21.00--Richard Gwin; lived near Jamestown, Virginia, said to be of Scotch Irish descent; m. Sarah Chesley; one known son;

22.00--Isham Gwin, b. ca. 1764 in VA; d. Dec 1830; m. Mary Canterbury; 11 children;

23.04--John Gwin (middle name unk.)--b. (Sevier Co.?) in what was then still No. Carolina 7 Nov 1792; d. 7 Mar 1877 at Wilsonville, AL; bd. at Wilsonville Cem., downtown Wilsonville, Shelby Co., AL); m. 8 Apr 1812 in Blount Co., TN., by Joseph Walker to Jane Walker (d.o. Thomas Walker, Sr., and Elizabeth Magill, both of Virginia; bd. beside her youngest daughter Louisa McKnight in the "new" cemetery at Cahaba, AL--stones have been found and photographed (see imm. below)--where she must've died before John moved to Wilsonville to live with his son William and William's wife Roe;  nine children;

Photo of his gravestone at the Wilsonville Cem., Shelby  Co., AL, was sent to me Sep 2001 by Mary Daniel (who married John's descendent) and reads as follows:  JOHN GWIN  DIED MAR. 7, 1877. AGED 84 YRS.  4 MOS.  She also sent photos of other Gwin tombstones there. Thank you, Mary, for sending all these photos! She also motivated me to go see these myself, and I've now visited Wilsonville Cemetery twice.

Meet John's and Jane's Nine Children!

Here they are in summary--birth order is believed to be correct now:
(Return to Richard's and Sarah's page for more info on each of these.)

24.01--Thomas Gwin
24.02--Mary Gwin--b.  ca.1816; m1. 27 Dec. 1838 to Drury H. Roark; m2. on 17 May 1849 to Abel Turner
24.03--Isom Gwin  (b. 17 Mar 1817; d. 7 Dec 1853); m. Mary Burdine Wilson
24.04--William Gwin  (18 Dec 1820--29 Apr 1889); m. 12 May 1842 Rosann "Roe" Carlisle Jones Wilson
24.05--Sarah Gwin (ca. 1826--31 Mar 1885); m. Louis Basset
24.06--Mary Ann Gwin (ca. 1827--1845); m. Joseph Lavalett Basset
24.07--Martha J. Gwin (ca.1828--unk).; m 22 Apr 1847 to Jesse Comelander
24.08--Chesley R. Gwin; (ca.1828--unk.); m1. 20 Mar 1850 Frances E. "Fannie" Bell; m2. a widow, Mrs. Blevins
24.09--Louisa A. Gwin; (ca. 1832--unk); m1?. Mr. Gaviness; m2. on 17 May 1849 Mr. Wm. G. (or J.) McKnight.

---

And now here is William's and Roe's family in more detail:

---

24.04--William Gwin  (middle name unk.)--My great-great grandpa!--b. 18 Dec 1820 at Cahaba, AL; d. 29 April 1889 at Wilsonville, AL, bd. Wilsonville City Cem.; m. 12 (some records say 13) May 1842 in Cahawba to Roseanne "Roe" Carlisle Jones Wilson (sister of William's brother Isom's wife Mary B., above--Roe b. 22 Aug. 1822, d. 29 Mar 1907 at Tampa, FL; bd. at Wilsonville, AL);   according to Rev. Cotten's diary entries, William and Roe and his parents were very active in the founding of and service in the Methodist church in Cahaba.

[John M. Gwin NOTE 01:  Photo of the common headstone for their graves at the Wilsonville cemetery was sent to me Sep 2001 by Mary Daniel. The left side reads: R. C. J. GWIN AUG. 27, 1822; MAR 29, 1907; and the right side: WILLIAM GWIN, DEC. 18, 1820, APR. 29, 1880.  Thank you, Mary! Other photos she sent are reported below.]

[John M. Gwin NOTE 02:    Roe and William may have been married on May 13, not May 12, for two reasons: (1) In Oct 1999, Barbara Ward wrote that she had found a marr. record in Dallas Co., AL, for a Wm. Guin and Rosa Ann Wilson dated 13 May 1842, and (2) when I checked the two dates on a perpetual calendar, the 12th was on a Thursday and the 13th on a Friday; on the other hand, getting married on Friday the 13th might not've been considered very wise a hundred and fifty years ago, so perhaps it WAS on a Thursday!]

