From "History of Wheeling City and Ohio County, West Virginia and 
Representative Citizens," by Hon. Gibson Lamb Cranmer, 1902. 

Typed by Laurie Birks Dean

pp. 412-413

George R. E. GILCHRIST, a prominent attorney-at-law of Wheeling, West 
Virginia, was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, January 8, 1857, 
and is a son of James and Mary Robinson (Eichbaum) Gilchrist.
	James Gilchrist was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1829, and was 
reared there until he was nine years of age, when he accompanied a 
bachelor uncle, Daniel, to Wheeling, where he has practically made 
his home since.  He attended the schools of Wheeling, then learned 
the trade of a tobacconist, becoming a journeyman worker at the age 
of sixteen years.  He continued at his trade until he was eighteen 
years old and then was sent to school by his guardian, as he was 
seven years of age when his father died.  He attended Samuel Boyd's 
school at Wheeling, and then studied languages at Willsville for a 
time.  He taught school in Southern Ohio for a while, in the meantime 
studying surveying.  He returned to Wheeling in 1853, and was elected 
city surveyor, in which capacity he served two terms, June 14, 1855, 
he married Miss Eichbaum, who was born in 1835, in Fallston, Beaver 
county, Pennsylvania.  He and his wife went to Fort Dodge, Iowa, and 
he was engaged in surveying during 1855 and 1856.  He was next 
employed in the United States Land Office under William H. Merritt, 
and served with him and his successor from 1857 to 1859.  In the 
latter year he moved to Missouri, where he was located in Madison and 
Wayne counties about a year.  In August, 1860, he returned to 
Wheeling and surveyed until the fall of 1861.  He then entered the 
military storehouse under Thomas Hornbrook, and retained that 
position until the storehouse was closed in 1862, when the government 
took charge of it and appointed Captain Downing superintendent.  
James Gilchrist then took charge of the custom house books as deputy 
under Mr. Hornbrook, and after the resignation of the latter, in 
April, 1866, served under his successor, Col. Thomas O'Brien.  James 
Gilchrist served under the latter gentleman during his incumbency of 
that office after which he was deputy for William R. Holliday for 
eight years, until 1876.  In 1877 he was appointed surveyor of 
customs, serving from April, 1877, until April, 1878, when his 
appointment was confirmed.  He held that office until July, 1882.  He 
then went back to surveying and also began the abstracting of titles 
to real estate in Ohio county.  James Gilchrist and wife had three 
children:  George R. E., born January 8, 1857; Adelaide Kirk, who was 
born in September, 1859, and died in 1899; and James Henry, who was 
born in 1866, and died in 1891.  The last named had attended the 
University of Virginia two years.
	George R. E. Gilchrist received his primary education at 
Wheeling, and when seventeen years of age went to school one year at 
Nashotah, Wisconsin.  He then went to Wooster, Ohio, and graduated 
from the university located in that town.  He then read law with Mr. 
Peck at Wheeling for some months, after which he studied law at the 
University of Virginia.  He was admitted to the bar of Ohio county in 
1881, and has since practiced at Wheeling.
	Mr. Gilchrist married Jennie E. Murphy in 1883, and they have 
three children, - Ethel, Mabel and Virginia.  In politics, he has 
always been a Republican.  In religious views he is an Episcopalian.