Gillmore, George

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: In collaboration with Elizabeth A. Chard, “GILLMORE, GEORGE,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 5, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gillmore_george_5E.html
  • DCB profile notes:
    • Church of Scotland clergyman; b. probably 1720 in County Antrim (Northern Ireland); m. Ann Allen, and they had at least seven children, six of whom survived infancy; d. 20 Sept. 1811 in Horton Township, N.S.
    • Denounced as a tory by the governor of the colony and deserted by his own flock, Gillmore was forced to stop preaching in 1775. Still harassed by local rebels, he and his family moved to Nobletown in the winter of 1776–77. There he farmed, preached, and taught school until the surrender at Saratoga (Schuylerville, N.Y.) in October 1777 of the force led by Burgoyne.
    • Ejected again from his parish because of his loyalist views, Gillmore then taught school in Spencertown, N.Y., until late 1782, when the triumph of the rebel cause compelled him to leave his family and flee to the province of Quebec.
    • The Gillmores reached Halifax in July 1785 and spent the summer there. Desperate for assistance of some kind, Gillmore submitted a petition to Governor John Parr. In February 1786, moreover, he obtained a grant of land at Ardoise Hill, which became the family’s home for the next five years.
  • United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=9831
  • Find a GRAVE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/188321849/george-gillmore