2026 Hometown HEROES Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS June/July 2026 Page 19 As someone who works hard to preserve her family heritage and town heritage, plus does a lot for others, lifelong Elkhart resident Gillette Ransom is a true hometown hero. Ransom is the great-great-granddaughter of John Dean Gillett, an early settler of Elkhart, and one of the three founders of Lincoln, Illinois. Gillett was known as both “Cattle King of America” and “Cattle King of the World” because of the many heads of cattle he shipped to Europe every year. The Gillett farm remained in the family for over 150 years until it was sold in 2017. A March 14, 2012, article in Lincoln Daily News says one of the goats Ransom was raising in partnership with Brett Conrady had triplets. The article notes “Ransom's interest in raising cattle, and now goats, may be genetic, as her great-great-grandfather John Dean Gillett was well-known for his prizewinning Shorthorn beef in the 1870s.” Though her production was on a much smaller scale, Ransom still continued the tradition of raising livestock. Those who are part of Elkhart’s business community shares stories about Ransom that show what she does for the community. Jamie Hobson, who works at Country Bumpkin in Elkhart says, “Gillette was in one of the groups that founded the Elkhart Historical Society in June of 1988 and has been on the board ever since. As the Historical Society’s website says, their mission is “to preserve and restore what is historically valuable and integral to the village of Elkhart—for the betterment of all.” In Ransom’s work with the Elkhart Historical Society, Hobson says, “She not only started the dinner lectures, but the annual Christmas Candlelight services that so many people look forward to every year.” The Christmas services at St. John’s Baptist Church in Elkhart have become so popular they started offering two services. Jean Tweet, who owns the store Birdsong just down the block from the Country Bumpkin says, “I am amazed with the wonderful Christmas programs she comes up with year after year that are so popular. Ditto for most of those dinner lectures she puts together month after month. Both of these keep curious, artsy people coming back to Elkhart, sometimes several times a year.” In addition, there are many other programs and projects that Ransom has had an active role in. For example, Hobson says Ransom helped start Elkhart’s Recycling program Earth Day of 1990, which continued until October of 2019. Ransom has helped with the Looking for Lincoln Wayside Sign, November 7, 2008, Chataqua in 1999, 2001, and 2002 and the Lincoln DVD, which was made in 2002, then added to and rereleased in 2018. Ransom played the role of Mary Todd Lincoln in 2003 video “From surveyor to President - A. Lincoln in Logan County.” Every spring for the past several years, Ransom has helped organize the Wildflower tours on Elkhart Hill in the spring. She has extensive knowledge of the flowers in the area and has given in depth talks on these tours. Ransom and the Elkhart Historical Society also organize an annual bird walk where birdwatchers can see various species of migratory birds.
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