THROUGH
MOUNTAIN MISTS
Early Settlers of
Their
Descendants...Their Stories...Their Achievements
Lifting the
Mists of History on Their Way of Life
By: Ethelene Dyer Jones
The privilege
of owning old Gillespie-made rifles
Perhaps James
Butts and Billy Harkins are not the only two current citizens of
These two are
proud owners of tried and true firearms made by descendants of the
Gillespie gunmakers of East Fork,
Last week's
column told of how James Butts became the privileged owner of a rifle
which had been made for his grandfather, Sydney Harshaw.
It was made by John Gillespie who migrated to
Billy Harkins
of
Billy Harkins
also owns a Gillespie-made rifle which was fashioned specifically for a
W. W. Carland who lived in the area of
It sounds easy
to say, "Harvey Gillespie made these rifles," even though his
signature, other than some characteristic "code" markings, does not
appear on either of the rifles now owned by Billy Harkins. You see,
there were several named Harvey Gillespie who made guns. One was John
Harvey Gillespie (1810-1891), son of William, grandson of John, Sr. and
Jane Harvey Gillespie (Jane's maiden name "
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The Harvey
Gillespie whom Billy Harkins believes made the guns he owns was a
brother to John R. Gillespie and James A. Gillespie who migrated to
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Harvey
Gillespie (June 18, 1820-August 19, 1877) was the son of Mathew
Gillespie and his wife, Elizabeth Sitton
Gillespie, their seventh of twelve children, five sons and seven
daughters. Elizabeth
Sitton's father, Phillip Sitton, owned an ironworks located on the
Billy Harkins is grateful to Vesta Waldroop Byrd who found the old Gillespie-made
hog rifle stored in a building at their home. Knowing that the old
rifle belonged to Billy Harkins' great grandfather, Bill Bowers,Vesta gave the
rifle to Billy. Stories Billy heard in his childhood make the rifle
very personal and treasured. One he especially enjoyed hearing was how
his grandfather went out into the woods near Owltown Gap where he lived
looking for wild turkeys. Bill Bowers found a flock,
and giving good aim, shot and killed two turkeys with the same shot.
Whether that happened near Thanksgiving or not, we don't know. At any
rate, the Bowers family enjoyed a feast of wild turkey with all the
fixings.
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Billy is amazed
at the true aim of both old rifles he owns. As he makes replicas of
them, he is careful to get the best materials with which to make his
copies and to craft them with precision as did the Gillespie gunmakers of long ago.
"Why did you
decide to start making replicas of the rifles?" I asked Billy.
"I appreciate
the tedious and precise work the Gillespie and other gunmakers did in crafting their guns. It took
skill, patience and perseverance to make them. I am interested in
helping to preserve old fire arms and other antiques from the folk art
point of view. I enjoy attending gun shows and recently attended the
annual show in
Billy Harkins
is a carpenter and especially enjoys custom carpentry such as making
rails of laurel wood and custom-ordered furniture. Mantels are another
of his specialties. "I've crafted and hung several mantels," he said.
Toward the end of our conversation, he invited me to call him and come
by to see his gunshop, his antique guns,
and the replicas he makes. I asked if he would be willing to
accommodate other interested persons and he gave me permission to list
his telephone number. Just call him in advance at 706-745-9405 for an
appointment. He also owns a very old powder horn and hunting bag, as
well as the attachment to measure the amount of powder needed for the
guns.
On October 19,
he took Dennis Glazener of Midlothian,
Virginia, author of the book, "The Gillespie Gun Makers of East Fork,
NC" (2006), another descendant of the gunmakers
of fame, to meet Mr. Odell Plott of Young
Harris. Mr. Plott, up in years now, is
still alert and active, and related to the Gillespies
through marriage. He took Glazener and
Billy Harkins to the spot just off Georgia Highway 76 near the
Towns/Union line, almost directly in front of
I've traced the
Gillespies and their descendants through
four lengthy columns. My deep gratitude goes to Dennis Glazener, James Butts and Billy Harkins for
taking the time through published book, emails, pictures and telephone
calls to give rich information about the family who, through several
generations, crafted a product of necessity and recreation. These men
generously shared their knowledge of the guns and their makers with me
I feel almost as if I have walked in the footsteps of the John Gillespies, James, Harvey and others. Dennis Glazener and Billy Harkins have learned to build
replicas of the famous guns. All, including James Butts, appreciate the
guns that have lasted far longer than a century. They save the real
implements. I like to think I save a portion of this rich heritage
through words.
[Ethelene
Dyer Jones is a retired educator, freelance writer, poet, and historian.
She may be reached at e-mail edj0513@windstream.net;
phone 478-453-8751; or mail
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