Alexander Gilmer (September 7, 1829 – July 30, 1906) was a
sawmiller
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
that became one of the United States' most successful individual timberland owners in his era.
Nicknamed "Sandy", he was born in
County Armagh,
Ireland, the son of George and Jane Gilmer. He immigrated to
Georgia at the age of seventeen where he constructed shipmasts for the French government with his brother John. Together, they built a steamboat to work the
Chattahoochee
The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the con ...
, but suffered a major setback when it sank, leaving Gilmer almost penniless. In the late 1840s, he migrated to
Orange, Texas, where he entered the shipbuilding business with his cousin George C. Gilmer. The two would shortly after enter the mercantile business and continue until the
Civil War. Alexander participated in the war as a
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
blockade runner
A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usuall ...
in The Battle of
Sabine Pass.
In 1866, Gilmer founded his first sawmill. He would eventually own sawmills and lumberyards in as many as ten communities. One of these, named Remlig (Gilmer spelled backwards) would become one of the largest businesses in
Jasper County
Jasper County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. All are named in honor of Sergeant William Jasper, a hero of the Revolutionary War. Five counties share a boundary with a Newton County, named for John Newton
John ...
.
Gilmer had a series of economic setbacks. He lost his sawmill at Orange four times due to fire, after which he re-built his main operation at
Lemonville (now a
ghost town) in northern
Orange County
Orange County most commonly refers to:
*Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Orange County may also refer to:
U.S. counties
*Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando
*Orange County, Indiana
*Orange County, New ...
.
Alexander Gilmer was married twice. His first wife Etta Reading died within the first year of the marriage. His second wife Cleora C. Thomas bore 9 children, two of which died as infants. In his last days, Gilmer traveled to
San Antonio due to health reasons before making his last business trip to
New York City where he died in 1906. At the time of his death, he was the second wealthiest man in Orange, Texas.
The
Texas Historical Commission has constructed a marker to commemorate his business contributions.
Some of Alexander Gilmer's papers were salvaged from a storefront in Orange, Texas and are now housed at th
Briscoe Center for American Historyat the
University of Texas at Austin. The papers include personal letters, business logs, and political letters.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilmer, Alexander
1829 births
1906 deaths
Businesspeople from County Armagh
Irish emigrants to the United States
People from Orange, Texas
American businesspeople in timber
Sawmillers