[John M. Gwin NOTE 03:    Roe died in Tampa, FL, where she likely had been living at the home of her granddaughter, Mary Alice Lochridge and her husband William Russell Ham--see notes on this family at my Lochridge page.]

[John M. Gwin NOTE 04--October 1999: Double fourth cousin Barbara Ward wrote: Found a marriage record Dallas County (AL) for a Wm. Guin and Rosa Ann Wilson 13 May 1842.]

[John M. Gwin NOTE 05--27 Jul 2000: Today Mrs. Barbara A. Underhill Smith of Crowley, TX, sent me a packet of copies of much of the work of her late husband, Roy L. Smith,who is a direct descendent of William's brother Isham/Isom, 24.01 above--click link there for more on Roy's line.  Among the many items in the packet  is a 16-page typewritten transcription of excerpts from a diary of William's pastor and best friend, Rev. Cotten.  There are almost 60 entries--many containing references to the Gwins and Bassets--that span from April 1849 to March of 1855, during which time John Gwin and William Gwin lived in Cahaba.  I've created two separate pages for (1) my notes from that diary and (2) an alphabetized list of over 80 names referenced therein.]

[John M. Gwin NOTE 06: Some of the following is from the typed notes of the late Roy L. Smith sent to me in August 2000 by his widow, Mrs. Barbara A. U. Smith: and from a photocopy of the 1870 Census page from which Roy made his notes, which copy was received 8 Sep 2001 from Mary Daniel, widow of Bill Daniel, grandson of Isham Griffin Gwin, Sr., and great-grandson of William Gwin.]

[John M. Gwin NOTE 07:  In late winter of 1870 (from known birthdays and ages listed below, the census was probably taken in February 1870)  John Gwin was living with his son William Gwin at Wilsonville, Shelby Co., AL.  Evidently a lot of other people were, too, as indicated by this 1870 Shelby Co. census data.  Why was that?   Remember that the Civil War had just ended five years before, and Alabamans had been suffering financially during the Reconstruction era which was still going on; furthermore, Alabama had not been readmitted to the Union until 25 Jun 1868, only some 20 months before this census was taken.  Many of the parents of these children may have died either in the War or from disease.  Please view this transcription of the census page, then compare my notes on these transplanted family members, marked below with an asterisk *.]

1870 Shelby Co. Census
[NOTE:  Surname is Guinn on the census, but John's, William's, and other Gwins'  gravestones each clearly say GWIN in photos.]

Family No. 3:

