Alexander Gilmer was a sawmiller that became one of the United States’ most successful individual timberland owners in his era.

Nicknamed "Sandy", he was born in County Armagh

County Armagh

-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, the son of George and Jane Gilmer. He immigrated to Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

 at the age of seventeen where he constructed shipmasts for the French government with his brother John. Together, they built a steamboat to work the Chattahoochee

Chattahoochee River

The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...

, but suffered a major setback when it sank, leaving Gilmer almost penniless. In the late 1840’s, he migrated to Orange, Texas

Orange, Texas

Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, and is the easternmost city in Texas. Located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, it is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...

 where he entered the shipbuilding business with his cousin George C. Gilmer. The two would shortly after enter the mercantile business and continue until the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. Alexander participated in the war as a Confederate

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

 blockade runner

Blockade runner

A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...

 in The Battle of Sabine Pass

Sabine Pass, Texas

Sabine Pass is a neighborhood of Port Arthur, Texas, United States. It lies on the west bank of Sabine Pass, near the Louisiana border.Originally known as Sabine City, the original date of settlement of Sabine Pass is unknown, but is estimated at 1836...

.


In 1866, Gilmer founded his first sawmill. He would eventually own sawmills and lumberyards in as many as ten communities. One of these, named Remlig (Gilmer spelled backwards) would become one of the largest businesses in Jasper County.
Gilmer had a series of economic setbacks. He lost his sawmill at Orange four times due to fire, after which he re-built his main operation at Lemonville

Lemonville, Texas

Lemonville is a ghost town that was the site of the Lemon Lumber Company in northern Orange County, Texas, United States, in the southeastern part of the state. Sometimes referred to as Lemon, it is located north of Orange and just east of Mauriceville...

 (now a ghost town

Ghost town

A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...

) in northern Orange County

Orange County, Texas

Orange County is one of 254 counties of the State of Texas and its county seat is the city of Orange, Texas. In the year 2000, the population of Orange County was about 85,000. Orange County is the county in the very southeastern corner of Texas, with a boundary with Louisiana and a seacoast on the...

.
Alexander Gilmer was married twice. His first wife Etta Reading died within the first year of the marriage. His second wife Cleora C. Thomas bore 9 children, two of which died as infants. In his last days, Gilmer traveled to San Antonio

San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...

 due to health reasons before making his last business trip to New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 where he died in 1906. At the time of his death, he was the second wealthiest man in Orange, Texas. The Texas Historical Commission

Texas Historical Commission

The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas....

has constructed a marker to commemorate his business contributions.