THE REV. E. C. GILLENWATERS departed this life Dec. 26, 1884, aged 68 years, 3 months, and 22 days. The subject of this notice was born in the State of Virginia, Sept. 4, 1816, and emigrated with his parents to Jackson County, Ala. There he grew up to manhood, and there he professed religion and joined the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. On the 10th of March, 1839, he was married to E. J. Harris. Having obtained a liberal education, soon after his marriage he became a minister in the Church of his choice. He was of Scotch-Irish descent, tall in stature, commanding and noble in his personal appearance, possessing a strong, vigorous intellect, and generous to a fault; and had the Church sustained him he would have paid her back an hundred-fold. But in an early day he moved to Mississippi, where generally there was no Church, consequently he taught school for seven years. He was then elected in Tishomingo County to the office of County Clerk, and then having prepared himself for the practice of law, he was elected to the office of County Judge. In 1877 he was appointed Register of the Bankrupt Court. In all of which positions he acquitted himself with decided honor, to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. From the above, some might suppose that he to a great extent abandoned his holy calling. But such was not the fact. A great deal of his time with a large, helpless family, he made his own living, gave his children a liberal education, and preached for next thing to nothing, and still he was emphatically a power in the Church. Some ten years ago he moved to Texas, and devoted his time as much as possible to his ministry, and his labors in Texas have been greatly blessed. He was for a time pastor of the Gainesville congregation. It was under his administration that our splendid church-house was built here. He was a member of the City Council when he died, which was on the 26th day of December, 1884. His last sermon was preached on the fifth Sabbath in November. His afflictions were complicated. But when the summons came he was most triumphantly ready, and again and often said all was well, there was nothing in his way. He was buried with Masonic honors. His children are all members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He left a wife and nine children, and a host of friends, to mourn their loss. God bless and comfort them all.
[Source: The Cumberland Presbyterian]