as diarrhea. Diarrhea was one of the most common illnesses for Southerners during the war due to their lack of proper food supplies and the poor sanitary conditions. It was also the most common cause of death due to disease during the war. A soldier from Company C of the 24th Georgia, E. H. Sutton, put in his personal recollections of the War that in late 1862 "Many of us were afflicted with diarrhea, which had become chronic and was wasting us away until we were so weak we could barely keep going". John M.'s name on the February 22nd record shows his last name as"Gilssap". He remained at Chimborazo for about two months and he was transferred on April 18, 1863, to the CSA General Hospital at Danville, Virginia, suffering from the same complaint. He was returned to duty on August 18, 1863. After that there is no other mention of John M. in military records. His recovery must not have been to a state of good health because he died less than four months later in another hospital, and not as a result of battle.   The story most often told about the circumstances of the death of John M. is that he died at the Forsyth County Courthouse. His wife, Martha, and her father are said to have driven a horse and wagon there to retrieve his body and bring it home for burial. Forsyth County is but two counties south of White County and only about 30 miles away. This seemed a plausible story until while doing research I saw one mention that John M. died at the "Forsyth Courthouse" in Monroe County, Georgia, the city of Forsyth being the county seat of Monroe County. Further research into Monroe County revealed that the county was selected as a suitable and safe place by the Confederate States of America to become a hospital care center for the sick and wounded. As the war grew more fierce in battle and in the conditions to foster illness, what started as only a few sick and injured grew to an estimated 20,000. The hospital sites set up in Forsyth included the Courthouse, the Lumpkin Hotel, the Monroe Female College (later Tift College), the Hilliard Institute, the Hardee Hospital, the Clayton Hospital, and several temporary hospitals in the Confederate Hospital Camp which was set up in a grove of trees. Even stores, churches and private homes were used at times to house the patients. I found information about a soldier named Daniel Stevens of Co. C, 66th GA which indicated he became sick while in Dalton, Georgia and was sent to the Fair Ground Hospital in Forsyth, Georgia. Based on what I found out about the Forsyth Courthouse in Monroe County, I (Gary Gilstrap) believe this to be the most likely place where Miss Martha and her father came to get John Milton and bring him home.   Whether John M. died in Monroe County or later, after being brought back home from the hospital there, is not known. There are stories both ways. He died from the effects of illness brought on by his exposure as a soldier. Personal accounts from the 24th Georgia are few, but one soldier from Company E recalled that most of the unit's time was spent around Richmond, VA, and that during his 3 years and 2 months in the 24th he never slept in a bed.   When John M. died as a result of the war he left a wife and one year old son. He also left a father and a brother with whom he had lived and worked all his life. Life continued for those left behind and Martha and son continued to live on the Wiley Gilstrap home place until the war ended. It was in 1865 that Martha married Helum Bowen and moved to live with him. It must have become evident at that time that John M.'s personal possessions had to be separated from Wiley's and passed on in some way to his heirs. Helum Bowen took over as head of their new family and because John M. had died without a will (intestate) Helum had himself appointed by the County Ordinary as Administrator of John M.'s estate on May 7, 1866. Helum had to take an oath and post a$300 bond for this position. In order to settle an estate there were specific steps to follow under the law and Helum took those steps and documented his actions.   First a Warrant of Appraisement on the estate was filed on October 27, 1865. The appraisal was done by three disinterested persons who concluded the estate was worth $393.38. Next a sale or auction was held and a copy of the Bill of Sale was filed on August 5, 1866. See Attachment 5 for a listing of the items sold and the purchasers.   One of the hardest things to get over when reading the sale record is seeing Martha and Wiley among those purchasing the possessions of their husband and son. But, that is how an estate without a will was settled in those days. Everything was sold and the proceeds divided among the heirs. Those heirs were allowed to purchase items from the estate and the money they paid was later returned to them, at least in part in that they were heirs, at the division of the proceeds. The appraisal list shows a desk, bookcase and one lot of books, but these do not show on the Bill of Sale. Looking at the list of possessions sold it is clear that John M. was educated, a farmer, and pretty well off. It is interesting to see among the household items a spinning wheel. Also, three overcoats, one selling for over $10.00. He must have been a pretty sharp dresser to have a coat like that. There is a shotgun, a rifle, and a revolver pistol. Among the list of livestock and farming related items is a curious list of something called "Bee Gums", seven of them with sale prices ranging from $.35 to $2.10.   