Steve’s Genealogy Blog

On 06 Dec 1878, William Edward Gibson, son of Willard Olds Gibson and Hannah Eliza Blanchard, died. On 07 Dec 1878, he was buried by the Methodist Church of Canada, Philipsburg, Missisquoi County, Province of Québec, Dominion of Canada.

The Death and Burial Record of William Edward Gibson - 1878

SOURCE: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montréal, Québec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin. Methodist Church of Canada, Philipsburg, Missisquoi County, Province of Québec, Dominion of Canada, 1878. Death and Burial Record of William Edward Gibson, verso folio 17.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death and Burial Record of William Edward Gibson. The record reads:

Burial:- W.E. Gibson

William Edward son of Willard Gibson
laborer of St Armand West died on the
sixth day of December Eighteen hundred
and Seventy-eight being Twenty-one months
old and was buried on the seventh day
of the Aforesaid month and year
                                              by me
                          [signed] J.E.Richardson
                                             M. M.
Witnesses:- [signed] Willard Gibson
                      [signed] Peter Richardson

This record can be found as image 18/21 in the Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 on Ancestry.com in the records for Philipsburg (Methodist Church) 1878. The record appears on verso folio 17 (the back of folio 17).

I have not been able to find a birth/baptismal record for William Edward Gibson (he may not have been baptized). Given that he was “Twenty-one months old”, he would have been born in about Mar 1877.

This child died just 11 months after the death of John Frank Gibson, the three-year-old child of Clark Gibson and Maryette Olds.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

On 17 Jan 1878, John Frank Gibson, son of Clark Gibson and Maryette Olds, died. On 18 Jan 1878, he was buried by the Methodist Church of Canada, Philipsburg, Missisquoi County, Province of Québec, Dominion of Canada.

The Death and Burial Record of John Frank Gibson - 1878

SOURCE: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montréal, Québec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin. Methodist Church of Canada, Philipsburg, Missisquoi County, Province of Québec, Dominion of Canada, 1878. Death and Burial Record of John Frank Gibson, recto folio 3.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death and Burial Record of John Frank Gibson. The record reads:

Burial:- J.F. Gibson

                                  folio three
                                    T. M. G.
                                      D.C.C.C.
John Frank, son of Clark Gibson black-
smith of St. Armand West in the county of
Missisquoi and of Marriett Olds his wife,
died on the seventeenth day of January
Eighteenth hundred and Seventy eight
in the third year of his age and was
buried on the eighteenth day of the
Aforesaid month and year by me
                          [signed] J.E.Richardson
                                             M. M.
Witnesses:- [signed] Clark Gibson
                      [signed] Marriett Gibson

This record can be found as image 3/21 in the Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 on Ancestry.com in the records for Philipsburg (Methodist Church) 1878. The record appears on recto folio 3 (the front of folio 3).

I have not been able to find a birth/baptismal record for John Frank Gibson (he may not have been baptized). Given that he was “in the third year of his age”, he would have been born in about 1875.

The initials at the top of the page (T. M. G. and D.C.C.C.) stand for Thomas M. Gough, Deputy Clerk of the Circuit Court. The initials M. M. after J.E. Richardson’s signature stand for Methodist Minister.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

On 27 Jul 1879, Jennie Maud Gibson, daughter of Willard Olds Gibson and Hannah Eliza Blanchard, was born. On 13 May 1883, she was baptized in the Church of England at Philipsburg in the Parish of St. Armand West, Philipsburg, Missisquoi County, Province of Québec, Dominion of Canada.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Jennie Maud Gibson - 1883

SOURCE: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montréal, Québec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin. Church of England at Philipsburg in the Parish of St. Armand West, Philipsburg, Missisquoi County, Province of Québec, Dominion of Canada, 1883. Birth and Baptismal Record of Jennie Maud Gibson, verso folio 16.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Jennie Maud Gibson. The record reads:

Gibson Baptized

On this thirteenth day of May
one thousand eight hundred
and eighty three Jennie
Maud, born the twenty seventh
day of July one thousand
eight hundred and seventy nine
daughter of Willard Gibson and
of Hannah Elizabeth Blanchard
his wife, was baptized in the
presence of subscribing
witnesses by me.

                        [signed] H Darley Bridge
                        Officiating clergyman

Witnesses- [signed] [?] Blanchard [?] Deuel
                     [signed] [two words?] [?] Blanchard

This record can be found as image 17/20 in the Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 on Ancestry.com in the records for Philipsburg (Anglican Church) 1883. The record appears on verso folio 16 (the back of folio 16).

