"Find the grave of someone who passed prior to 1850."
For this one... it was more than clear to me that I wanted to write about Joel Gibson, my 6x Grandfather and undoubtedly the patriarch of at least 75% of all Gibson's in the Henderson County area.
Joel, for many many years, has been a favorite ancestor of mine to research. He is the forefather of everyone buried in the two Gibson cemeteries in Corydon. He is quite an interesting man to learn about.
Several years ago, I was contacted by a Joel descendant who believed Joel was an FPC (free person of color.) Now, this was an interesting theory to me as I had heard previously, in my youth, that there might have been some African ancestry on that line. However - DNA hasn't been able to prove this. My Mom did get a whopping 7.2% African on MyHeritage, yet 0% on Ancestry.
As of right now - through DNA matching... it appears Joel Gibson might be a son of a John Gibson and Mary Duncan and had a number of siblings that include (we have DNA matches to descendants of each of these): William Gibson who married Elizabeth McCormick (they ended up in Henderson), Naomi Gibson who married William Hogg, Susannah Gibson who married David Lay, John Gibson who married Judith Hogg, James Gibson, Richard Gibson who married Ann Yates, Julius Gibson, Lucresha Gibson who married a Birchfield, and Hannah Gibson who married Joseph Baird and then Jesse Lay.
Joel Gibson was undoubtedly born in 1750, likely in Caswell Co, North Carolina. That, too, is where he married his wife Eleanor (who's last name has been reported as Davis for years) in about 1768/1769. Joel enlisted into the military in 1776 and was discharged in 1783. He was part of the North Carolina Infantry, the "Continental Line."
Sometime around the year 1807 - the family moved from Caswell County, NC, to Pittsylvania County, VA. A few of Joel's daughters married there in the next few years.
By the 1810 census - Joel is in Christian County, Kentucky. He is listed as a male, 45 years and over. However, Joel would have been closer to 60 years of age - so he probably should have been in a '50-59' category but, age back in those days and those early, primitive censuses... it was fluid. That's the best way to put it. Age was fluid. Historically speaking, Joel and his family arrived here in Henderson County (the Corydon area specifically) in 1813.
On April 25th, 1825, he filed a revolutionary war pension and mentioned he was a widow. (I believe Eleanor died in Henderson County in about 1818.) Joel reports that he relies on his sons for support - money and his care. It literally mentions him being penniless if it weren't for his sons... which is surprising, honestly. Joel was the patriarch or the Gibson's. I feel like his sons wouldn't have everything they had, had it not been for him (at least in part anyway,) so it startles me that he was so... poor. But perhaps he knew that was the only way he'd get his revolutionary war pension approved. I don't know. For many years, family historians believed he moved here to Kentucky on a Land Grant from the war but that has proved to be untrue.
Joel died on December 23rd, 1830, in Corydon, Kentucky. He was laid to rest at the Gibson Cemetery. Some amateur family history enthusiasts say that he was "taken back to North Carolina and buried," but trust me... in 1830 - that was dang near impossible to do and the Gibson family definitely didn't have that kind of expense account, especially with Joel being "penniless." No - Joel was one of the first burials in the Gibson Cemetery. It's arguable that his wife, Eleanor, might have been the actual first, in or around 1818...but no tombstone for her has ever been recovered/found.
I had speculation of Joel's children for YEARS. I couldn't get a hold of his estate paperwork until about two years ago which confirmed all the children that I believed to be his. (When it comes to Gibson research... my gut instinct is about 99.9% correct. They're my favorite line to research so I've become very good at it over the years.) I feel like there might be other children of Joel's that died prior to his death in 1830 that I might be missing. Since they aren't listed in his estate papers... they're lost to history, unfortunately.
The children I have been able to find and a little information about them--
1) Vicey (possible full name could have been Lavicey) Gibson, born about 1770, and married Josiah Stone in or around 1788. They were in Henderson County by 1810. Vicey died between 1840-1850 possibly in Union or Henderson County. ** Chances are, if you're a Stone from Henderson/Union/Webster, you descend through Josiah & Vicey OR through Josiah's brother Levi Stone...and some of you descend through BOTH. **
2) Burgess Gibson (Burgess' name lends me the thought that Joel's mother might have maidenly been a Burgess, not a Duncan, or perhaps Eleanor's maiden name was actually Burgess. I have a lot of Burgess matches in DNA that not only match my Dad through his Bastin line, but also match my Mom and I'm thinking it's through the Gibson's. It's too eerie of a coincidence. Because the Burgesses were known to be in Pittsylvania Co, VA.) Burgess was born about 1772. He had an unknown first wife, then married a woman named Sarah. He was in Henderson by 1820, and I believe he died in Union County between 1840-1850.
