- MR. AND MRS. N. T. GILL. Mr. Norman T. GILL, former Cashier
of the State Bank of
- Reedsburg, now residing in Madison, was for twenty years
one of the leading citizens of the city. He was born in Rock
County, Wis., Oct. 22, 1876, son of Thomas and Susan H. (FREEMAN)
GILL. His father was a native of England, born March 24, 1829,
and came to America in 1838, the family locating in Oneida County,
N.Y. In 1846, was a young man, he came to Wisconsin, where the
rest of his life was spent. When the Civil War broke out he
enlisted, and served four years during that struggle. Returning
to Wisconsin, in November 1865, he married, and located on a
farm in Rock County, Wis., where he resided until his death in
1906. His wife, Susan FREEMAN, was born at Floyd, Oneida Co.,
N.Y., April 26, 1846, and was the daughter of James and Sarah
(LAYTON) FREEMAN. Her paternal grandparents, William and Rebecca
FREEMAN lived and died in England; her mother's people, James
and Elizabeth LAYTON, were natives of the region of Soham, England,
where the mother was born, May 14, 1814. Mr. and Mrs. James
FREEMAN came to America at an early date, locating in New York;
but in the fall of 1846, when Susan was six months old, they
came to Wisconsin, bought government land in Rock County, and
made that their home until their deaths. Since the death of
our subject's father, the mother has made her home at various
places, but for the past fifteen years has resided with him.
- Norman T. GILL grew to manhood in Rock County, attended a
rural school there. Later he
- entered the Whitewater High school, graduating in 1896.
He then engaged in teaching, but desiring to better his position
he entered Whitewater Normal, and graduated in 1899. After teaching
one year at Kurtz, Minn. He went farming in Rock County, later
at Ableman, Sauk County, and in December 1903, entered the State
Bank of Reedsburg, as Assistant Cashier. The following year
he was promoted to Cashier, and served the institution in that
capacity until his resignation in August 1928, to accept a position
as Secretary of the Madison Trust Company, Madison, Wis., which
caused the removal of his family to that city at that time.
During his residence in Reedsburg, he was active in the life
of the community, and held many positions of honor; he was President
of the Board of Education, Reedsburg; President of Reedsburg
Chamber of Commerce; President, Wisconsin Bankers Association;
was a member of the Presbyterian Church, in which he was a deacon;
member of the Knights of Pythias, and other social clubs and
organizations of the city.
- On Dec. 11, 1901, Norman T. GILL was united in marriage to
Miss Winifred STONE, only
- daughter of John P. and Amy (PHILLIPS) STONE, prominent bankers
and townspeople of Reedsburg. Winifred STONE was born July 21,
1878, at Reedsburg, Wis., and until her recent removal to Madison,
was practically a lifelong resident of the community. See Charles
Harry STONE sketch. Mrs. GILL represents a number of the oldest
families of America and traces her descent through paternal connections
from James and Deborah STONE, James STONE, next in line of descent,
and Thomas STONE. Through maternal connections she is descended
through her grandfather Otis PHILLIPS, from Roger WILLIAMS, through
his daughter Mercy, who married Resolved WATERMAN, their daughter
Waite, who married John RHODES, their son Zachariah RHODES, his
daughter Rebecca RHODES, who married William SHELTON, whose daughter
Rebecca, as the wife of Ruf PHILLIPS, was the mother of Otis
PHILLIPS, father of Otis, the grandfather of Mrs. GILL. Mrs.
GILL's paternal great-grandmother Mary JENKS, was likewise a
descendant of Roger WILLIAMS, through a daughter Mary, who married
in the SAYLES family, of which Anna SAYLES, mother of Mary JENKS,
was a member. On the JENK's side, the genealogy includes the
Honorable Joseph JENKS, Governor of Massachusetts. Other lines
of descent include Abraham DOOTLITTLE, Governor of Connecticut,
Chadbourne BROWN, founder of Brown University, and James WHITCOMB,
Jonathan MOSS, David STONE, Thos. TREADWELL and Benjamin HALL,
all soldiers and officers of the Revolution.
- Mrs. GILL was during the time of her residence in Reedsburg
one of the most active members of
- the D.A.R., in which she frequently held office.
- Mr. and Mrs. GILL have two children: John Kenneth, born June
10, 1904, and Charles H. Stone
- GILL, born March 7, 1912.
-
- Taken from "History of Reedsburg and the Upper Baraboo
Valley" by Merton Edwin Krug (c)February 1929 by the author;
printed by Democrat Printing Co., Madison, Wis., p. 462.
-
- Courtesy of Carol
|