[p. 805] one of the leading educators of Western Pennsylvania, was born July 16, 1878, near Mount Jackson, in North Beaver Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. His parents are David and Rachel (Dobbins) Gilmore. He has five brothers, William T., Edwin J., Joseph, at present (1908) chief of the New Castle police; J. Davison and Harry W.; and two sisters, Nancy Mary, married to D. S. Mayberry, and Adella, married to J. C. Allen.
David Gilmore was born in 1833, within a half mile of where he now resides in North Beaver Township. He is a son of William and Anne (Kennedy) Gilmore. His grandfather, Joseph Gilmore, came from County Down, Ireland, in 1790, and located in Philadelphia. William, after his marriage to Anne Kennedy, removed to what is now Greenfield, in Mercer County. He lived there a few years and then, 1820, came to Lawrence County, where the family still resides.
Rachel (Dobbins) Gilmore, a daughter of John and Esther (Sankey) Dobbins, was born near Mahoningtown in 1837. She is a descendant of the Dobbins and Sankey families, who have been well and favorably known in the history of Lawrence County.
Wylie Lee Gilmore, the youngest of eight children, was reared on his father's farm in North Beaver Township, and obtained his early educational training in the public schools. Later he attended the Mount Jackson High School, from which institution he graduated in 1896. He then attended various higher institutions of learning and, deciding to devote his time to teaching, attended the Slippery Rock State Normal School, from which he graduated in the class of 1902. In 1904 he graduated from Central University, at Indianapolis, Ind., and since then has been continuously engaged in teaching. Three years he devoted to the work in North Beaver Township, one year in Pulaski Township, one year in Mahoning Township, and for five years was principal of the Terrace Avenue School, in New Castle, Pa.
In June, 1907, he was appointed to his present important position, where he has 200 teachers under his direction, together with all the responsibilities which educators in these modern days of progress have to be able to assume.
Professor Gilmore was married to Miss Lizzie Mae Manewal, a daughter of Jeremiah and Martha (Sheets) Manewal, being a descendant of two Pennsylvania Dutch families, who have played no small part in the history of Pennsylvania.
They have three children, Letrugh Helen, Robert Allen and Mildred Vaughn. Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore belong to the United Presbyterian Church. He comes of a family that has always been identified with the Republican party since its formation, and he believes firmly in its principles and policies. Fraternally, Mr. Gilmore is connected with the Masonic bodies of New Castle, being a member of Lodge of the Craft No. 433, Delta Chapter No. 170, Hiram Council No. 45, and Lawrence Commandery, Knights Templar, No 62.
20th Century History of New Castle and Lawrence County Pennsylvania and Representative Citizens Hon. Aaron L. Hazen Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, Chicago, Ill., 1908
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