The Invisible Line

As many of my readers already know, John P. Gibson, my South Carolina-born great-great-great-grandfather, has become my proverbial brick wall, and during the past ten years, I have read anything and everything that I could find about the Gibson family of South Carolina.  It seems that John P. Gibson was one of many Gibson family members, including Stephen, Tobias, and Gideon, who migrated to Mississippi during the early 1800s. In fact, Port Gibson, Mississippi, formerly known as "Gibson's Landing," and the town dubbed by General Sherman as the town "too beautiful to burn," was named for members of this Gibson family.  Several times in the past, I have posted here on this blog about my unsuccessful research attempts to connect my John P. Gibson to these other Gibson family members or to discover the name of John's parents in South Carolina. 

So yesterday, when I was about to put away the Gibson family file for yet another time, I received an email from a reporter with a Kentucky newspaper who wanted to interview me about my connections to the Gibson family of South Carolina.  It seems that she had seen links to blog posts that I had written about the Gibson family, including my post entitled, "Ghosts of Our Ancestors." When we spoke by phone earlier today, the reporter explained to me that she is writing an article centered around the subject matter of a recent book that traces three families of African-American heritage, including the Gibson family of South Carolina, as they transitioned from black to white during the past two centuries. The book is entitled "The Invisible Line:  Three American Families and the Secret Journey from Black to White," and is written by Daniel J. Sharfstein, an associate professor of law at Vanderbilt University, who teaches courses on property, legal history, and race and the law. In his well-researched book that has already received some fantastic reviews from well-known publications, Sharfstein also chronicles the Spencer Family of Kentucky and the Walls Family that settled in Washington, D.C.  Needless to say, I am anxious to read my contact's article that may include references to my interview today and to read Sharfstein's new book. In fact, I just ordered the book and will be writing a review on this blog in the very near future.  

Surname Saturday - Finding the Parents of John P. Gibson

It's been over 10 years since I began searching for the parents of my third great-grandfather, John P. Gibson, and each time I post the surnames I am researching, his name always appears at the top of the list. Without a doubt, John's ancestors have been the most challenging to find, but I am certainly not ready to call off the search.  I do have some pretty useful information about John, including the year and place of his birth (1799 in SC), a copy of his marriage record to Margaret J. Williams in Aberdeen, Monroe County, MS on January 3, 1843, and a copy of the marriage bond posted by Joseph Gibson, whose relationship is unknown.  Thanks to the U. S. Census recorded in 1860, I also know that John P. Gibson and Margaret Gibson were living in the Cherry Hill area of Calhoun County, Mississippi, where he worked as a blacksmith.  According to that census information, John and Margaret Gibson had seven children whose names were Elvira, Malverda (my great-great-grandmother), Francis, Asberry, Sarah, Mary, and Martha. I also found Calhoun County land records showing that John sold his land there and moved to Carroll County, Mississippi, where he and his family were enumerated on the U. S. Census of 1870. Although John most certainly died before the next federal census was recorded, I have been unable to locate either his burial place or where Margaret is buried. As I write this post, I am hoping that another Gibson researcher will read it and have information he or she is willing to share. But until then, I will do what I have done for so long - continue the search for information about John P. Gibson's parents.

Calhoun County, Mississippi Courthouse Fire - 1922

Still on the trail of my Gibson ancestors, today I called the Calhoun County Courthouse in Pittsboro, Mississippi and talked to an individual who works in the Circuit Clerk's Office. Although the clerk with whom I spoke was friendly and willing to help, the information he provided stopped my search before it ever began - the Calhoun County Courthouse burned in 1922. Since I am searching for county records that existed during the mid-late 1800s, this was very sad news. Although I was disappointed, I was not surprised, since burned courthouses seem to have been a common occurrence in many places during the years that open fires were used for warmth.

Tomorrow I plan to contact other courthouses nearby, including the ones located in Yalobusha, Chickasaw, and Carroll Counties. And the search for John P. Gibson and his descendants will continue.