Name	Age	Sex	Occupation	POB	John M. Gwin Comments
William Gwin	49	m	Manufacturer-2000-3000	AL	This is our William Gwin, son of John and Jane Walker Gwin of Sevier and Blount counties, Tennessee. William is my gg-grandfather.
Rosanna Gwin	48	f	keeping house	AL	This is his wife, Roseann "Roe" Carlisle Jones Wilson, my gg-grandmother and daughter of Nathaniel Burdine Wilson and Jane Jones Wilson, both of South Carolina.
John W. Gwin	18	m	sawyer	AL	John Wesley Gwin, s/o Will and Roe, will go to medical school and become an allopathic physician and die in the summer of 1877 fighting the epidemic of diseases that plagued Alabama then.
Rufus K. Gwin	16	m	works in saw mill	AL	Rufus King Gwin will marry his first cousin, Annie Turner, below (Annie's mom is William's oldest sister), move to Florida, and have several daughters.
Lucy M. Gwin	14	f	attend school	AL	Lucy Marcella Gwin will die in two years and be buried at the Wilsonville city cemetery.
Isham G. Gwin	12	m	attend school	AL	Isham Griffin Gwin, Sr., will marry his neighborhood sweetheart, Molly Self, raise a family, and die and be buried in the Gwin plot in Wilsonville City cemetery.
Thomas Gwin	9	m	attend school	AL	Thomas Gwin will contract pneumonia and die as a teenager in that fateful summer and fall of 1877.
John Gwin	77	m	wheel right	TN	This is the patriarch, John Gwin, widower of Jane Walker Gwin of Blount Co., TN, whom he buried in Cahaba's New Cemetery beside their daughter, Louisa Gwin.
Annie Turner	19	f	attending school	AL	Daughter of John's and Jane's oldest, Mary Gwin (the widow Roark) who married Abel Turner; Annie will marry her own first cousin, Rufus King Gwin, above.  Annie Turner--We know that Rufus King Gwin (16 May 1853 - 20 Aug 1927) married an Ann Turner.  If this is the Annie Turner who is living at the William Gwin home in the 1870 census, then she is very likely the oldest child (excluding Walter Roark) of Rufus King's Aunt Mary--i.e., Mary Gwin, William's sister, widow of Drury Roark, and bride of second husband Mr. Turner on 17 May 1849--this date would make Mary Gwin Roark Turner's firstborn about 19 in the 1870 census, the exact age of the above Annie Turner.  It would also mean Rufus and Ann were first cousins. We know that Mary's first husband Drury Roark died when their only child, Walter, was just 3 or 4; we know Walter himself was killed at Gettysburg in 1863; and we know that Annie was living with Will and Roe in 1870.  Could Mr. Turner have also died and Mary just not been able to handle it?  Could Mary also have died, leaving Annie as an orphan?  Aha!  Today (25 Oct 2001) I see from the 1850 census that indeed, Mary and Abel Turner's daughter IS named Anna, who is listed as 4 months old on Nov. 7, 1850, when the census was taken!
Texas A. Wilson	14	f	attending school	AL	Texanna Wilson, d/o Roe's brother Joe Wilson. Texas will never marry, showing up single in every census until she dies. Texas A. Wilson--Her father was Joseph Jones Abernathy Wilson, younger brother of Roe Wilson (and William Gwin's brother-in-law); he was  b. 7 Jul 1830; d. before 1876--(see Probate notes in orange following); Joseph is buried unk. and m. to unk., but they had 4 children, one of whom is Texas; [Did Joseph Jones Abernathy Wilson die in the Civil War?]--According to Dallas County Courthouse Probate Court file #65,  on 12 Nov 1875, Joseph A. Wilson, a son of N.B. Wilson, had died before his father and left a widow and four children, to wit: 23.01--William Wilson, over 21 and residing in Pulaski, White Co., AR 23.00--Texana Wilson, a minor over 14 and under 21, residing in Dallas Co., AL, part of the family household [According to the notes of my late cousin Roy L. Smith, Texana "Texas" (Texas Anna?) was living with her aunt and uncle, William and Roe Gwin, in the1870 Shelby Co., AL, census, her age listed as 14.  According to a Lochridge letter (click link this sentence), in the 1880 Shelby Co., AL census, Texana Wilson, 25, is living with her first cousin Mary Ann Elizabeth Gwin Lochridge's family.  This would have made her age nineteen or twenty at the above Probate on 12 Nov 1875.]
Henry Bassett	13	m	works in saw mill	AL	Henry is the son of William's sister, Ann Gwin, who marries Joe Basset then dies early. Henry Bassett--I'm fairly sure that this Henry is Henry B. Basset, son of Joseph Basset (Joseph married William Gwin's younger sister Mary Ann Gwin and was working in a sawmill just across the Shelby Co. line in Talladega Co. (probably William's mill), when he was killed in an accident there in 1865.  Mary Ann had died early in the marriage and Joseph had remarried (to Catherine Louise High--the widow Blann), Henry being the product of the second marriage since he was born ca 1857 (age 13 in 1870 census).  In fact, the middle initial B in Henry's name may have stood for Blann.  When Joseph was killed and Henry thus orphaned, Will and Roe must have taken Henry to raise.
Mathew Taylor	36	f	at home	SC	Mathew (?) and Annie Taylor--I speculate that these unknown people--perhaps a war widow and her daughter--could be neighbors who were "left out in the cold" in the financial devastation of the War's aftermath.  A related speculation is that she may have told the census taker her name was Mrs. Mathew Taylor, the writer having omitted the title.
Annie Taylor	9	f		AL
Robert Lochridge	36	m	laborer	MO	Lochridge Family--Some confusion exists in my mind as to the order of events in this marriage, but somehow Robert, a native of Missouri, had met and married (over four years earlier--25 Jan 1866) Will's and Roe's daughter Mary Ann Elizabeth Gwin, and here they are with their firstborn as a toddler living with her parents and the very Texas Wilson they later (1880 census) have living in their own home.
Mary A. Lochridge	26	f	at home	AL
John Lochridge	1	m		AL
Eliz. Laurince	25	f	School teacher	AL	Eliz. Laurince--This unknown person may be another war widow whom Will and Roe took in.