I could not read the full names of the witnesses.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

On 08 Mar 1875, Willard Olds Gibson and Hannah Eliza Blanchard were married in the Wesleyan Methodist Church of the Village of Philipsburg, Missisquoi County, Canada East, Province of Canada.

The Marriage Record of Willard Olds Gibson and Hannah Eliza Blanchard - 1875

SOURCE: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montréal, Québec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin., Wesleyan Methodist Church of the Village of Philipsburg, Philipsburg, Missisquoi County, Province of Québec, Dominion of Canada, 1875. Marriage Record of Willard Olds Gibson and Hannah Eliza Blanchard, verso folio 5.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Record of Willard Olds Gibson and Hannah Eliza Blanchard. The record reads:

Marriage

Willard Olds Gibson, Laborer, of
St. Armand West, in the county of
Missisquoi, bachelor, and Hannah
Eliza Blanchard, Spinster, of the same
place, were married after due publica-
tion of banns on the eighth of March
eighteen hundred and seventy-five.
                By me,
                        [signed] John Davies
Parties:-      [signed] Willard O Gibson
                     [signed] Hannah E Blanchard
Witnesses:- [signed] Addie M Gibson
                      [signed] Mary L Davies

This record can be found as image 6/20 in the Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 on Ancestry.com in the records for Philipsburg (Methodist Church) 1875. The record appears on verso folio 5 (the back of folio 5).

Willard Olds Gibson was the son of Clark Gibson and Maryette Olds.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

On 02 Jan 1890, Sarah Waters Gibson died in Clarenceville, Province of Québec. She was buried on 04 Jan 1890.

The Death and Burial Record of Sarah Waters Gibson - 1890

SOURCE: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montréal, Québec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin. Methodist Church, Clarenceville Circuit, Missisquoi County, Province of Québec, Dominion of Canada 1890. Death and Burial Record of Sarah Waters Gibson, recto folio 2.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death and Burial Record of Sarah Waters Gibson. The record reads:

Burial Gibson Jan. 4th 1890

                      folio two J.G. ccc
Sarah Waters widow of the late
John Gibson, in his lifetime of the
Parish of Saint George of Clarenceville,
farmer, died on the second day of
January, one thousand eight hundred
and ninety, aged eighty-five years,
and was buried on the fourth day
of the same month and year in
presence of subscribing witnesses by
me.                  John W. Clipsham
                                    Minister
Witnesses Nelson S. Gibson
                   Mary C Gibson

This record can be found as image 2/23 in the Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 on Ancestry.com in the records for Clarenceville (Methodist Church) 1890. The record appears on recto folio 2 (the front of folio 2).

This particular record is from the civil transcript of the church record. At the top of each page are the initials “J.G.” and “ccc”, standing for john Gough, Clerk for the Circuit Court. The full name and title of the Deputy Clerk were provided on the first folio of this record book.

Sarah Waters Gibson was the wife of John Gibson and the mother of Clark Gibson, whose records I have previously shown.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

On 04 Nov 1851, Clark Gibson and Maryette Olds were married in Canada East, Province of Canada.

The Marriage Record of Clark Gibson and Maryette Olds - 1851

SOURCE: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montréal, Québec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin., Baptist Church of St. Armands East, Missisquoi County, Canada East, Province of Canada, 1851. Marriage Record of Clark Gibson and Maryette Olds, verso folio 14.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Record of Clark Gibson and Maryette Olds - 1851. The record reads:

Registry of the Mar
riage between Clark
Gibson of St Armands
East. Blacksmith aged
twenty four years
and Miss Mary Etts
of St Armands
West aged sixteen
years by consent
of Parents. this fourth
day of November
One One Thousand
eight Hundred
and fifty one
                      F N Jersey
                      Minister
Husband}     Clark Gibson
Wife               Mary Etts
Witnesses}   David French
                      Marum Gibson

This record can be found as image 15/22 in the Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 on Ancestry.com in the records for St-Armand-Est (Baptist Church) 1851. The record appears on verso folio 14 (the back of folio 14).

In this particular record, all signatures are in the minister’s hand, which may account for the fact that Maryette Olds’ name is written as Mary Etts.

In a personal communication, Marlene Simmons informed me that a second record of this marriage appears, with original signatures, in the records of the Baptist Church serving Stanbridge, Quebec (second register for the year 1849+) on the front of folio 41.

