This is the story of one man's journey through life, including the Civil War, three marriages and three children.

James Gill, Jr. was a young man whom many would call a rascal. His marriage to Rachel in 1858 was on again and off again more than once. The story is he left her just weeks after their marriage, but there is no evidence available to determine what caused the separation. They reconciled in late 1860 just prior to the start of the Civil War, and conceived their only child, Daniel. Not long after that short-lived truce, they separated again. Only once more would they behave as man and wife; and only for a short time.

Rachel was not an innocent in their marriage problems. One could assume her behavior was at least partially to blame for their repeated separations, as evidenced by her finding a new man once James left their home in Centre County with the other men in Company E. James married twice again, first to Elizabeth, then to Agnes. There was a child born to each marriage and in his later years, James was able to reconcile with Daniel, his son with Rachel.

This is the tale of James, Rachel, James’ second wife Elizabeth, and his third wife Agnes. James had children with each wife, but Agnes was truly the love of his life. We will focus upon James, his first son Daniel, and the offspring of Daniel.