[John M. Gwin NOTE 08: MORE NOTES FROM ROY SMITH:

John Gwin died at Wilsonville, Shelby Co., AL, on 7 Mar 1877 and is buried in the cemetery there.

Isom Gwin b. ca. 1817 [JMG Note: b. 17 Mar 1817; grave found at Martin's Station.], AL; d. 1853, Dallas Co., AL; s/o John and Jane Walker Gwin; m. Mary B. Wilson (b. ca. 1820, SC; d/o Nathaniel Burdine and Jane Jones Wilson).

Isom Gwin was a Justice of the Peace in Dallas Co., AL, and records show that he married numerous couples in Dallas Co.  They lived west of Cahawba, AL, [JMG Note: in the town of Athens, Dallas Co., AL], and he converted to the Methodist Episc. Ch. that was located at Martin's Station (which was later replaced by the St. Luke's Episcopal Church of Cahawba which remained at Martin's Station until it was dismantled and moved back to Cahaba where it has been rebuilt and is being restored).  His death is mentioned in Rev. Cotten's diary, and I also have his obituary from the local newspaper.  

Isom and Mary B. had two daughters:  Mary Jane Gwin b. ca. 1838, AL, & Martha R. [JMG Note: Roseann, after her mother] Gwin b. ca. 1844 AL

Isom Gwin died in 1853 in Dallas Co. AL; his estate was probated in 1854 in Dallas Co. Heirs were wife Mary B. and daughters Mary Jane (wife of William J. Smith) and Martha R. Gwin.   William J. and Mary Jane Smith were administrators.

[[John M. Gwin NOTE 09: We all originally thought that Isom was most likely buried at the cemetery at Cahawba where his mother is, but since most of the stones there are gone, nobody knew for sure.  Only his mother's, his sister's--Louisa (and her husban and a few others are left.  But in July of 2003, I found daughter Mary Jane Gwin Smith's grave in the cemetery across the road from the old Episcopal church at Martin's Station.  The building had been moved years before from Cahaba to that site just southwest of Orrville.  There were dozens of other graves of which I then made only a cursory check. But when I returned in July 2004, I found Isom's grave right next to hers!]

[John M. Gwin NOTE 10: Linda Derry sent Roy two typed transcriptions, one of the following newspaper article and the other of the advertisement]

From the December 2, 1859 edition of the Dallas Gazette:

[John M. Gwin NOTE 11--14 Aug 2019: Today I found on Ancestry.com the following obituary for our William Gwin taken from the Alabama Christian Adr. (Advertiser?) dated 5/30/89.  My transcription of it appears below together with several of my own explanatory notes highlighted in bold, brown, bracketed italics.]

