The Birth and Baptism of Clark Gibson – 1823 and 1867

Clark Gibson, the son of John Gibson and Sarah Waters, was born in 1823 and baptized in 1867. His baptism is recorded in the folios of John Armstrong, a minister of the Wesleyan Methodist Congregations of the circuit of Saint Armand in Canada East, just weeks before the confederation of Canada.

Birth and Baptismal Record of Clark Gibson - 1823 and 1867

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Clark Gibson – 1823 and 1867

SOURCE: John Armstrong, Minister of the Wesleyan Methodist Congregations of the Circuit of Saint Armand, Quebec, Canada. Register of the Acts of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials for 1867. Clark Gibson, Baptism. Microfilm, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Clark Gibson – 1823 and 1867. The record states:

Baptism of Clark Gibson

Clark son of John Gibson of the parish of
St. George District of Bedford farmer and
of Sarah his wife was born on the eleventh of
October one thousand eight hundred and
twenty three and was baptized on the thirteenth
day of June one thousand eight hun-
dred and sixty seven in the presence of
the subscribing witnesses by me

[Signed] J. Armstrong
Minister

[Signed] [J W Saxton?]
[Signed] Lynda Smith

Clark was born in Lower Canada in 1823. In the 1861 Census of Canada East, the religion of the family of Clark Gibson was “none”.

Clark was baptized in Canada East by John Armstrong, a circuit rider for the Wesleyan Methodist Congregations of the circuit of Saint Armand. This implies that there was no permanent Wesleyan Methodist minister assigned to a church in the area.

There is no indication why Clark Gibson finally decided to be baptized in 1867.

I copied this record many years ago and, unfortunately, I didn’t write down a complete source description to indicate where I found the record. According to my notes, I found this record on microfilm at the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston, but I did not indicate the microfilm number.

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City also holds a microfilm copy of this record; although I am not sure which film number contains this record . Ancestry.com has recently posted an image of this record online with the following source description:

Ancestry.com. Quebec Vital Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007. Original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin.

The image of this record on Ancestry.com is apparently from a different filming of these records, because the Ancestry.com images are of lesser quality than the one I’ve posted here, and the eraser end of the pencil in the image above is missing from the Ancestry.com image.

I’m not sure of the name of the first witness. The signature looks like it could be J. W. Saxton, but I’m not certain of this.

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2 Responses to The Birth and Baptism of Clark Gibson – 1823 and 1867

  1. Barbara Poole says:

    Steve, I believe Clark’s father died Feb. 4, 1875 and is buried at South Ridge Cemetery. Clarenceville Methodist records. If you want a copy of this index, just let me know.

    Regarding what microfilm Clark’s record is on, it could be one of 14 different rolls, I call them the Quebec National Archives Microfilm124 series, as they are 124.1 up to 124.14. Each of the rolls had a listing of the towns with dates on that roll, some have denominations…nothing is consistent, but still a great guide. It is from these rolls that Neil Broadhurst complied his book of Protestant Marriages in the District of Bedford, Quebec, 1804 – 1879. And, I noticed that Clark Gibson (age 24) married Nov. 4, 1851 to Mary Etts (age 16) at St. Armand East. You might find this on Ancestry’s Drouin Collection. Not sure why the 1871 has Margaret.

  2. Hi Barbara, I looked at the death and burial record for John Gibson that you mentioned. I think you’re correct – this is probably Clark’s father. Too bad the minister didn’t mention any other details such as the place where John lived, his age, the name of his spouse or children. I found John in the 1871 census but not in the 1881 census, so he might have died between 1871 and 1881. Still, I’m not 100% convinced this is the right person. I’d love to find some corroborating evidence.

    Regarding the name of Clark’s wife – her name was Maryette Olds. I made a transcription error on the 1871 census! After I saw your comment, I took another look at the census and saw that her name is listed in the 1871 census as Maryette and not as Margaret. This is a name I should have known!

    Maryette and Clark’s marriage was recorded on the same day by the same minister in the folios for two different towns. One record shows the wife’s name as Mary Etts, and the other shows her name as Maryette Olds. The only one of the two records that was signed was the one that said Maryette Olds. I’ll have to try to find those records again.

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