I am passing this on to the Marlboro Co. lists because of the local family information. Hope it helps. John >From: "diane k" <[email protected]> >Old-To: <[email protected]> >Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 21:59:26 -0500 > >This message ought to be a goldmine for some Gibson researchers. >diane > >+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ >EXtract from speech delivered by Col. J. Preston Gibson at a reunion of >the gibson Family in 1905. >On the side it says: This is a history of the branch of the Gibson Family >at Gibson,NC and SC. > >If you lose this mail or want to send this to another reseacher, you can >find the same data at: >http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/6598/gibson.htm > >++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > >"Had our family preserved and recorded events and facts, dates and >transactions connected therewith, it would be comparatively easy to collect >facts and intelligently present a historical family sketch on this >occasion. I have been handicapped in the Preparation of this paper, simply >because there is no record of the early history of my distinct family. For >years I have endeavored to investigate and ascertain something definite and >reliable concerning the origin of our family. That they in Colonial days >left their homes in Scotland and settled in Va., there is no question, for >there is abundance of evidence to substantiate the many assertions of their >early patriotic struggles, and heroic achievements, but previous to their >advent in this country, I have been unable to trace their history far back >into European history. the gibson family in England, Scotland and Ireland >are to be found in almost every section of those countries, and for the >past several hundred years the gibsons have in various ways ?(proven) >themselves >famous and honorable. Both in England and Scotland, at more than one >epoch, have the Gibsons prominently and conspicuously figured in the >political >area. Sir Thomas gibson, of England, in the 17th century astounded >Parliament?? all of Great Britain to talking , on account of his profound >learning: logical, wise and judicious reasoning. While there are many >families of Gibsons in the old country, yet I believe many of them are >related, and while there are three or four separate and district gibson >families in Virginia, yet I know that our ancestors came form Scotland not >a great while before the Revolutionary War. All the Gibsons in this country >are related, all having descended from the same ancestors. I have met >Gibsons in the United States from New York to the extreme West, and all of >the possess the same striking family features and constitutional >characteristics. > >There is a piece of unwritten history connected with our family that I am >not prepared to verify or controvert. It has been said that our real >surname was not Gibson, but McGregor. That our ancestry in his zeal for >liberty and political freedom in attempting to eliminate autocratic >restraint, overstepped the proprieties of a subject and a soldier, for >which he was charged with insubordination, was hunted by his government but >was >never captured. Being a member of the patriotic McGregor family, he and >many influential friends who secretly conveyed him on board a ship where he >concealed himself until at sea when he came from his place of concealment, >but after landing in this country assumed his mother's name, which was not >Gibson. Whether this be true or not, I am unable to say, but the statement >has been made on both sides of the Atlantic. > >Just prior to the Revolutionary War a widow lady with her two sons and one >daughter, Nelson and Thomas gibson, emigrated from Va to Richmond county, >NC., and settled ten miles east of Rockingham, in what was then a splendid >cattle range. All the evidence secured by me supports the belief that >these boys were born in Scotland, coming to Va. with their father, whose >name was >Ziba, and who died in Va soon after arriving in this country. These two >boys, Nelson and Thomas, both enlisted in the Revolutionary War, having >recently fled from Europe, they were fired with a desire for freedom and >bravely fought under Gen. Marion and other patriotic chieftains for >Colonial Independence. In more instances than one are these two Gibson boys >mentioned and complimented for their brazenness and heroism. This same >Thomas Gibson was Mr. Eli" Gibson's grandfather, he and his brother Nelson >both married sisters whose maiden names were William's. > >The unmarried daughter of this widow, who came with her mother and two >brothers from Scotland to Va. and later to Richmond County, NC, married old >man " Wild Cat Billy Smith" the Grandfather of Major Wm. E. Smith, and >great grandfather of Mrs. Henry D. Gibson and myself on my mother's side. > >I have never believed the story told concerning the change of name from >McGregor to that of Gibson, for there are several facts which