        Rev. WILLIAM GWIN died at his residence in Wilsonville, Shelby county, Ala., Monday evening at 3 o'clock, April 29, 1889, of chronic disease of the liver and bronchial tubes, with which he has suffered for several years.  [That he was considered to be a "Rev." is a new revelation to me.  JMG]  He was in the sixty-ninth year of his life.  He leaves a heartbroken wife and three sons to mourn their loss which is his eternal gain.  [His widow:  Rose Ann Carlisle Jones Wilson Gwin; his three surviving sons: William Sutton "Sutt" Gwin (1848-1916), Rufus King Gwin (1853-1927), and Isham Griffin Gwin, Sr. (1858-1919)  JMG]  He was a firm believer in the teachings and doctrines of the Holy Bible and a state of future existence.
        The writer had often heard him feelingly and confidently quote his christian convictions and reliance upon his God in this most memorable language, and so clearly taught by him:  "I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live again."
        Bro. Gwin was no ordinary man.  He was a practical, clear headed, executive, business man.  He was kind, charitable and courteous to his friends, conservative in all his views.  While he had very positive convictions on theology, he did not suffer them to affect his social relations with those who differed with him.  As a husband, father, neighbor, friend and citizen he had no superiors.  In friendship he was loyal and true.  His funeral was preached by Rev. N. H. Self to a large concourse of friends in the church he built, which so handsomely decorates our little village.    [Rev. N. H. Self was also the father-in-law of William's son, Isham Griffin Gwin, Sr., who had married Molly Self.]
        The last tribute of respect that was shown was indeed a touching  scene; beautiful chaplets of flowers, which by the gentle touch of loving female fingers, an emblem of purity and love, lay undisturbed upon his peaceful grave.  He now sleeps in the cemetery, side by side with father and other members of his family, who have waited and watched for him for so many years, and who now, with him, keep tender vigil over his widow and children, sentineled alone by the beautiful grave trees that point in majestic silence toward heaven's blue dome, among whose rich, green foliage the warbling songsters, with softest melody, indulge their morning carol in plaintive union with the sighing zephyrs which whisper above the consecrated graves of the reunited father and son.  The writer had the poor privilege of laying upon this sacred spot of earth friendship's humble tribute, and to mingle with tears with the bereaved and afflicted of his once happy, but now desolate household.  But he is dead.  Farewell, a long adieu.  Peace to thy ashes and love to thy memory.   

J. B. Boyer.
May 6, 1889

25.01--Mary Ann Elizabeth Gwin m. Robert Guy Lochridge
25.02--Martha Jane Gwin (1845-1847); -- died as infant
25.03--William Sutton Gwin m. Ida Eliza Basset
25.04--John Wesley Gwin d. in his 20's; never married
25.05--Rufus King Gwin m. Ann Turner
25.06--Lucy Marcella Gwin d. as teen; never married
25.07--Isham Griffin Gwin, Sr. m. Mary Etta (Molly) Self
25.08--unk. Gwin d. as infant; never married
25.09--unk. Gwin d. as infant; never married
25.10--Thomas Wilson Gwin d. as teen; never married

25.01--Mary Ann Elizabeth Gwin b. 23 April 1843; d. 23 Jan 1882; m. 25 Jan 1866, Dallas Co., AL, to Robert Guy Lochridge (b. 2 Feb 1838; d. 15 June 1926)--more at their Lochridge page--click links to go there;

25.02--Martha Jane Gwin (1845-1847); -- died as infant

25.03--William Sutton "Sutt" Gwin--my great-grandfather, b. 5 Jun 1848 at Cahaba, AL; d. 11 Sep 1916 at Wilsonville (my late father, Adrian Sutton Gwin, was born the next day, and thus received his grandfather's middle name as his own. William Sutton's son and Adrian Sutton's father, James Bassett Gwin, Sr., a railroad conductor for the Southern Railway, is said by his widow, Adrian Belle Vardaman, to have asked her September 11, "Mrs. Gwin, do you think you can have this baby alone?" to which she recalled answering, "Mr. Gwin, I had the other three alone and can do quite nicely with this one as well--go bury your father."); m. 2 Dec 1868 to Ida Eliza Basset, b. 5 May 1845 in Worthing, Sussex Co., England; d. 8 Dec 1907; bd. beside husband (WC records, p. 249--gravestone found);

Photo of William Sutton Gwin's grave was sent to me Sep 2001 by Mary Daniel.  Grave is a coffin-sized concrete vault, the top slab of which is broken into several large pieces.  The dirt on the inside is several inches lower than the ground outside.  Visible portion of slab reads: W. S. GWIN, JUNE 5, 1..., SEPT...

