Ernest Benjamin GILLIS^{[1, 2, 3, 4]}

1888 - 1976  (87 years)

• Name	Ernest Benjamin GILLIS  [5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]
  Born	11 Jul 1888	South Royalton, Windsor, Vermont, USA   [5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14]
  Gender	Male
  Residence	1900	Pine Island Village, Goodhue, Minnesota   [12]
  Residence	1900	Pine Island Village, Goodhue, Minnesota   [12]
  Residence	1910	Walnut Grove, Redwood, Minnesota   [13]
  Residence	1910	Walnut Grove, Redwood, Minnesota   [13]
  Military Draft Registration	1917-1918	Lyon County, Minnesota, United States   [15]
  Name	E.B.
  Name	Ernie
  Residence	Redmond   [9]
  Residence	Lyon, Minnesota   [8]
  Residence	1920	Monroe, Lyon, Minnesota   [10]
  Residence	1930	Rock Lake, Lyon, Minnesota   [7]
  _FSFTID	LJR1-NW9
  _FSLINK	https://familysearch.org/tree/#view=ancestor&person=LJR1-NW9
  _UID	67F79007D7DA44CBAD68DB8B7E1B2CFCF117
  Died	13 Mar 1976	Redmond, King, Washington, United States Of America   [5, 6, 9, 11, 14]
  Buried	Redmond, King, Washington, United States Of America   [15]
  Person ID	I7	tag1
  Last Modified	2 Sep 2018

  
  

  Father	Rev. William McNab GILLIS,   b. 20 May 1845, Inverness, Megantic County, Quebec, Canada (Gillis Corners) ,   d. 1 Jul 1928, Windom, Cottonwood, Minnesota, USA  (Age 83 years)
  Mother	Mary Elizabeth CODVILLE,   b. 11 Sep 1849, Quebec, , Qu?bec, Canada ,   d. 22 Apr 1940, Windom, Cottonwood, Minnesota, USA  (Age 90 years)
  Married	24 Apr 1877	Quebec, , Qu?bec, Canada   [5, 6, 16, 17, 18, 19]
  	The couple married April 24, 1877 at 3pm in the afternoon in the home of her brother, in Quebec City.  The service was performed by the Rev. H. E. Blaud. Their honeymoon consisted of a trip to Rutland, Vermont, where William was ordained as a minister and received his first appointment to the Methodist-Episcopal Church at Landgrove, Vermont. [5, 6]
  Family ID	F10	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Ernest Benjamin Gillis was born on 11 Jul 1888 in South Royalton, Vermont. He died on 13 Mar 1976 in Kirkland, Washington. Ernest was the son of the  Reverend William McNab Gillis  and Mary Elizabeth Codville . He was one of five children ?  two boys (Ernest and William Hillary) and three girls (Winifred Martha, May Gertrude, and Edith Mabel).   At his age of 3, his family moved from Vermont to Minnesota, where they lived in Plainview 5 years, Pine Island 6 years, Fairmont 2 years, and Rushmore 1 year.  When Ernest enrolled in Worthington High School when he was a junior and graduated from there and attended the University of Minnesota Farm School. All his life, he loved the land and working with soil, tending crops and growing things. In the spring of 1908, Ernest rented the old Andrew Clay farm northeast of Amiret, Minnesota and in the spring of 1911, moved south of Amiret to a half-section that he farmed as a bachelor until he married Della May Edwards.  Della was helping in a store in Amiret at the time.  They may married in 1914 on July 16th, and the ceremony was performed by Ernest's father, William, in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. In the spring of 1924, Ernest and Della moved to a farm south of Tracy.  That fall they moved to the Kyle Farm, north of Tracy.  In the spring of 1925, they rented the Curtis Farm. In March, 1926, they moved to Balaton, Minnesota, where they remained the next 17 years. Then in the fall of 1942, Ernest moved to Washington State.  He bought 5 acres in Alderwood Manor, Washington and started orchards and some farming while building a home.  In July 1943, Della  and their four girls still at home joined him via train.  The family lived in a cabin until the new home was ready for them to occupy. In 1966, Ernest completed another home adjacent to the first home; he and Della moved into it and sold the first one. This accomplishment of building a home at a somewhat advanced age -- much of it by his own hands -- speaks to the industriousness and tenacity of Ernest and his work ethic. Over the years, Ernest and Della's home was often the site of many large family picnics and parties. Several of their younger childrens' weddings were held in their home. Many of their numerous grandchildren - some 56 total - can vividly recall spending days and days in the fields, climbing trees and eating fruit from the trees growing all over on the land. Their home was a wonderful place of gathering and family, a tradition not lost on their descendants. When Ernest was unable to keep up the land and home by himself in the 1970s, both the homes and land were sold, and he and Della then lived with family members. While Ernest eventually had to be cared for in a nursing home until his death in 1976, Della was fortunate in being able to live with her daughters in the Seattle area until her death in 1983. Both Ernest and Della are still missed to this day and are fondly remembered by all. As a young boy, Ernie and his siblings (Winnie, May, Will, and Edith) sang often in church, even as a quintet. Ernie's daughter Coline tells of him often singing the old hymn to his quarreling children, "Angry Words, Oh Let them Never... From Thy Tongue, Unbridled Slip." Ernest's grandson Ernie (Grace's son) remembers Ernest singing a song that started out like this... Coming down from Bangor on a pullman train from a six-weeks outing in the wilds of Maine whiskers quite extensive, light mustache as well... There are many variations of this song, but here is the one that seems to be most common. As a granddaughter of Ernest, Coline's daughter Pam can imagine him singing this, complete with a twinkle in his eye... RIDING DOWN FROM BANGOR Riding down from Bangor on an eastern train After weeks of hunting in the woods of Maine, Quite extensive whiskers, beard, mustache as well, Sat a student fellow, tall and slim and swell, Empty seat behind him, no one at his side. Into quiet village eastern train did glide. Enter aged couple, take the hindmost seat. Enter village maiden, beautiful, petite. Blushingly she faltered, "Is this seat engaged?" Sees the aged couple, properly enraged Student's quite ecstatic, sees her ticket through Thinks of the long tunnel, thinks what he will do. Pleasantly they chatted. How the cinders fly! Till the student fellow gets one in his eye. Maiden, sympathetic, turns herself about. "May I, if you please, sir, try to get it out?" Then the student fellow feels a gentle touch, Hears a gentle murmur, "Does it hurt you much?" Whiz! Slap! Bang! Into tunnel quite, Into glorious darkness, black as Egypt's night. Out into the daylight glides that eastern train. Student's hair is ruffled just the merest grain. Maiden seen all blushes when then and there appeared A tiny little earring in that horrid student's beard. Ernest's grandaughter Phyllis (Mary Louise's daughter) remembers a few of the things her Grandpa loved, like "hot oatmeal with butter in the morning? and his garden, especially the strawberries - wait, that was Phyllis that liked the strawberries! She remembers him singing hymns, especially "I Come to the Garden Alone." And that he loved parakeets; she remembers how he used to talk to them & let them fly around the house and how sad he was when Tweetie (she thinks that was the bird's name!) flew out the window..." Ernest always had a wonderful garden, and grew lovely gladiolas just outside the basement kitchen window in the new home in Alderwood Manor, WA. He loved to play dominos! Ernie was an excellent domino player... [5, 6]

