Born: 1852
Died: c. February 4, 1897
Married: Harriet Noble Gillespie
Children: Lee W. Gillespie, John Easton Gillespie, Helen Gillespie
William J. Gillespie operated a grist mill in Bloomingdale; he was "one of the best known men in the Adirondacks."
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, July 18, 1959
The following report appeared in The Adirondack Enterprise of February 4, 1897.
"W.J. Gillespie, one of the best known men in the Adirondacks, met a terrible death in his grist mill in Bloomingdale on Tuesday last. Mr. Gillespie went to hoist the gate of the mill when his pants caught on the set screw and he was hurled around the upright shaft with such force that it broke his leg below the knee, in the knee, and in the thigh. His right leg was broken below the knee, the elbow and his shoulder smashed to jelly, nearly all the ribs were crushed in on his left side. He was hurled with such force and the space being so small that the machinery of the whole mill stopped…
Mr. Gillespie was a prominent man in politics, holding the office of supervisor and other town offices. He was a member of the Whiteface Mountain Lodge, F. & A.M. of Saranac Lake.
"His death has cast a gloom over the entire community and he will be greatly missed. He leaves a wife and three children to mourn his loss. The funeral will be held at Bloomingdale Sunday at one o'clock and will be held under Masonic orders. Aged about 45 years.
