Earl Morrison Gill, Sr (52 Ancestors; #8)

The Eldest Son - A Hero

Earl Morrison Gill (1889-1913) was the oldest son of David Richard Gill and Ellenor Morrison, who emigrated from Wales in 1879.  He was born June 9, 1889, in Ogden, Utah.

Like many of the Gill men, Earl worked in the newspaper and printing business - he was a printing pressman his whole life.  He was only 23 when he died of abscess of the liver. 

Earl married Veda L Raeburn in 1912.  Their son, Earl R Gill, was born in 1914, 4 days before Earl died of abscess of liver.

He did have one claim to fame, as a young man he saved a boy from drowning in the Jordan River.  The Salt Lake Tribune carried the news on July 12, 1908. 

Earl's good deed got 8 double-column inches in the Tribune. His heroic efforts are recounted In four paragraphs in florid detail, down to the "convulsively-tightened fingers" on Earls' ear, "which bears the scars of his fingernails." 

Much detail was given to the thought that the youngster was fooling - "crying out that they are drowning when they are perfectly safe, but only looking for the satisfaction of yelling "Rubber!" should anyone heed the cries."

Sadly, little boys have left off yelling "Rubber" when they fool someone. 

The same paper ran three different articles on Earl's health and death in 1913. 

Earl and his parents rest in section L-13-1 of Salt Lake City Cemetery.