Festus was born in 1837, the son of George W. Gill and Judith Wade. If my father’s assessment is correct, Festus was the meanest man in Henrico County. He is reported to have stuck his pocketknife through the tongue of a mule because he didn’t like it sticking out. There are also stories of him throwing breakfast on the floor if it were not to his liking and demanding that another be prepared. It was said that the only time anyone saw him smile was the day his mother died. Three years in the rag tag Confederate Army may not have improved his disposition. He was also responsible for chopping off two of my grandfather’s fingers, but that appears to have been an accident. They were felling a tree with axes from opposite sides of the tree, when Grandpa Dick ran his hand around to see how much more they had to cut, just as Festus was swinging the axe. I don’t believe he could read or write. He made his mark on official Army documents instead of signing his name. There must have been some good in the man. I wish I could find it.