In 1911, William Gilley, then 81, was the oldest pioneer still living in Carroll county. In April, 1856, he arrived in Carroll County and settled in what is now Pleasant Valley township. Here he entered one hundred sixty acres of land adjoining the site of Carrolton which had been named as the county seat. At the time he settled in Pleasant Vally township there were only twenty-eight voters in the county. The people were all from the east, none of them of foreign birth. Roving bands of Indians were frequently seen pursuing the elk and deer that were abundent throughout this part of the state. The nearest mill was at Panora, about thirty miles away, adn the nearest postoffice was at the same place. There were not many improvements made until after 1865, as the Civil war attracted to the army nearly all of the able-bodied men, leaving the women and children to look after affairs at home. Mr. Gilley improved his farm and increased it by addition of eighty acres, but in the meantime was elected county treasurer in 1867 and the county seat having been moved to Carroll, he took up his residence in this place in October, 1868. He was reelected to the office in 1869 and also subsequently served as sheriff and clerk of the districk court and was reelected, and in 1878 and 1880 he served as mayor of Carroll. During the time that he filled the office of county treasurer he conducted a real-estate business. He purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land near the corporation line and has been largely instrumental in the improvement of the city by the erection of business properties. He engaged for a number of years in the lumber and coal business and also continued farming until about 1900 since which time he has lived retired. He still owns a beautiful farm of one hundred and seventy acres which is located a half-mile west of Carroll.

Mr. Gilley was a native of Pennsylvania, born March 11, 1830, a son of Andrew and Catharine (Vandemark) Gilley, who were also natives of the Keystone state. William Gilley moved to Medina county, Ohio, in 1833, with his parents in his early boyhood. He was reared upon his father's farm, located a mile and a half from Lodi, OH. He attended the district schools and engaged in farming in Medina county until twenty-four years of age when he was married and, having decided to cast his fortune west of the Mississippi river, came to Iowa with his wife and spent the first two years on a farm near Iowa City.

On January 3, 1854, William Gilley was united in marriage to Miss Leah Mohler, a native of Wayne county, OH, and a daughter of John and Susan (Mohler) Mohler. The parents were natives of Pennsylvania but removed to Ohio and located near Lodi. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. William Gilley: Willard B., who was drowned at the age of twelve; Ira M., a farmer of Grant county, Washington, living near Coulee City; Ida, now living in Carroll, who married William Trowbridge; and Emma I., also of Carroll, who married E. J. Pelsue (see original article for more details on the family).