substantiate >the belief that the ancestors of our family, viz: Thomas and Nelson Gibson, >were nearly grown when they came from Scotland to America. They spoke >fluently and perfectly the pure Scotch dialect and the mere fact that their >mother, a widow lady, had she been surrounded with relatives in Virginia, >would not have abruptly broken away from them amid those turbulent and >unsettled times and emigrated to a country amid strangers, leaving kindred >and loved ones behind.. > >I am expected on this occasion to tell something of our family during and >since the Revolutionary War and what became of the original members of the >gibson family. > >This may be tedious and uninteresting to some of you, but should be of the >utmost importance and freighted with deepest concern to the younger members >of the gibson family, for our history has been very imperfectly recorded and >preserved, and I have undergone no little trouble and expended much time in >my research and investigation in order to collect accurate and reliable >information concerning this now large and influential family. > >Thomas Gibson, the grandfather of Mr. Eli Gibson, being the direct >progenitory of the gibson's of this section, I will therefore speak mostly >of his descendants. there is but little known of Nelson's family, as he >had but few children, the most of whom went West soon after the >Revolutionary War. > >Thomas was married but once and was the father of thirteen children, all of >whom lived to be grown and married. He, like many of his descendants, was >blessed with a large family. The Gibson family has been most prolific and >has multiplied most rapidly. The names of Thomas children were: James, >Stafford, Thomas, John, Nathaniel, Elijah, Elisha, Nelson, Nannie, Sallie, >Agnes, Mary and Fannie. Whom they married: James married Divinity Adams >and had no children living; he was the father of Shockley Gibson who lived >in Georgia, and was the grandfather of Shockley and Nathan Gibson, of gum >Swamp, Richmond County, NC. Stafford married Nancy Somerlin, had four >children; died in Richmond county and his widow and children moved to >Mississippi, (her son Thomas returned to Richmond county on a visit in the >year 1827)> Thomas married Pollie Morrman, had ten daughters and one son: >he lived and died in Chesterfield county, SC., and subsequently the widow >and children moved to Indiana. John married Nancy Pearce and was the father >of twenty-one children, the last two being twins. Nathaniel married twice >to daughters of Stephen Mendenhall, a Quarker of Guilford county, NC; his >first wife was named Rachel and second Elizabeth. Elijah married Nancy >Gibson, his first cousin, Nelson's daughter; parents of Aggie Gibson, who >married Rev. Thos. Gibson, who lived and died near St. John's Church, >Richmond county, N.C. Elisah married the widow of his brother Elijah. >Nelson married Bedie Roberson, he died and his widow moved to Mississippi; >had six children; his oldest daughter Agnes was the mother of Joel Bullard >who lived and died two miles north of Gibson, NC. Nannie married Jacob >Mangum of Chesterfield County, SC. Sallie and Agnes married brothers by the >name of Sumerlin. Mary married John Strong of Chesterfield co.,SC., father >of Henry Strong, who moved to Mississippi, but since the war between the >states he moved to Brazil, South America. Fannie married John Watson. > >The above is a correct history of Thomas Gibson's family. About the year >1800, John and Nathaniel, his sons moved down and settled in lower Richmond >county, between the Green Pond and what is now the town of Gibson. As >stated before John had twenty-one children, and their descendants are >scattered in many States. Nathaniel settled where his youngest son, Eli, >now lives in his old age, one mile north of gibson, on the old Rockingham >road. Ads before stated, Nathaniel married twice, sisters by the name of >Mendenhall, true, noble women, cultured for that day and deeply pious. He >sleeps by the side of his two wives in the Gibson cemetery near the old >Gibson homestead. Nathaniel lived to be quite old, but for many years >before he died he was an invalid from the effects of paralysis. During his >life there were no railroads in this county and all transportation was >carried on with wagons, and hundreds of North Carolina covered wagons, from >the central and western counties, came south with their produce, and >Nathaniel Gibson's was headquarters for them. He would sometimes get in his >cups >and often when in that condition would say that his "name was McGregor", and >was always proud of his Scotch ancestry. There were six children by his >first marriage, viz: Nathan, thomas, John, Elizabeth, Ziba and Rachel. >There were eight children by his second marriage, viz: James M, Mary, Noah, >William, Betsy, Nelson M, Ann and Eli. Whom they married: Nathan married >Eliza Gibson, his first cousin, and had two children, James and John M., the >latter lived and died at the Rev. Thomas