The expert on this family is Kimberly Morgan Colley. You can find her on Ancestry. Her family tree is “Wrinkles in Time” on that website. Her email is [email protected]. She is working diligently in getting her Gilmores documented.
The earliest known location of this family might be through James Gilmor and Margaret (nee?) first seen in 1778 in Mecklinburg Co., NC living on the South side of the county very near SC, the county of York being on the other side of the border. William Gilmor/Gilmore’s parents are not proven but it is possible that they are the above mentioned couple, James Gilmor (1744-1784) and Margaret (nee?) (1742-1805) who are buried in the SW part of Mecklenburg Co., NC at the Steele Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery about 40 miles from their original home. (NOT to be confused with another James and Margaret Gilmor/Gilmore/Gilmer couple of comparable age living in the northern part of Mecklenburg Co., NC). In 1788, they sell their land off of Waxhaw Cr and seem to have purchased land very near Steele Creek Church as that’s where they’re buried. I haven’t yet found a deed for this yet. They may have also spent some time near Providence Presbyterian Church as their possible son William married a girl whose parents lived near this church close to Rocky Branch of Four Mile Creek between where the Gilmor’s started and ended up. This parent theory is based on the close proximity of William and James Gilmor as shown by land records, where James and Margaret are buried when compared to a deed where William sells some land and the 1790 census that shows William and Margaret living in the same area. The couple’s tombstones are still there, along with two possible grandchildren, Nancy Gilmor and Mary Gilmor, who are hypothesized to be William’s children who died before William and family moved to Bedford Co., TN in 1816 along with his already married daughter, Jane Gilmore Bingham/Bigham. There is an 1810 Mecklenburg County, NC census that supports this theory showing two girls of appropriate age in his household.
As far as what can be proven, this family really starts with William Gilmor/Gilmore whose estimated birth year is about 1766 with his birth place currently unknown. He married Mary McKibbon/McKibben between 1781-1783 in Mecklenburg Co., NC. This range is calculated from when their first child was born in 1784. The low end of this range was calculated to fit a possible child born before as there was another female in the family before the 1790 census, living in William’s household who could be older or younger than Jane. Also, the dates accommodate Mary’s age of no younger than 14 when her first child could have been born. I’ve seen Mary’s birth year as 1772 but it seems more likely for her age to be between 1763 (when her parents were married) and 1769 given their first known child’s, Jane’s, birth year of 1784. Also, the 1830 census shows Mary’s birth range between 1760 and 1770 which supports what appears the most likely age range of 1763-1769. Mary’s death date was between 1830 and 1840. She appears to be still living in 1830 as suggested by the 1830 census for William Gilmer (Gilmore) in Rutherford Co., NC; however, I can’t find her as head of household in the 1840 census or living with any of her children. William died just before Jun 1837 when his will which was written in 1826 was recorded in the court minutes of the county courthouse. Mary’s parents were Autrey McKibbon and Jane/Jean Howie who married in 1863 in Delaware and soon afterward came to Mecklenburg Co., NC.
William and Mary McKibbon Gilmore moved into Bedford Co., TN in 1816 as suggested earlier near a little town called Bell Buckle close to the Northern border. At their deaths, they were living across that border in Rutherford Co., TN near Fosterville. Their daughter Jane and her husband William Bingham are buried on the Bedford Co., TN side of the border. Currently, no graves have been found for William and Mary McKinnon Gilmore.