  
  

• Sources

  [S92] . [S112] . [S162] Ancestry Family Trees (Reliability: 3). http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=26120745&pid=1782307800 [S162] Ancestry Family Trees (Reliability: 3). http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=26120745&pid=1782492286 [S2] . [S68] . [S164] Year: 1930; Census Place: Rock Lake, Lyon, Minnesota; Roll: 1105; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 2; Image: 153.0. (Reliability: 3). Birth date:  abt 1889Birth place:  VermontResidence date:  1930Residence place:  Rock Lake, Lyon, Minnesota http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=1930usfedcen&h=79148228&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt [S158] Registration Location: Lyon County, Minnesota; Roll: 1675516; Draft Board: 0. (Reliability: 3). Birth date:  11 Jul 1888Birth place:  VermontResidence date:  Residence place:  Lyon, Minnesota http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=ww1draft&h=28622825&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt [S203] (Reliability: 3). Birth date:  abt 1889Birth place:  Death date:  13 Mar 1976Death place:  KirklandResidence date:  Residence place:  Redmond http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=washingtondeathindex&h=339661&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt [S163] Year: 1920; Census Place: Monroe, Lyon, Minnesota; Roll: T625_843; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 102; Image: . (Reliability: 3). Birth date:  abt 1890Birth place:  VermontResidence date:  1920Residence place:  Monroe, Lyon, Minnesota http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=1920usfedcen&h=47515349&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt [S205] Number: 476-07-5064; Issue State: Minnesota; Issue Date: Before 1951. (Reliability: 3). Birth date:  11 Jul 1888Birth place:  Death date:  Mar 1976Death place:  Redmond, King, Washington, United States of America http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=ssdi&h=22287697&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt [S161] Year: 1900; Census Place: Pine Island, Goodhue, Minnesota; Roll: T623_764; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 49. (Reliability: 3). Birth date:  Jul 1888Birth place:  VermontResidence date:  1900Residence place:  Pine Island Village, Goodhue, Minnesota http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=1900usfedcen&h=75969057&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt [S165] Year: 1910; Census Place: Walnut Grove, Redwood, Minnesota; Roll: ; Page: ; Enumeration District: ; Image: . (Reliability: 3). Birth date:  1889Birth place:  VermontResidence date:  1910Residence place:  Walnut Grove, Redwood, Minnesota http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=1910uscenindex&h=160040557&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt [S89] . [S225] accessed 19 Aug 2018), entry for Ernest Benjamin GILLIS, person ID LJR1-NW9. (Reliability: 3). ;Contributor: Wikene, brianwikene@gmail.com [S87] . [S202] (Reliability: 3). Marriage date:  1877Marriage place:  Qu?bec (Methodist) (Qu?bec (Wesleyan Methodist Church)), Qu?bec http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=drouinvitals&h=11888242&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt [S202] (Reliability: 3). Marriage date:  1877Marriage place:  Qu?bec (Methodist) (Qu?bec (Wesleyan Methodist Church)), Qu?bec http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=drouinvitals&h=14458511&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt [S161] Year: 1900; Census Place: Pine Island, Goodhue, Minnesota; Roll: T623_764; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 49. (Reliability: 3). Birth date:  May 1845Birth place:  CanadaMarriage date:  1877Marriage place:  Residence date:  1900Residence place:  Pine Island Village, Goodhue, MinnesotaArrival date:  UnknArrival place: http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=1900usfedcen&h=75969051&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt