John F. Gilkey
From Black Hawk Slept Here
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John L. or John F.?
There is much information about a John F. Gilkey in the Kalamazoo and Barry county histories, as well as others in the area. Barnett's roster lists a John L. Gilkey who served in the militia, in Barnes' company, which would have been the militia company for the area where John F. Gilkey lived. Are these the same person or two different persons?
They are being tentatively treated here as the same person.
There is not just one occurrence of John L. Gilkey in the records, though, so it's risky to say for certain that the two are one and the same person. In addition to Barnett's roster, there is one other place where a John L. Gilkey is listed. The 1869 Kalamazoo County directory lists him in the Gull Corners directory (page 373) as a farmer. Is it really possible that the same transcription was made twice, from two different sources, in two different centuries?
But John F. Gilkey was in the right place at the right time, and of the right age to serve in the militia. And the 1860 census lists a John F. Gilkey who resided in Richland Township. His age was given as 56, which would have made him 28 at the time of the Black Hawk war.
Given that no John L. Gilkey is listed in this census, we are assuming a transcription error in the 1860 census and in the militia roster.
Land patents
He was issued 21 land patents in Allegan, Barry, Kalamazoo, Gratiot, Montcalm counties. The great majority were in Kalamazoo county. 10 at the White Pigeon land office, the remainder at the Kalamazoo land office.
Landmarks
There are Gilkey lakes in Barry and Allegan counties.
References to John F. Gilkey in the county histories
Kalamazoo County directory (1869), page 43
The settlers would sometimes drive a few cattle, sheep and hogs in to the country...Cattle and pigs were, however, plentifully supplied by drovers, and the first supply by this means was in the spring of 1833, when John F. Gilkey and Mumford Eldred drove in a flock of cattle, mostly cows, from Illinois. They remained here two weeks pasturing their cattle on the big marsh. Cows were sold then for $50 and $80; oxen from $50 to $100 a pair. Gilkey drove cattle for a number of years.