I am not certain why the marriage appears in the records for two different Baptist Churches, one in St. Armands East and one in Stanbridge. The two records contain the same information except that the one from Stanbridge gives the year as one thousand eight hundred and fifty one instead of one one thousand eight hundred and fifty one. In addition, Maryette Olds signed her name correctly in the Stanbridge record, while the minister wrote her name as Mary Etts in the St. Armands East record.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

On 16 Oct 1823, Clark Gibson, son of John Gibson and Sarah Waters, was born. He was baptized in the Wesleyan Methodist Congregation, Circuit of Saint Armand on 13 Jun 1867.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Clark Gibson - 1867

SOURCE: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montréal, Québec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin. Wesleyan Methodist Congregation, Circuit of Saint Armand, Missisquoi County, Province of Québec, Dominion of Canada, 1867. Birth and Baptismal Record of Clark Gibson, verso folio 9.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Clark Gibson. The record reads:

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 sixteenth 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.
JWEaton                          J. Armstrong
[Lyndo?] Smith                      Minister

This record can be found as image 10/13 in the Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 on Ancestry.com in the records for St-Armand (Methodist Church) 1867. The record appears on verso folio 9 (the back of folio 9).

This particular record is from the civil transcript of the circuit record. Clark was baptized when he was 43 years old.

Clark Gibson, son of John Gibson and Sarah Waters, would later marry Maryette Olds, daughter of Willard Olds and Hannah Eliza Shults, whose birth and baptismal record I showed yesterday

I could not read the first name of the second witness.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

I recently received a communication from another genealogist who is studying the Olds family of Québec. Our communication led me to perform a quick search in the Drouin Collection on Ancestry.com.

On 23 Jul 1884, Clark Gibson died in Sheldon, Franklin County, Vermont. He was buried at Philipsburg, Missisquoi County, Province of Québec on 25 Jul 1884.

The Death and Burial Record of Clark Gibson - 1884

SOURCE: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montréal, Québec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin. Methodist Church of Canada, Philipsburg, Missisquoi County, Province of Québec, 1884. Death and Burial Record of Clark Gibson, recto folio 15.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death and Burial Record of Clark Gibson. The record reads:

Burial

                                 folio fifteen T.M.G.
                                               D.C.C.C.
Died Clark Gibson of the Town of Sheldon
United States on Wednesday July the twenty third
one thousand eight hundred and eighty four
aged sixty one years and was buried
at Philipsburg in Missisquoi one thousand
eight hundred and eighty four friday
July the twenty five in the presence of
subscribing witnesses by me
                                         Saml Leeson
                                              Meth. Min
Witnesses
Saml Olds
William Symms

This record can be found as image 16/21 in the Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 on Ancestry.com in the records for Philipsburg (Methodist Church) 1884. The record appears on recto folio 15 (the front of folio 15).

This particular record is from the civil transcript of the church record. At the top of each page are the initials “T.M.G.” and “D.C.C.C.”, standing for Thomas M. Gough, Deputy Clerk for the Circuit Court. The full name and title of the Deputy Clerk were provided on the first folio of this record book.

The Clark Gibson named in this record was the grandfather of Clark Gibson, the husband of my Aunt Sophie (Danko) Gibson. He was also the husband of Maryette Olds, daughter of Willard Olds and Hannah Eliza Shults.

I am not entirely certain of the first name of the first witness. I have transcribed it as Saml (Samuel), but it could be something else.

Finally, a couple of interesting coincidences:

• the Clark Gibson in this record died in 1884. His grandson and namesake Clark Gibson died in 1984, a full century later;
• the grandson Clark Gibson was born in 1894 and died in 1984, so his years of birth and death are anagrams of each other.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

A few days ago, I wrote about the U.S. Passport Application of Margaret Coyle Gibson. At the Family History Library, in between other projects, I took a look at the microfilm with the US Passport Application of Margaret Gibson. The application was easy to find, now that I knew the date of the application and the application number.

As I hoped, there was another image of the application, not present in the digital images on Ancestry.com. In this additional image, the piece of paper that covered most of the back of the application had been folded back to reveal the details on the back of the application.

