- Son of John Gillespie and Jane Lees.
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James Gillespie, Sr., the veteran ore sampler for the Empire Steel & Iron Company, passed away at 6.30 o'clock this morning at his home, No. 317 Church Street, aged 69 years, 10 months and 23 days. Mr. Gillespie suffered from stomach trouble for some time, but he was able to attend to his duties at the Crane furnaces until last Sunday. He was able to be about, however, and last evening he took a walk as had been his custom.
At midnight Mr. Gillespie's condition became serious and he lapsed into a state of unconsciousness, in which condition he remained to the end. The members of his family were at his bedside when he expired. The announcement of Mr. Gillespie's death came as a shock to the entire community, especially to his sfellew-employes [sic] at the furnaces, by all of whom he was held in high regard.
The funeral services will be held on Sunday afternoon at 2 o'clock at his late home, Rev. C. H. Miller, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, of which Mr. Gillespie was a member, officiating. Interment will be made in the family plot in Fairview Cemetery.
The deceased was born at Castle Rock, County Dery, Ireland, on September 21, 1844, a son of Mrs. Jane and the late James Gillespie. He came to America after the close of the Civil War, and started work for the Crane Iron Company, later absorbed by the Empire Steel & Iron Company, and was continuously in the service of the company for 48 years. He was the ore sampler for James Gayley, the first chemist for the Crane Iron Works, later vice president of the United States Steel Corporation, and was sent to a number of States to sample ores, being considered one of the best in the country. He was able to go along a train of ore cars and judge their value in iron as accurately as any chemist. He sampled ores for Leonard Peckitt, president of the Empire Steel & Iron Company; Howard Knauss, superintendent of the Emaus furnaces, and Milton Knauss, superintendent of the Crane iron works, while tney were chemists at the local furnaces, and for E. J. Lynch, chief chemist of the Empire. Mr. Gillespie died less than 24 hours after his neighbor and life-long friend, Andrew Johnson, a veteran furnaceman [Find A Grave Memorial# 191502470].
Mr. Gillespie was united in marriage thirty-nine years ago to Miss Mary Clugston, the ceremony being performed by Rev. Dr. Cornelius Earle, then pastor of the First Presbyterian Church. The union was blessed with 12 children, two of whom died in infancy, Besides his bereaved wife he is survived by these children, Robert of Summit Hill, Daniel Gillespie, overseer of the Catasauqua water plant, Mrs. Oliver J. Benvenuti, James B., John, William, Stanley, George and Miss Myrtle Gillespie of this piace, and Charles Gillespie of Jamesville, N. Y. Fifteen grandchildren, and his mother, who is 94 years old, and a sister, Margaret the last two named living in Ireland....
Published in The Allentown Leader, 13 Aug 1914, Thu, Page 7
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