Ida's tomb is similar, but the top slab is intact, which reads: IDA E. BASSET WIFE OF W. S. GWIN, MAY 5, 1845  DEC. 8, 1907

25.04--John Wesley Gwin, b. 15 Mar 1851 in Wilsonville, Shelby Co., AL; d. 29 Aug 1877, age 26, in Anniston, AL; info. taken fr. records, p. 251 at Wilsonville Cem. (gravestone found), Shelby Co., AL; Copy of a handwritten NOTE (reads like a newspaper obit) sent to me by Mary Daniel in Sep. 2001:"Dr. John Gwin, son of William Gwin, in critical condition with typhoid fever at Anniston, died at Anniston 8-29-1877, buried in Wilsonville." Photo (of his tombstone at Wilsonville Cem.) also sent by Mary reads: JOHN W. GWIN  BORN MAR. 15, 1851  DIED AUG. 29, 1877

25.05--Rufus King Gwin, b. 16 May 1853; d. 20 Aug 1927; m. Ann Turner (b. unk.; d. unk.; bd. unk.); 3 children (** Is this the same Annie Turner who is living at the William Gwin home in the 1870 census?  [see above]  If so, then she is very likely the oldest child (excluding Walter Roark) of Rufus King's Aunt Mary--i.e., Mary Gwin, William's sister, widow of Drury Roark, and bride of second husband Mr. Turner on 17 May 1849--this date would make Mary Gwin Roark Turner's firstborn about 19 in the 1870 census, the exact age of Annie Turner.  It would also mean Rufus and Ann were first cousins.)

25.06--Lucy Marcella Gwin, b. 1 Dec 1855; d. 22 Feb 1871, age 16 (fr. records, p. 251 at Wilsonville Cem.--gravestone also found, Shelby Co., AL);

Photo (of her tombstone at Wilsonville Cem.) also sent by Mary reads:

 LUCY M. GWIN
BORN DEC. 1, 1855
DIED FEB. 22, 1871

25.07--Isham Griffin Gwin, Sr., b. 25 Sep 1858; d. 21 Dec 1919; bd. Wilsonville Cem., Shelby Co., AL; m. 1881 to Mary Etta "Molly" Self; (1858-1940) bd. beside husband (Wilsonville Cemetery records, p. 249); __ known ch.;

Photo of the common headstone for their graves at the Wilsonville cemetery was sent to me Sep 2001 by Mary Daniel.  The center top bears the large name GWIN, then below that, the left side reads:  ISHAM G. 1858 - 1919; and the right side: MARY S. 1858 - 1940.

[John M. Gwin Note:  This seventh child of Will and Roe is clearly named for her youngest brother, Isham Griffin Wilson, who was seventeen and a half years old (and possibly already committed to medical school) when I. G. Gwin, Sr., was born.]

25.08--unk. Gwin, b. unk.; d. unk.; bd. unk.; m. prob. never; no. known ch.

[John M. Gwin Note:  These eighth and ninth children of Will and Roe are unknown to me but for this census report where Grandma Roe reports ten children as having been born.  This five-year gap between Isham and Thomas seems the most likely place for them in the birth order but is by no means confirmed as correct.]

25.09--unk. Gwin, b. unk.; d. unk.; bd. unk.; m. prob. never; no. known ch.

[John M. Gwin Note:  These eighth and ninth children of Will and Roe are unknown to me but for this census report where Grandma Roe reports ten children as having been born.  This five-year gap between Isham and Thomas seems the most likely place for them in the birth order but is by no means confirmed as correct.]

25.10--Thomas Wilson Gwin, b. 10 Feb. 1863; d. 7 Oct 1877;  bd. Wilsonville Cem., Shelby Co., AL, but the date of death does not appear on the stone in the photo Mary Daniels sent; m. never; no ch.;

[John M. Gwin Note:  I visited the grave myself in January 2002 and saw the stone, and I'm convinced that the date of death did originally appear thereupon.  Evidently the stone was vandalized and broken off at the ground's surface, then reset into cement that covered the date of death.  Second cousin Jack Vardaman's e.mail, below, gives the date of death as 7 Oct 1877.]