3) Elizabeth Gibson reportedly born 1782 - Elizabeth is not listed in Joel's pension paperwork, so in my opinion, it confirms she died prior to 1830.
4) Bailey Gibson, born about 1784. He married Catherine Sights here in Henderson County on February 22nd, 1813. Bailey died here in 1856.
*The next two children, I'm not sure that they weren't twins. Twins run heavily in the Gibson family so it's possible, considering their names are similar*
5) Greenberry "Berry" Gibson, born about 1785, married a Charlotte Davis. He's in Henderson by the 1830 census. By 1840, he's moved to St. Francois Co, MO. I believe he died there between 1850-1860, but some relatives say he came back to Henderson and died. He has a number of Missourian descendants that would love to figure out if he's buried there, buried here, when exactly he died, etc.
6) Berryman "Berry" Gibson, reportedly born June 13th, 1785, and married Susan Duncan in about 1808 - likely in Pittsylvania Co, VA. They were my 5x Great-Grandparents. Berryman was in the War of 1812 and was in the Virginia militia. I believe the family was definitely in the VA area from 1810-1813. Likely, like his family, he was here in Henderson by 1820.. but the first census I've definitely nailed him on is 1830. Berryman's tombstone has been replaced and the year of death has now incorrectly been reported as 1870. However - he is listed on the mortality schedule in the 1870 census, so he died PRIOR to June 1st, 1870 (hence why June 1st, 1870 is given as his death date. That is incorrect.) He died in September of 1869 of consumption (tuberculosis.) His will was not probated until September 5th, 1870, which I believe also added to the 'he died in 1870' idea. He and Susan, though, are definitely buried in Gibson Cemetery.
7) Robert Gibson, born about 1786, reportedly went to Alabama, married, had some kids and then might have migrated back up to Henderson County. He's a bit of an enigma. There's a Robert who married an Eliza Seay in Dallas Co, AL.. but I'm not 10000% sold that it's our correct Robert. It definitely could be, though.
8 ) Tillman Gibson (also spelled Tilghman) born about 1790 in reportedly Pittsylvania Co, VA. It is documented he went to Alabama. He married a Sarah Crowley in about 1824 (there's Crowley's that are prominent in Webster Co so it's possible she's related to them.) By 1850, he's in Fayette Co, AL. He died there between 1860-1870.
9) Margaret "Peggy" Gibson, born about 1793, married Abraham Shelton on February 24th, 1808, in Pittsylvania Co, VA. There is a land deed she and her husband took out in 1827 for here in Henderson County. I believe Peggy died here between 1840-1846, as her husband remarries in 1846.
10) Nancy Gibson, born about 1795. She, too, married a Shelton... but the name hasn't been located. They, too, likely married in Pittsylvania and her Shelton might have been a brother of Abraham Shelton. Brothers marrying sisters back then was very, very common.
It is not out of the question to say that about 75% of Henderson County is related to one another through a common ancestor of Joel Gibson. There are thousands of us here today and all over the world. Some of his descendants are even famous - one is an Emmy-winning journalist, one is a Professor of Biophysics, one is a renowned children's author, one owns a prominent Henderson restaurant, and the list could go on and on and on.
It might be a bit taboo to mention, but I hope y'all will understand that it's part of our history - but the Gibson's did in fact have quite a substantial plantation or two out in the Corydon/Little Dixie areas. They were indeed slave holders (some of the Gibson sons owned more than others). I spoke with an African-American gentleman with the last name of Dixon at the library many years ago, in about 2009 or 2010.. and he believed he was a Joel Gibson descendant through breeding of slaves. I know that there are a many of African-American, likely slave descended - Dixon's, Pritchett's, Gibson's, and other large last names in that area, out in the Corydon/Dixie/Cairo areas even today. It is very, very possible you're a Joel Gibson descendant. DNA *might* be able to help us determine that.
I'll wrap this up with my usual - if you're out in the Corydon area and feel like dropping by a cemetery... say hello to Joel, because chances are, you're saying hello to your ancestor. If you're ever curious if you have a Joel Gibson line - contact me! I love nothing more than connecting with new Gibson cousins.
No comments:
Post a Comment