Gibson's old homestead near St. >John's Church in Richmond County, NC. Nathan's wife died and while a widower >he moved to Indiana. Before leaving here he went to the legislature. He >was a school teacher and married Susan Brown; purchased good property, lived >in comfort for several years, but the title to the property was not good and >he lost it. He died near Hollinsburg, Dork County, Indiana, several years >ago. Thomas, the Methodist preacher, married Agnes Gibson, the daughter of >Elijah, on the 29th of December, 1827. They had no children. Thomas was >converted in 1827 at old Zion camp meeting, near Rockingham, was licensed to >preach soon after his conversion, and lived a pure, consistent Christian >life until his death, which occured in July 1872. He was furneralized by >Dr. W.S. Black, at that time a member of the South Carolina conference, but >who a few years ago died a member of the North Carolina conference. John >married Nannie gibson, Daughter of Elijah Gibson, had only one son who died >when about grown. John died in Texas. Elizabeth died when she was child. >Ziba married Lisza Adams, daughter of Johathan and Polly Adams, of Marlboro >County, SC, and they had six children three of who are now living. Rachel >married Stafford Gibson, her first cousin, had seven children, and lived on >the stage road near St. John's Church. He kept public stables that fed the >stage and express horse. The next child was James Mendenhall, the first of >the second set of children, who in the year 1843 married Hannah Smith, >daughter of Wm. Smith and sister of major Wm. E. Smith, who lived some seven >miles north of Rockingham, NC. They had seven children, the first being >Ebenezer, who was captured at Fort Fisher during the War between the States >and on March 9th, 1865, died in Elmira, NY. in a Federal prison. the others >are well known to the citizens of this community. > >James M., after marriage settled near Boykin church, Marlboro County, SC; >died October 16th, 1880. > >Mary, a full sister of James M. lived to be grown but died married. > >Noah Gibson married Julia Fletcher, daughter of Joshua and nancy Fletcher >(Nancy's maiden name was Smith), he settled where his son Edmond now lives, >and in early life engaged in the mercantile business. All this section of >country was then one dense forest, but little of the land being cleared. He >had ten children, the oldest John F. was killed during the civil War by >sharpshooters at Petersburg, Va., August 24, 1864. The rest of the family >are well know. Noah gibson accumulated quite a snug fortune and no man >enjoyed to a larger degree the confidence of the entire people. > >William Gibson married three times. first Catherine McNeill. they had four >children, the first duncan, who was killed in Confederate service. His >second wife was Kitty Pipkin, who had no children. His third wife, Sallie >McLaurin, was the mother of fourt children. > >Bettie married Raiford Fletcher, who had nine children and settled near Pine >Grove, Marlboro County, SC. He reared a noble family. > >Nelson M. Gibson married Caroline Pipkin and settled near McColl, SC. and >raised a large family of nine children. Isaac Pipkin, thomas, Benton, Wm. >Nelson being the sons. > >Ann married John S. Fletcher, who is still living, in her 83 year, near Pine >Grove, Marlboro County, SC. They had eight children. Eli Gibson, the >youngest member of Nathaniel's family, is still living, and this occasion is >the celebration of his 80th birthday. He married Lizzie Davis, daughter of >Wm. Davis. They had eleven children, all reared at the old original gibson >homestead where Eli now lives, and where he has resided his entire life. He >never bought a bushel of corn or a pount of meat for his own consumption in >his life, but has sold much of both to his neighbors. This old time honored >Gibson home has been in the family, uninterruptedly, for more than a >century. It changed hands quite a number of times, from the king's grant >until Nathaniel Gibson became the owner, but since the time the papers have >only transferred the property from one generation to another in the Gibson >Family. > >This completes the family of Nathaniel gibson, but his brother John who >lived just one mile north of him was the father of twenty-one children, >whose descendants are scattered throughout this entire county, many of them >our best citizens. The cildren of Nathaniel Gibson all prospered, >accumulated property and made honorable and highly respected citizens. Much >of which is attributed to his two pious Quaker wives, Rachel and Elizabeth >Mendenhall. > >..................The Gibsons while not as a rule demonstrative, have always >responded to their country's call in times of peace as well as war. Furing >the war between the North and South old Richmond County had 37 Gibsons in >the confederate service, some mere boys......." > > > >diane K. mason > > > ----------- John K. Brown, Jr. [email protected] Researching: Burt, Brown, Abney, Watts