John M. was apparently keeping bees for their honey. My research found that Bee Gums were a method of bee keeping peculiar to the South for over 200 years. Bee gums were made from sections of hollow trees and were used as bee hives up until the 20th century. They were called "gums"because they often were sections from red gum trees. A farmer would pick out a section of a decayed tree trunk and saw off two foot sections. He would then clear out the decayed wood from around the hollow section with a long chisel, and near the middle bore four holes through which two sticks would be inserted at right angles to each other. These horizontal sticks acted as supports from which the bees suspended their brood combs. Sections of the hollow trees were set upright in "bee yards" or apiaries.   The sale brought a total of $383.48, very close to what the appraisers estimated. After payment of fees and costs of conducting the sale, on July 6, 1867, the remainder of $337.16 was divided evenly between Martha and her son. On July 10, 1867, Helum Bowen was appointed guardian for Milton Harrison Gilstrap. Helum kept the child's portion of the estate in trust until Milton Harrison reached age 21. He filed annual returns with the county detailing any transactions during the year including the interest earned on the estate and costs of board, clothing and schooling for the child. In reviewing the annual returns it is interesting to note that every year the amount of interest earned was exactly what it cost to feed, cloth and educate Milton Harrison. In 1884 the final return was filed by Helum and it showed the estate was handed over to its rightful heir.   John Milton's grave is in the Mossy Creek Methodist Church cemetery in the old section. He is buried at the feet of his father and mother, his grave sunken in over time but clearly marked. The original headstone was readable but beginning to reach the point of deterioration where it would not be readable, so in 1987 a new headstone was ordered from the Veterans Administration, based on his Confederate Service, and placed back to back behind the original stone.6
Anecdote	4 April 1860	Letter from John M. Gilstrap to Martha Pascoe First is the actual letter as hand written by John. Following that is the typed version as best as I can determine it. The actual letter is in my possession having been given to me by my father Joe Neal Gilstrap. He received it from his father and had it preserved in onionskin paper by the State Archives in the 1950s. The letter is in exceptional condition. Compared with other writings of common folk of this time period, John's writing is impressive. He appears to have been schooled to a fairly high level for someone not in a profession. Even though his spelling is not the best he has a large vocabulary. John's handwriting, though graceful and beautiful penmanship, takes some concentration to read. If a word does not seem correct, try alternate pronunciations of it. For example, "now" may be written as "know". Some words used in the letter had meanings at that time not commonly associated with them today. [One that starts with an "i" will be noted as he discusses old girlfriends. At least I'll give him that allowance.] Furthermore, in those days, the letters "f" and "s" were often interchanged. For example the word business, owing to the Old and Middle English symbol "?", often appeared to be spelled "businifs" and "Miss." appeared to be either "Mirs" or "Mifs" (the difference between Mrs. and Miss). John refers to Martha throughout the letter as what appears to be "Mifs Martha", which should be read as Miss Martha. John occasionally uses the old English "thee" when addressing Martha. At times he also misspells it as "the". Other words were simply misspelled or misused and I wrote them just as I read them. For example - know for now; deside for decide; rite or right for write; hoo for who. There were some words that no one could recognize. Those words are simply written here with xs, In other words, an unrecognizable 3-letter word was simply written in as "xxx". When I could not determine the number of letters a ____ is used. ******************************************* White Co. Ga. April the 4 - 1860 I still remember and esteem thee to by my friend - And I only hope is my sincere friend. And in hoo I look apon to be my only true friend on earth in candid earnest is you, Miss Martha. And if I was to say that you are all the girl that I hav seen or conversed with that I ever loved in good earnest before is you and hav not rit it to deceive you. But in truth it comes from my heart. But I then only hope that it may strike your heart the same you may hav for your true lover. Then it is the reason why that I take my pen in hand and the only reason. And know to rite you in answer to the second letter I hav received fromyou the 