General Notes

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Robert's will was probated April 1798 and names children William, Isabel, Mary, robert, Joh n James, Alexander, and Jean, and grandson John Gillespy.

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The following notes are copied and not mine.

Notes for ROBERT GILLASPY/ GILLESPIE: (Provided by Ginger Hicks)
Information taken from "Southwest Virginia Families" by David B. Trimble, copyright 1974, b y David B. Trimble, San Antonio, Texas: (Gillespie of Botetourt and Alleghany Counties, Virgi nia)

Robert Gillespie served in Dickinson's Rangers in 1754 under Cpt. Wm. Preston and received 5 0 acres for his services: he lived on the lower end of Cowpasture River in Augusta (now Alleg hany) County, Virginia at that time. In 1766, he worked on the road from Ft. Defiance to Hand ley's Mill, and on June 19, 1766, he had 40 acres surveyed; he had 300 acres surveyed on Octo ber 17, 1769. In 1768, he lived in the bend of Jackson's River in Augusta (now Alleghany) Cou nty, Virginia and was exempted from working on the Cowpasture Road. On May 12, 1770, he recei ved a 54 acre grant on the north side of Jackson's River and on June 20, 1772, an 80 acre gra nt in the same area; on the latter date, he received a 42 acre grant on two small branches o f the James River (surveyed 40 acres on June 19, 1766). For many years, he was on the tithe l ists of Botetourt County, Virginia, where he was taxed on 218 acres in 1785. (1) He made hi s will on May 23, 1797, leaving his property to his children, and the estate was probated i n April 1798.(2) References: (1) Robert D. Stoner, "A Seed-Bed of the Republic" (Radford, Vir ginia:Commonwealth Press, Inc., 1962, pg. 81, and appendix; Lyman Chalkley, "Records of Augus ta County, Virginia" Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, reprint 1965, I,130,150: F.B . Kegley, "Virginia Fromtier" Roanoke, Virginia: The Southwest Virginia Historical Society, 1 938, pg. 356,360; Botetourt County, Virginia, tithe lists, 1771-82, Virginia Land Patent Book s, Virginia State Archives, Richmond, Virginia. (2) Botetourt County, Virginia, Wills A, 475; Deed Bk. 9, pg. 24, Bk. 10, pg.175; Alleghany County, Virginia, Deed Bk. 1, pg. 347--Entere d by Ginger Hicks 1997

Am not sure that his siblings are correct in his child file, but I suspect he either belong s here or as a brother to William Gillespie, father to James. The following was taken from th e family file of Kellis and Virginia Gillespie sent to me. They are descendants of Robert (Ro ben) Gillespie, Jr.: We do not know exactly when Robert Gillespie I arrived in America. Famil y legend states that he was born in Scotland and came to America with his three brothers. The y were probably among the "Great Migration of Scotch-Irish" who started arriving in America i n 1730. The Scotch-Irish are people of Scottish background and ancestry who were sent to th e northern part of Ireland in 1610 in order to promote British influence in Ireland. A centur y later they left Ireland to seek their fortunes in America. Many of them entered through th e port of Philadelphia and then moved south to take up land in the Valley of Virginia. They s ettled in the counties of Augusta, Botetourt, Bath, Highland, Rockbridge, Alleghany and the l ands to the Southwest. The towns of Winchester, Staunton, Lexington, Fincastle, and Abingto n were largely Scotch-Irish.

When Augusta County was formed from Orange County in 1745, it was huge--bounded on the nort h by the Fairfax Land Grant; on the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains; on the south by the Car olina border; and on the west by the Mississippi River. One printed source for our Scotch-Iri sh ancestors is Lyman Chalkley's Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlements in Virginia Extra cted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County, Virginia. Some of Chalkley's referenc es to Robert Gillespie are as follows:

AUGUSTA COUNTY COURT JUDGEMENTS
Book A, May 1755
Simpson vs. Campbell--March 12, 1756. To the Worshipful bench o