Rev. Josiah Willard Gibbs, Sr.

Josiah Willard Gibbs, Sr.

Find A Grave Memorial ID # 10524125

Wikipedia Page

Gibbs was born in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts and graduated from Yale College in 1809. He was a tutor at the college from 1811-1815, when he removed to Andover, studying Hebrew and biblical literature. He returned to New Haven in 1824 as professor of theology and sacred literature, a post he retained until his death.

Gibbs was one of the key witnesses in the Amistad Slaves trial in 1839–1840. He had been able to locate a translator for the defendants' Mende language by learning to count to ten in that language, and then counting out loud in the harbor of New York City until he located a sailor, James Covey, who was from West Africa and was able to understand and translate.

Gibbs was the father of physical chemist, engineer, and mathematician Josiah Willard Gibbs. Both are buried in New Haven's Grove Street Cemetery.

He was portrayed by Austin Pendleton in the 1997 film Amistad.

NOTE: Josiah's mother, Mercy Gibbs (Prescott), was the sister of Rebecca Minot Sherman (Prescott), the second wife of founding father Roger Sherman. Roger and Rebecca Sherman were the grandparents of Roger Sherman Baldwin, who successfully defended the Amistad Slaves.
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Biography of Josiah Willard Gibbs

Born: April 30, 1790 in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts
Died: March 25, 1861 in New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut

He was son of Henry Gibbs and Mercy Prescott.

Education - Yale College, BA 1809

He was tutor in Yale College from 1811 to 1815. He also pursued a course of theological study, and was licensed to preach. He devoted himself with special zeal to the study of Hebrew, and to the literature of the Bible generally, and was one of the first in this country to make available here the fruits of German research.

In 1824 he removed from Andover, Massachusetts, to New Haven, Connecticut, and from that time to his death he was connected with the Theological Institution of Yale College, first as Lecturer, and after 1826 as Professor in the department of Sacred Literature. During a part of this period he also gave instruction in Hebrew to such students in the Academical Department as desired it.

In September 1824 he was appointed Librarian of Yale College and continued in this office till he resigned it in 1843.

In September 1830, he married Miss Mary Anna Van Cleve, of Princeton, New Jersey. Their children were four daughters and one son.

In 1853 he received the degree of LL.D. from the College of New Jersey. In biblical criticism and general linguistics he ranked among the most eminent. He contributed to the periodical publications of his time many important papers on subjects of philology and criticism.

Source - Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale College, Deceased During the Year Ending, July 1861.