Gillespie, Matthew

Born: 1807-11-26 New York, New York

Died: 1861-03-24 Edwardsville, Illinois

Flourished: Edwardsville, Illinois

In 1819, Gillespie moved to Madison County, Illinois, with his parents and brother Joseph. In 1827, after a short stint working in the lead mines of Galena, Gillespie returned to Madison County and married Nancy Gordon, with whom he had one child. Following Nancy's death, in 1839 Gillespie remarried to Martha McGrew Hynes, with whom he raised three children. Gillespie's long career as a public servant included a stint as Madison County coroner (1832) and probate judge (1839-43). From 1836 to 1838, he worked in the U.S. General Land Office in Edwardsville. Gillespie was state treasurer and assessor from 1844 to 1848. In 1849, he became register of the Edwardsville General Land Office, holding that position until 1853. He was subsequently elected police magistrate of Edwardsville, which position he filled for the remainder of his life. Politically, Gillespie was a Whig and later a Republican. Religiously, Gillespie was a member of the Methodist Church.

History of Madison County, Illinois (Edwardsville, IL: W. R. Brink, 1882), 362-63; Register of all Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1849 (Washington, DC: Gideon, 1849), 135.