24 of last inst. in which I was glad to hear from you. But sorry to hear that you had the headache or I believe that you would of rote me more than you did. But you said I must excuse you this time and you would right more next time and I believe you will. For the first letter I received from you was sutch a good and long letter as I ever rote you and if you do as I do for I never right all my letter when I right you at one time. And that is the reason why I right you so mutch at a time. And I hope you will do the same. I always love to right you a long letter so that you may find something contained there in that may interest you, Miss Martha. When you are reading tho I think you was excuseable that time and I have forgave you hoping you will do the better for time to come. For I waunt to read a few more good letters from you before I will get an opportunity of visiting you Miss Martha for I tell thee I am comeing the first opportunity as shore as I live in health. For you dont know how glad I would be to see you. And in the same way when I visited thee last - But hoping in thee is all I have of the know. But then if it be otherwise I onlyhope that we may meet with the more love and true love for each other than in the past but again Miss Martha I say I have hope in thee an I will not stop hear for I have confidense in thee and know do you think that is all no for where in I have put in as mutch confidence in you as I have. As I will tell you I have put all confidence in you and in ho I think is a friend of mine and in hoo I like to be my friend and and one that I think will be my friend. And MissMartha as I must tell you that you have been my hole study so mutch that I dreamed a bout you last night again and I will tell you what it was I thought you was hear with me at our house and that I thought you was seated downtogether and was converseing as we were all setting a round and I thought you looked as swete as ever. And that it remind me of so mutch of the time we have spent together and your turns and actions that I do like so well and the voise that so clear and your pretty blue eyes that is so charming and read rosey cheeks that is so fair. Which I will remember the the longest day I live. And Miss Martha if you have any hope in me or confidense I would like to know where you have plast it as I waunt to hear from you to know how you are comeing on for I waunt to hear from you on the subject as you never have rote me on the reason on love and why that you have turned your attention so fondly on me. And you say and on me a love. And know three reason why I right thus to you to rite me that you have so kindley fell in love with me as I believe you have but you have none the advantage of me in that and I assure you that I believe that I have got to think as mutch of you as I do of my self a lone. And I know explain it to you and that is that you first gave me your hand that you would not forsake me. And also you know that you loved me the best as you said. And also you since answered my desireable letter and that you rote that you would go with me anytime that I says so or or as it was you would leave it with me to deside then I think that we ought to right more at home in our hearts or minds or as I will more fully explain to you to rite more the desires of our minds than of the past then I would thinke the more of thee Miss Martha as you know that we cannot git two well acquainted with each other in true love. But when present with the I onley could tell thee the more but when absent from thee ____ times we have injoyed together so well. That we are know due to each other to right as nighthe desire and wishes of our minds as we would indeaver to do. And with that respect and affectionate love that we have for each other. For I always have tried to rite you as nigh my thoughts and wishes. So that you may no as my my desire and wishes as I could right you as I thought you had rather know my intentions because I would not have you mistaken in me as otherwise to think more of me than you ought to think. I know rite you that their was a wedding in our neighborhood least tuesday night and it was nobody else but the girl that I yous to fly a round with and know they last one is maried that I so highly respected to have any intercorse with. She at last was fortuneately enough to mary well of tho at widow he is with several children. And know if you Miss Martha was to forsake me I then would be entirely forsaken of then all and the only one that I ever believed that I loved before in good earnest or that I ever thought would soot me so well. And I know that I am canded in that if I know my mind and I claim that I do on the subject. But you know that I cannot right to explain myself as if I could se you. And I am know and will be looking every week when I will git an opportunity of comeing to visit the again. And in as mutch as I promise to come it is the desire of my mind to come and not only that to try to give the more comfurt than I have rote the and believing that you will have some good things to tell me. And hav been saving something good for me anthat you did not rite all the good things that you