From: Jackvardaman@aol.com
Date: Thu., 6 Mar 2003
To: jmcdgwin@zianet.com
Subject:  Thomas Wilson Gwin obituary

John,
        In the most recent issue of the Shelby County Historical Society Quarterly there is a short obituary for Wilson Gwin from The Shelby Sentinel of Columbiana, AL, dated October 11, 1877.
        This is Thomas Wilson Gwin, one of your great-grandfather's brothers -- a son of William and Roseann (Wilson) Gwin and your great-granduncle.  I went to your web site and saw that you apparently did not have a complete death date for Wilson, only the year, 1877.  The obit stated that he had died the previous Sunday which would have been October 7, 1877.  So, now you have his complete death date.
        The obit also referred to the fact that this was the second son that the family had lost in two months.  Again, your website furnished me the information that another son, John Wesley Gwin, had died on the 29 August 1877.  Another interesting piece of information is that the obit refers to Wilson as the son of Colonel William Gwin.  Where did he come by this rank?  Civil War or Militia?
        I am sending you a copy of the article by regular mail which you should receive early next week (received--see below).
Jack

[John M. Gwin NOTE 12:  Mary Daniel sent me two other photos of GWIN gravestones at the Wilsonville Cemetery.  I don't recognize the names of either one, but I report them here in hopes that someone else can. 
The first reads:

HOWARD CURTIS GWIN 
BORN NOV. 20, 1914
DIED JULY 7, 1916

and the second:

GLADYS BEATRICE GWIN  
JAN. 19, 1921 -- MAY 5, 1922.]

From The Sentinel, Columbiana, AL, Thursday, 6 Sep 1877: Death of Dr. Gwin. Dr. John W. Gwin, a son of our esteemed countyman, Mr. Wm. Gwin, of Wilsonville, died at Anniston on Wednesday night, the 29th int.  He was a young physician of great promise, and his early death is lamented by numerous friends and relatives in this county.  We copy the following from the Oxford Tribune in relation thereto: It is with profound sorrow that we record the death of Dr. John W. Gwin, who, after an illness of twenty-one days from typhoid fever, breathed his last, between ten and eleven o'clock last Wednesday night.  A little less than four years ago, the subject of this article, while a medical student, came from Wilsonville and located at Anniston.  After pursuing his studies for several months, he went to New York City and attended one or two courses of lectures at Bellevue Hospital Medical College, and graduated in the Spring of 1876.  He then obtained a position as assistant physician in a hospital on Randall's Island in that city.  The writer visited him at that place last summer and found him discharging the duties of his position with great satisfaction to the physician in charge.  Last August he returned to Anniston and entered upon the practice of his profession, which be continued till seized by the illness that has taken him hence. At the time of his death, Dr. Gwin had probably passed his twenty fifth year.  Though a man of reticent manners, he was a warm hearted friend to his intimate associates and was polite and agreeable to those with whom he came in contact.  His intellectual capacity with his determination and continuity was sufficient to accomplish anything he undertook.  He was a young man of great moral stamina, and his manners were cultivated, in a high degree; all of which rendered him an onament to society.  As a physician he already enjoyed great popularity.  The community has lost a useful citizen, and his parents a devoted son. His remains were carried to Wilsonville for interment this morning. mmm From: Jackvardaman@aol.com Date: Thu., 6 Mar 2003 To: jmcdgwin@zianet.com Subject:  Thomas Wilson Gwin obituary John, In the most recent issue of the Shelby County Historical Society Quarterly there is a short obituary for Wilson Gwin from The Shelby Sentinel of Columbiana, AL, dated October 11, 1877. This is Thomas Wilson Gwin, one of your great-grandfather's brothers -- a son of William and Roseann (Wilson) Gwin and your great-granduncle.  I went to your web site and saw that you apparently did not have a complete death date for Wilson, only the year, 1877.  The obit stated that he had died the previous Sunday which would have been October 7, 1877.  So, now you have his complete death date. The obit also referred to the fact that this was the second son that the family had lost in two months.  Again, your website furnished me the information that another son, John Wesley Gwin, had died on the 29th August 1877.  Another interesting piece of information is that the obit refers to Wilson as the son of Colonel William Gwin.  Where did he come by this rank?  Civil War or Militia? I am sending you a copy of the article by regular mail which you should receive early next week (received--see below). Jack