Rev. Henry Gibbs was born Oct. 8, 1668 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts and died Oct. 21, 1723. He is buried in the Old Burying Place, Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. His Will dated Dec. 6, 1722, witnessed by John Hastings, John Stearns and Samuel Cooledge, proved Nov. 1, 1723, mentions son Henry, daughters, Mercy, Mehitabel, and Margaret Appleton.

Biography

From the early colonial period through the earliest Republic, there was always a Henry Gibbs associated with Harvard College. The first Gibbs in Massachusetts, Robert, emigrated from England during the Great Migration and through his commercial endeavors rose rapidly to lofty social heights and great wealth. By the time that Robert's grandson, Henry (1668-1723), attended Harvard, he could feel confident and at ease as a member of the elite of Massachusetts society, a peer of Provincial governors and powerful clergymen. Receiving his AB in 1685, Henry Gibbs was installed in the east parish at Watertown in 1697, just over the boundary line from his beloved Cambridge. Rev. Gibbs was considered to be a fine preacher and was selected to deliver the Artillery Sermon of 1704. Considered to be broad minded by the standards of his day, Gibbs' influence is credited with preventing the spread of witchcraft persecutions to Watertown in 1692-93. Throughout his ministry, Gibbs maintained his connection with Harvard, serving as a fellow from 1700-1707. (2)

Notes

• Henry Gibbs, A.M., b. Boston, Oct. 8, 1668, son of Robert and Elizabeth (Sheafe) Gibbs; H.C., 1685, A.B., A.M.; Fellow, H.C., 1700-1707; Ord. Watertown, Oct. 6, 1697; sett. Watertown, 1690-1723; Artillery Election Sermon, 1704; attended witchcraft persecutions; was horrified by them; because of his wisdom there were none in Watertown; d. Watertown, Oct. 21, 1723, a. 56. (F.L. Weiss, The Colonial Clergy and Colonial Churches of New England)
• His wife Mercy, dau. of William Greenough, bore him seven children. (Harris' Epitaphs)

Sources

1. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England. Savage. Note: Ancestry.com. Page: 248; 261
2. Gibbs family papers, William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan
3. The New England Historical and Genealogical Register 1865, By NEHGS Staff. Page 208.
4. Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Mass. by Henry Bond, M.D. Boston, 1860.

Links

• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=29018792