She was the founder (1876) of the Whiteinch Band of Hope, the largest in Scotland, of which she served as honorary secretary until 1880.
[1] The only woman candidate in the municipal election of 1907 in the Glasgow district was Gemmill, who stood for the fourth ward of Partick.
Gemmill conducted a vigorous campaign, addressing several open-air meetings of shipyard workers, and was invariably well received.
The chief points in her programme were temperance reform, efficiency with economy, measures for the diminution of infantile mortality, and the promotion of sanitation and health.
[1] In the 1918 Birthday Honours, Gemmill was appointed a Members of the Order of the British Empire by King George V in recognition of her war-time services.