I am looking for an obit on a Thomas A Gillan that was the City Marshall at one time and quite a prominent citizen in La Porte City. He died March 17, 1923 in La Porte. He was born June 29, 1850. Cannot find in 1860 or 1870 Census. I saw his obit at one time on Ancestry, but cannot get it to come up now....What I need to know is his parents names. Supposedly his mother was from New York, his father was from Scotland most Census, once from England. I cannot locate this man before 1880, and then he is married in Iowa. But in one newspaper report, it stated that he was making his first visit to his old home in Waukegan, Ill. in 40 years. ( Dated 1932 Progress newspaper) But in every Census he lists being born in Wisconsin. I cannot locate him before the 1880 Census....help please. I am doing this for a vey elderly lady and I would like her to get this as soon as possible. I am hoping the death cert will list his parents. Thanking you in advance, Sandy

How is it that he died in 1923 but visited Waukegan, Ill. in 1932 ( Dated 1932 Progress newspaper). Will the correct year please stand up :-)

Obit & funeral notice for Thomas Alexander Gillan are attached. I also checked his death record at the Black Hawk County Courthouse. In those records, they did not make note of parents names as they did in later years. The undertaker was listed as H. E. Waldroff and cause of death was pneumonia. The obit and death were in the Waterloo newspaper in the La Porte City news section.

Thank you for this information....I cannot seem to locate his family anywhere...I was really hoping to find his parents names. He always put Wisconsin as his place of birth in Census, but this states Illinois. I do find a family named Gillan in the 1860 Census in Taylor, Dubuque, Iowa but there is no Thomas or Alexander, I show the family again in 1870 living in Keokuk, Lee , Iowa, but again no Thomas or Alexander. This is a big mystery.....any ideas out there??? I will recheck the date of the newspaper article about him and his daughter going back to Illinois for the actual date.....

According to the 1910 US Census, it appears that his mother was born in New York. I can't quite read what is written for his father's birthplace. (I use Heritage Quest for my census searches and they don't always have the best images)Thomas's birthplace is Wisconsin per this census. Are you thinking that the Thomas Gillan from La Porte City is not the person you are looking for? I can't read his wife's name either but it appears his daughter's name is Pearl, if that is any help to you.

Hi,
No we have the right Thomas A Gillan, his daughter Neva married my grandfather. She died at 33. What I think is interesting is I cannot locate Thomas in either a 1860 or 1870 Census with his parents and family. His father was supposedly from Scotland, once ennumerated as England. His mother was always listed as from New York. So chances are the father met her when he came over from Scotland. I do not know which child Thomas was in the family, I tried to find a Thomas Gillan born abt the time his Dad would ahve been and there is too many without any proof. Thomas is the only person in my tree of over 15000 that I cannot find his parents or family.....His Census slways stated he was born in Wiscons, but the obit states Illinois. One of his granddaughters isd still alive and she thought he was from Illinois. There is no mention of siblings or parents anywhere, which leads me to wonder if there was some kind of a falling out with his family. And his daughters were Neva Alice and Effa Pearl, so maybe I see if I can find a Alice or Pearl Gillan who could be his MOM, or a Neva or Effa.....who knows? Sure would liek to firm this up.....any ideas ?

I found that the article in the 1932 Progress newspaper was a revamp of what was in the paper "twenty years" prior. So TAA. Gillan and his daighter Pearl went back to Waukegan, Illinois in 1912 and Mr. Gillan had not been there for 40 years. So that means that the last Census that hewould have been in Illinois was 1870, right? Where is he?????

I have something to check on tomorrow that may be of some help to you in your research.

Thanks, I will look forward to hearing from you. My email is sanjos333@yahoo.com

Thomas Gillan was the son of Patrick and Alice (Traynor) Gillan. Thomas was born 29 June 1850 on a farm in Pleasant Prairie township, Kenosha County, Wisconsin.

I'll email you the source and additonal information on his parents & family once I make it down to the Cedar Falls Public Library and view it and copy it for you.