could rite. That you may be saveing some to tell me the next time I come. And so turn a lief when this you read. Read and then remember me for when absent love I will still remember thee and every day that pass us by I will keep thee in my mind by thinking that I will get to see the again. My mind has been with you where ever you may be and when I come I expect to come to your house first to see if I can git to see thee first and to spend all the time that I will spend with you for where you are I wount to be also. And I will tell you that I hav not got but two letters from you since I saw you last. I thought that I would of got a letter from you last week but I did not for I thought that you had time to of answered my third letter and for that reason I did not rite you the last time that I should of rote you for I had one letter a head of you and then I thought that when I rotethat it would be in answer to yours every time but I hope you will excuse me this time and I will rite you every two weeks whether I git a answer from you or not. And that was the only reason why I did not right you that time. This isthe fourth letter for me I rote you. And I have told you as I will tell you again that if you wish to keep any young gentlemen company it will make no difference with me for you could only remember that you have xxx old to save for some of them as the case might be if you was to slight them would giv them room to think that you had slighted them for me. Especially those hoo are acquainted with me. And know Miss Martha one thing has been bearing on my mind every since I read your long and welcom letter and is been on your mind I think the same and is this. - hav you been or will you wait to hear me deside what I will do. And on your part I think that your thought has been when will I deside or will he deside to by my companion. Here is one thing you said to me makes me love you so well that you would wait to hear me deside what I will do but I must know close. This leaves me well. And I hope these few lines will find you the same in health. I still remain yours unchanging in true love and is your most affectionate friend.7 Letter Page 1 0f 4 Letter Page 2 of 4 Letter Page 3 of 4 Letter Page 4 of 4
Residence	26 July 1860	He lived in Yonah, White, Georgia, United StatesBGO, on 26 July 1860. Name: John M Gilstrap, Age: 26, Birth Year: abt 1834, Birth Place: Georgia, Gender: Male, Race: White, Post Office: Mount Yonah, Occupation: Farmer, Personal Estate Value: 125, Record ID: 7667::7416229, Household Members: Wiley Gilstrap, Letty Gilstrap, W8
Marriage	2 August 1860	He and Martha Camilla Pascoe were married on 2 August 1860.3
Residence	1 December 1861	He lived in Hall, Georgia, United StatesBGO, on 1 December 1861.4
Military	1 December 1861	He served in the military on 1 December 1861 in Hall, Georgia, United StatesBGO. Joined the 24th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company G, CSA as a Private4,9
Anecdote (fam)	1863	Martha and John Gilstrap lived in the Shoal Creek Community and attended church at Shoal Creek Baptist along with the Bowen family and many other families in the area. John and Helum Bowen became good friends and Heleum was an often visitor in the Gilstrap home. When the War Between the States broke out, John Gilstrap and Heleum Bowen joined the Confederate Army together. They made a pact. If John was killed, Helum would come home, marry Martha and take care of his son, Harrison. John was killed, the Civil War ended and Helum came home. He was good to his word. After a few "dates", Heleum married Martha in March of 1865. This story was told to me by Minto Gilstrap (John's grandson) who lived in Shoal Creek at the time. He owned the old Bowen cabin until his death and it was passed on to his son.7
Death	2 December 1863	He died on 2 December 1863 at age 31 at Confederate HospitalBG in Forsyth, Monroe, Georgia, United StatesBGO.4
Burial	after 2 December 1863	He was buried after 2 December 1863 at Mossy Creek United Methodist Church CemeteryBG in Cleveland, White, Georgia, United StatesBGO.4,10

Citations

1. [S14] Jackson Family, online Drarrell Rainey, p. 6. Hereinafter cited as Jackson Family.
2. [S14] Jackson Family, online Drarrell Rainey, p. 12. Hereinafter cited as Jackson Family.
3. [S188] Gary Neal Gilstrap, A Wiley Bunch (, Nov 2004), p. 20. Hereinafter cited as A Wiley Bunch.
4. [S124] scottypeach, online http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/16251092/person/355348315, (.)
5. [S239] Ancestry.com, 1850 United States Federal Census, Year: 1850; Census Place: District 10, Habersham, Georgia; Roll: 72; Page: 283b
6. [S188] Gary Neal Gilstrap, A Wiley Bunch (, Nov 2004), p. 20-25. Hereinafter cited as A Wiley Bunch.
7. [S188] Gary Neal Gilstrap, A Wiley Bunch (, Nov 2004). Hereinafter cited as A Wiley Bunch.
8. [S242] Ancestry.com, 1860 United States Federal Census, Year: 1860; Census Place: White, Georgia; Roll: M653_140; Page: 455; Family History Library Film: 803140
9. [S329] Historical Data Systems, comp, U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865
10. [S829] Ancestry.com, U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963