Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- David K. Gillespie Papers,
- Dates:
- 1879-1903
- Creators:
- Gillespie, David K., 1821-
- Abstract:
- The David K. Gillespie Papers contain correspondence and other materials relating to his wholesale grain business in Kirkwood, Ohio in the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Papers include incoming correspondence from business associates and fragmentary personal correspondence from relatives and the Ohio Prohibition Party. Some letters contain receipts, business cards, and market reports. Also includes two brief account ledgers for 1882 and 1888. Subjects discussed relate to grain prices, weather, condition of grain, methods of shipment, and availability of grains.
- Extent:
- 2.2 linear feet
- Language:
- English.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], David K. Gillespie Papers, D-297, Department of Special Collections, University of California Library, Davis, California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Organized into two series: 1. Correspondence and 2. Account Ledgers/Market Reports.
- Biographical / historical:
- Biographical Narrative
David K. Gillespie was born in Warren County, Ohio on November 29, 1821. In 1850, he began his operations in the grain business in Lockington, Ohio. For fourteen years, he bought and sold grain and shipped it by canal to Cincinatti and Toledo. In 1864, he bought and farmed a four hundred acre piece of land north of Piqua, Ohio. In 1877, he relocated to Kirkwood, Ohio and again became involved in the grain business. His main business activities involved buying and selling grain and grain futures; he sometimes dealt in salt, shingles, lumber and farm machinery. He sold his grain to commission merchants and mill owners all over Ohio, and in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City.
In 1851, he married Martha McKee. She died in 1854 and in 1856 he married Maria McKee, a cousin of his first wife. With his second wife, he had eight children: William H., James M., Lee W., Jennie L., Annie S., David K., Mattie, and one child who died in infancy. Maria died in 1875 and in 1878 Gillespie married Sarah J. McKnight.
Gillespie held various township offices and was elected Comissioner of Shelby County in 1860 and was re-elected in 1863. He also represented the Prohibition Party in county, district, and state conventions.
Source: Portrait and biographical record of Auglaize, Logan and Shelby Counties, Ohio: containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States. Chicago: Chapman Bros., 1892. p. 585-586.
- Acquisition information:
- Acquired from Charles Apfelbaum in October 1989.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Eileen P. Kerr in December 1989. EAD finding aid created by Sara Gunasekara with assistance from student employee Jenny Hodge in March 2004.
- Physical location:
- Researchers should contact Special Collections to request collections, as many are stored offsite.
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- Grain trade--Ohio
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
-
2004
©2004
- Date Encoded:
- EAD finding aid created by Sara Gunasekara with the assistance of student employee Jenny Hodge.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
Copyright is protected by the copyright law, chapter 17 of the U.S. Code. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections, General Library, University of California, Davis as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], David K. Gillespie Papers, D-297, Department of Special Collections, University of California Library, Davis, California.
- Location of this collection:
-
University of California, Davis, Special Collections, UC Davis Library100 NW QuadDavis, CA 95616-5292, US
- Contact:
- (530) 752-1621