Record #:

7623

Author(s):

Gillespie, Tom

Abstract:

For three generations members of the Gillespie family were prolific crafters of handmade rifles, first in Transylvania County, and then for two more generations in Henderson County. The rifles were known in western North Carolina for their reliability and workmanship. Because no two rifles were alike, each one had to have bullets made specifically for it. The family's rifle-making tradition came to an end in 1891, when John Harvey Gillespie, the last of the gun makers, died.

Source:

Our State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 73 Issue 9, Feb 2006, p24-26, il Periodical Website

Subject(s):

Gillespie family; Gunsmithing--Transylvania County; Gunsmiths--Henderson County

Record #:

10733

Author(s):

Gillespie, Tom

Abstract:

The German submarine U-558 sank HMS Bedfordshire, a British naval ship on submarine patrol duty off Ocracoke Island in May 1942, killing thirty-seven British sailors. Four bodies from the ship washed up on Ocracoke Island. Residents buried them in a small plot. Later, the United States ceded the land to England in perpetuity for one dollar.

Source:

Our State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 76 Issue 9, Feb 2009, p31-32, 34-35, il, por Periodical Website

Subject(s):

HMS BEDFORDSHIRE (Ship); Ocracoke--History; Ocracoke--Cemeteries; North Carolina--History--World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations