Jonathan Gibson, Jr.

Biography

https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=81671044

Jonathan Gibson 2nd was born ca. 1700, presumably at his parents' plantation in Richmond (now King George) Co., Virginia (also the site of Pres. James Madison's birth, now known as Belle Grove). He married Margaret Catlett around 1725, probably at the Catlett home place near Port Royal, Virginia.

Jonathan was a controversial burgess representing Caroline County during the 1730s and, after moving to Orange County ca. 1740, he held the office of county clerk there. That position was attained through the influence of his cousin Edmund Gibson, the Bishop of London. Jonathan is said to have died by accidental poisoning in 1745 in Orange Co., Virginia, where his will was recorded. (Bio by Mark Hale)

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Gibson-1507

Note: One of the key links between Jonathan Gibson, Jr. who resided in Orange County and married Margaret Catlett and his father Jonathan Gibson, Sr. who married Elizabeth Thornton, is that Jonathan Sr.'s will, dated 1727 in King George County, bequeathed an enslaved African named "Caesar" to his son Jonathan; [3] and this Jonathan, Jr.'s estate inventory of 1745, lists an enslaved African named "Caesar." [4] [5]

Jonathan Gibson, Jr. removed from King George County to Orange County, Virginia, where he served as the second clerk of the circuit court of Orange County, a position in which his son-in-law George Taylor would succeed him as the fourth clerk of the court. [6]

In the year 1739, Jonathan resided in Orange County with four tithes; [7] in 1759 he registered a deed for 1,000 acres of land in Orange County that was formerly in Spotsylvania County; [8] and in the 1782 Virginia Census he appeared in Orange County with a household of five whites and eight blacks. [9]

Jonathan and Margaret had at least three known children:

1. Rachel, m. George Taylor [2]
2. Alice, m. John Catlett IV [10]
3. Jonathan, m. Susanna Harrison [11]

Jonathan died intestate, but two separate inventories and appraisals of his estate are recorded in Orange County and both name his wife Margaret as administrator of the estate. [4] [5]

Research Notes

Some argue that Jonathan Sr. was brother to, and Jonathan Jr. nephew to Bishop Gibson, Bishop of London 1731-32; and others argue no relationship. [12] [13] To date, no primary source has been offered to prove the connection.

Jonathan Gibson Jr./II (c.1700-1745) and Margaret Catlett (c.1700-c.1750) were the parents of the Rachel Gibson who married George Taylor. A number of online genealogies show Rachel (Gibson) Taylor as the daughter of Jonathan Gibson Sr./I and Elizabeth Thornton, and although they too had a daughter named Rachel, she was not the one who married George Taylor. Consider the following:

• Rachel's father Jonathan Gibson is identified in early writings as one of the earliest clerks of the circuit court of Orange County. [6]
• Jonathan Gibson Sr.'s will was dated 1727 in King George County [3] and he is reported to have died there about 1729 at the age of about 60, five years before Orange County was formed.
• Rachel's father Jonathan died in Orange County in 1745 "from accidental poison in the prime of his life." [14] [15]
• The Jonathan Gibson who died 1745 in Orange County died intestate. Two inventories and appraisals of his estate name "Margaret" as administrator, and list a slave named "Caesar." And the will of Jonathan Gibson of King George County dated 1727 bequeaths a slave named "Ceasar" to his son Jonathan.
• Three early authors, two descended from Rachel and one descended from Rachel's father-in-law James Taylor II, identify Rachel as the daughter of Jonathan Gibson Jr. and Margaret Catlett:
• Dr. Andrew Glassell Grinnan (1827-1902) was great-grandson to Erasmus Taylor who was Rachel's brother-in-law. He discovered Rachel's son Francis Taylor's Diary, researched it, and annotated it. His papers are on file at the University of Virginia Library.
• William Kyle Anderson (1847-___?) was second great-grandson of Rachel Gibson and George Taylor. He purchased the Francis Taylor diary from Dr. Grinnan, had the original hand-written diary transcribed, and added his and Dr. Grinnan's annotations to the transcript. He also wrote a nine-page Introduction to the diary, and authored a book containing the genealogy of George Taylor and Rachel Gibson's family.
• Philip Fall Taylor (1864-1916) was also a second great-grandson of Rachel Gibson and George Taylor. He assisted William Kyle Anderson with his work on the diary and contributed his own annotations to the transcript.
• A later author, published in the Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society also identifies Rachel as the daughter of the Jonathan Gibson who died 1745 in Orange County from accidental poison. [16]

The confusion between these two Rachels is understandable. It is certainly possible that Jonathan Gibson, Sr. and Elizabeth Thornton could have had a daughter born in 1717 when they were about 47 and 44, respectively. And this possibility is perhaps reinforced by the fact that their daughter Rachel was not married when her mother Elizabeth's will was made in 1732. [17]

Notes

https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/gibson/10974/

Jonathan Gibson, according to the Catlett records and the universal traditions of the Gibsons, married Margaret Catlett, daughter of Col. John Catlett, of "Green Hill Estate;" at or about where is now Port Royal. This Col. John Catlett came from Letterbaume Parish, Kent County, England, and owned lands there, which his grandchildren inherited. He was killed by the Indians in 1670, at the attack on the fort near Port Royal. Margaret Catlett was an aunt of Rebecca Catlett, who married Frances Conway, and was the mother of President James Madison; hence Jonathan Gibson became sponsor of the president.

Records

• 1744-1778 Orange County, Virginia Will Book 2: [John Frederick Dorman]: Pages 53-55.
• Jonathan Gibson. Inventory. 6 March 1745. Appraised pursuant to order of 28 March 1745. Total valuation £576.11.4, including 19 Negroes valued at £398 and one servant man John Lynch.
• Signed by Margaret Gibson, administratrix.
• Bryan Sisson Frans. Moore John Bramham
• 23 May 1745. Returned.

  ---

• 1744-1778 Orange County, Virginia Will Book 2: [John Frederick Dorman]: Pages 60-61A.
• Jonathan Gibson. Inventory of estate in Prince William County. Made in obedience to order of 28 March 1745. Appraisers sworn before Robert Jones, Gent. Total valuation £672.11.-, including 21 slaves valued at £561.10.-. Signed by Margaret Gibson, administratrix.
• John Crump
• John Allen
• John James
• 27 June 1745. Returned.

  ---

King George County - Will Book A, pg 82. Available at King George County Courthouse.

References

• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L1H7-SKJ
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/81671044/jonathan-gibson
• King George County - Will Book A, pg 82. Available at King George County Courthouse. < AncestryImage >
• https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I2633...
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Gibson-1507 cites

1. Introduction to Francis Taylor Diary, 1786-1799, by Taylor historian William Kyle Anderson, 1900, pp. 1, 9.
2. Donald Robertson and his wife Rachel Rogers of King and Queen County, Virginia, etc., by William Kyle Anderson. Detroit: Winn and Hammond, printers, 1900, pg. 238.
3. King George Co. Will Book A-1, 1721-1752, Pages 82-83
4. Jonathan Gibson Estate - 1st Inventory, recorded 23 May 1745
5. Jonathan Gibson Estate - 2nd Inventory, recorded 27 Jun 1745
6. Circuit Court Clerks of Orange County, Virginia, from OrangeCountyVA.gov document center
7. "Orange County Tithe Lists" by Charles Arthur Hoppin. The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 27, No. 1. Williamsburg: Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, July 1918, pg. 23.
8. Orange County Deed Book 13, entry dated 22 Aug 1759.
9. Heads of Families, First Census of the United States: 1790, State Enumerations of Virginia: From 1782 to 1785, Department of Commerce and Labor, Bureau of the Census, S. N. D. North, Director. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1908, pg. 39
10. The Catlett family in Virginia and Illinois and related families, Volume 2, by George R. Catlett. Published by the author, 1986, pg. 47
11. "The Hardins in the Footsteps of the Boone Trail", by Faustina Kelly. The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Vol. 16, No. 47. Frankfort: The State Journal Company, May 1918, pg. 28.
12. Boyajian, Ned. No connect. between Jonathan GIBSON and the Bishop of London? June 11, 2005.
13. La Bach, William. Re: No connect. between Jonathan GIBSON and the Bishop of London? June 14, 2005.
14. Introduction to Francis Taylor Diary, 1786-1799, by Taylor historian William Kyle Anderson, 1900, pp. 1, 9.
15. Donald Robertson and his wife Rachel Rogers of King and Queen County, Virginia, etc., by William Kyle Anderson. Detroit: Winn and Hammond, printers, 1900, pg. 238.
16. "Spring Hill, Oldham County, Ky. The Home of Major William Berry Taylor", by Alice Elizabeth Trabue. Register of Kentucky State Historical Society, Vol. 18, No. 53 (May 1920), pg. 28
17. Rootsweb: Janet Ariciu family Bush: Elizabeth Thornton, by Janet Ariciu 04 Oct 2016 See also:
18. Estate Inventories and Appraisals, dated 23 May 1745 and 27 Jun 1745, Orange County records
19. Article by Alice Elizabeth Trabue, Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 18, Issue 54, Kentucky State Historical Society, 1918, page 28
20. RootsWeb: Jonathan Gibson (abt 1670 - 1729), by Janet Ariciu, 12 Apr 2015
21. Debra Downs provided an additional reference on the Gibson Family: The Gibson Family, by haygenealogy@gmail.com, which is taken from Thomas Knowlton Gibson Genealogy Page, but this information and needs verification and citation