HEATON, Col. Wilson Gillham 1868 - 1945

HEATON, WHITNEY, COXE, COX, ENES, ENNIS, GILLHAM, APPLETON

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 3/23/2012 at 16:44:37

"The Fairfield (Ia.) Daily Ledger"
Tuesday, August 21, 1945
Page 1, Column 2, and
Page 3, Column 5

COL. HEATON FUNERAL WED. AT BARHYDT

Col. Wilson Gillhan (sic - Gillham) HEATON, 77, retired U. S. Army officer, passed away suddenly yesterday afternoon at 3:10 o'clock at his home, after a lingering illness. He had been in his usual health, however, and had laid down for a nap when death occurred.

Funeral services will be held tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 o'clock at Barhydt Chapel, with S. P. Williamson, pastor for the First Christian church, officiating, assisted by Dr. Herbert C. Mayer, president of Parsons college. Honorary pallbearers will be veterans of the Spanish-American War. The following members of the Allen Jewett Post No. 47 American Legion will be active pallbearers: Commander Chester Fordyce, Lawrence Roth, John Barwise, Ben Blakeley, Glen Grant, and Clarence Glass. Burial will be in Evergreen cemetery. The body will lie in state at the Chapel from 1 p.m. until time for the services.

Besides his wife he is survived by two sisters, Miss Abigail HEATON and Mrs. Harry WHITNEY of Pacific Palisades, Calif. who will be unable to attend. Mrs. A. B. COXE (sic - COX?) of White Bear Lake, Minn., sister of Mrs. HEATON, arrived this morning accompanied by her niece Mr. and Mrs. Dorr ENES (sic - ENNIS?) of St. Paul, Minn.

Born in Jefferson County
Colonel HEATON was born in Glasgow, Jefferson county, Iowa, May 16, 1868, the son of George HEATON and Margaret Lucretia GILLHAN (sic - GILLHAM). He moved to Fairfield with his family at the age of 14. On March 4, 1918, he married Esther Cutter APPLETON, of St. Paul, Minn.

He received his B. A. degree at Parsons college in 1888 and was affiliated with the Phi Kappa Phi. From 1888 through 1892 he taught school in Jefferson county; 1892-'94 a high school teacher at Ft. Dodge; summers of 1888-'92 studied law under U. G. Ross (sic - W. G. ROSS); 1892 admitted to Iowa bar; 1894-'95 was a Jefferson county farmer; 1895-'98, a salesman for the Louden Machinery Company.

Military Record
In 1896, organized Campany (sic) M, 2nd Regiment of the Iowa National Guard, a captain, later a member of the 50th Regiment of the Iowa Volunteers, 1896 in Florida with the same outfit and was discharged at Des Moines; 1899-1901 was a first lieutenant in the 34th U.S. volunteer infantry, first to arrive in the Philippine Islands in General Lawton's campaign in the rescue of Lt. Gillmore (sic - Gilmore) of the U. S. Navy; appointed first lieutenant in the cavalry; 1901-'03, leiutenant in the 13th cavalry, Fort Meade, South Dakota, Fort Assinibone, Fort Koegh, Montana.

1903-'05, first lieutenant of the cavalry in the Philippines, 1905 first lieutenant in the 13th cavalry at Fort Myer, Virginia; 1905-'06, professor of military science and tactics at N. C. & A. M. college in Raleigh; 1906-'07, to Jefferson Barracks, Mo., as first lieutenant; 1907-'09 at Fort Myer; 1909-'14 in the Philippines with the 13th cavalry; 1910 was captain of the 7th cavalry; 1914-'15 was stationed at Fort Ethen Allan; 1916, Mexican Border at Columbus, N.M. as captain of the quartermaster corps; 1916 order to 1st cavalry at Douglas, Arizona, 1917 to Fort D. Russell, assigned to the 76th field artillery at Camp Shelby; lieutenant colonel; 1917 was transferred to the 12th cavalry back to the Mexican border at Columbus, N.M.; 1918-'19 to Fort Bliss, Texas as commander of the 5th U. S. cavalry; 1919-'20, major of the 1st cavalry at Douglas, Arizona; 1920-45, retired as colonel at Fairfield.

He was a member of the Army and Navy club of Washington, D.C.; the Fairfield Golf and Country club; life member of the Walton club; representative; hobby, travelling.

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Additional notes from the notebook of Ben Taylor:

A silver star for gallantry in action was awarded to Wilson G. HEATON April 2nd, 1927, by the Secretary of War, Dwight F. Davis, in the pursuit of sueprior forces of the enemy under the insurgent General Tinio, in Northern Luzon, Philippine Islands, Dec. 4 to 18, 1899, while serving as First Lieutenant, 34th United States Vol. Inf.

Honorary Membership Certificate in the Orio Literary Society of Parsons College issued to W. G. HEATON, June 1, 1888.

Certificate by Leslie M. Shaw, Gov. of the State of Iowa and Commander in Chief of the Militia thereof do commission Wilson G. HEATON to said office of Captain Co. M. Fiftieth Regiment of Infantry Iowa Voluteers, from the 26th day of April 1898 with the rank of Captain to date from the 18th day of December 1896, signed at Des Moines, Iowa, May 14, 1898.

Small circle portrait appears on colored Good Luck Certificate bearing the caption: "Captain HEATON, Co. C." Certificate not filled in and torn in two pieces.

Old Soldiers Memorial Certificate of the Spanish-American-Filipino War, Co. F. Infantry U.S.V. under the roster of Officers the name of W. G HEATON appears as First Lieut. Brief History of Company printed on certificate but as certificate is torn in two no dates are readable.

*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I am not related to the person(s) mentioned.

Note: Buried in Lot 2nd.038 with wife Esther who died in 1961.