U.S. Passport Application of Margaret Gibson - Back (Revealed)

SOURCE: Margaret Gibson Passport Application 135700, (NARA microfilm publication M1490, roll 973); Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 - March 31, 1925; General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59; National Archives, Washington, D.C.; Family History Library microfilm 1636993.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the U.S. Passport Application of Margaret Gibson - Back (Revealed). The portion of the application that was concealed by the attestation of Marietta E. Coleman and the witness of George R. Cumings is revealed to read:

October 29, 1919

I, Mrs. C Gibson Harold E Coleman, solemnly swear that I am a {native naturalized} citizen
of the United States; that I reside at Fairfield Vt St. Albans Vt / [?] Boston Mass; that I have known
the above named Margaret Gibson personally for two years and
know [him her} to be a native citizen of the United States; and that the facts stated in {his her} affidavit
are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

          Harold E. Coleman
          Druggist
          25 Mt Ida Rd
          Dorchester Mass

          Sworn to before me this 29 day
          of Oct 1919
          Mary E. Pendergast
          Deputy Clerk of the U.S. District Court at Boston

Applicant desires passport to be sent to the following address:
Margaret Gibson
24 Mt Ida Road
Dorchester, Mass

          A signed duplicate of the photograph to be attached
          hereto must be sent to the Department with the appli-
          cation to be affixed to the passport with an impression
          of the Department’s seal.

Note that the attestation was originally completed incorrectly, the entries crossed out and then completed correctly.

Note also that Margaret Gibson is called a native citizen, even though she was born in Ireland.

Margaret’s passport was to be sent to the address of Harold E. and Marietta E. Coleman in Dorchester, Massachusetts, not to her addresses in either Fairfield or St. Albans, Vermont.

Note also that Harold E. Coleman states that he resides in Boston and then gives his address as Dorchester. Even today, it seems to me that addresses in Dorchester are sometimes addressed to Boston, sometimes to Dorchester.

Finally, it appears that the copy of the photograph of Margaret and her children that I previously published was the copy attached to her actual passport, in accordance with the instructions on this page.

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko

Yesterday, Chris Dunham of The Genealogue wrote:

As promised, Ancestry.com has released a database of U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925.

Well, this is one database I’ve been waiting for.

Back in June 2006, I posted an article on The Lost Family of Clark Gibson and followed it up in January 2007 with The Descendants of John Gibson and The Birth of Anna May Gibson.

To briefly recap, my father’s sister Sophie married Clark Gibson. Clark had been previously married to Margaret Coyle and the couple had three children: Anna May, Angela, and Kathleen. Sometime before 1920, Margaret returned to her native Ireland with the three children, never to return to the United States. I didn’t know exactly when Margaret left the United States, why she left, or why she failed to return.

Margaret’s U.S. Passport Application provides the answers to two of those questions.

U.S. Passport Application of Margaret Gibson - Front

U.S. Passport Application of Margaret Gibson - Back

SOURCE: U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925, Application 135700, Margaret Gibson; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 November 2007); citing National Archives microfilm publication M1490, roll 973.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the U.S. Passport Application of Margaret Gibson. The application states the following:

• Margaret Gibson applied for a U.S. Passport on 29 Oct 1919 in Suffolk Co., Massachusetts
• Margaret stated that she would be accompanied by her 3 minor children Anna M Gibson born 04 Sep 1916, Angela Gibson born 04 Nov 1917, and Kathleen Gibson born 06 Apr 1919
• She was born 18 Sep 1891 in Tully, Ireland
• She was married to Clark Gibson who was born and currently residing in Fairfield, Vermont and he resided in the United States, uninterruptedly for 25 years from 1894 to 1919 at Fairfield, Vermont
• Margaret resided in Ireland from 1891 to 1912 and was now domiciled at Fairfield, Vermont where she was a farmer’s wife
• She planned to visit Ireland to see her mother and return to the United States within 2 years
• She planned to depart the United States from the port of Boston on 01 Nov 1919
• Margaret was 28 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, medium forehead, blue eyes, straight nose, small mouth, pointed chin, dark brown hair, fair complexion, oval face, and no distinguishing marks noted

Much of the rest of the record is obscured by a notarized statement that Clark Gibson was born 20 Jun 1894 in Fairfield, Vermont, USA and had paid his taxes in that town up to date.

A photo of Margaret and her three children is attached to the passport application, although it is partially covered by the attestation that obscures most of the reverse of the document. Fortunately, I have a digital image of the same photograph with Margaret’s signature.

Passport Photo of Margaret Gibson and Her Three Children

SOURCE: Passport Photo of Margaret Gibson and Her Three Children. Photographed by unknown photographer in 1919.

This application answers two of my questions and more. Margaret left the United States on 01 Nov 1919 to visit her mother. She intended to return within 2 years, but did not.

The application also provided information I did not previous have, including Margaret’s date and place of birth and the dates of birth of her two youngest daughters. It also confirms Clark’s date and place of birth, useful because I have not found Clark’s birth record.

One question still remains. Why didn’t Margaret return to the United States?

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko