That’s me sitting on my Dad’s knee with that chipmunk grin on my face.
Gil Gillespie, Laura Gillespie, Anne Gillespie
I’m guessing the photo was taking in late ’64 or early ’65. And we were probably in Charleston, South Carolina, where we lived at the time. I wonder why my sister is so fascinated with the lawn?
Gilbert McClung Gillespie’s (1940-2010) grave site at Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery, Lexington, Virginia 1
Two years ago today my sisters, my stepmother and my Uncle Paul were with my Dad as he spent his last hours on this planet after fighting a 3 month battle with Leukemia.
We buried him a few days later in Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery where many generations of his ancestors are buried.
Dad and I didn’t always see eye to eye on things. 🙂 But we did love each other. He gave me my love of history and genealogy. This we always had in common. We had planned a research trip for the summer of 2010 that we never took.
Obituary from the Culpeper Star Exponent 2
I miss you Dad.
Footnotes
This picture was found in some of my dad’s things:
Eva Gillespie and grandchildren of Wyatt and Laura Gillespie, about 1944
But who are these people and when was it taken?
The boy holding the dog is my father. The woman standing in the photo is my great aunt, Eva Gillespie. The girl on her left is my Aunt Madeline, my father’s sister.
I talk to my cousins, and the adorable girl sitting on bench looking at the dog is my Aunt Martha, my father’s sister. My cousin tells me she has a variation of this picture and on the back it says that Aunt Martha is 18 months old.
Martha Gillespie was born in December of 1942. This means this picture was taken in 1944, most likely in June.  My father would have been almost 4 years old, and my Aunt Madeline would have been 7. My Great Aunt Eva, would have been almost 43.
I would guess that the other two girls are about 3, and 5 or 6, meaning that they were born in 1941 and 1939. They may be the youngest two girls of my Great Aunt Louis who married Milton Montgomery.
The children looked dressed up. Easter was in April 9th that year. Maybe it was just a Sunday. Maybe they just always dressed nicely; after all, my Great Aunt appears to be wearing a house dress.
Another cousin has identified this as the house at 108 Houston Street. It appears to be a lovely summer day in Lexington.
cluster genealogy 