Person Page - 100

     Lucy married James G. BURT, son of Jesse BURT and Martha BURT, on 6 June 1849 in Muscogee County, Georgia. The nuptials were performed by Rev. Benjamin Clark.^2,1

Lucy Ann Spear and James G. BURT appeared as head of household on a census enumerated 24 September 1850 in Harris County, Georgia. The household was listed as James G. Birt, a 49 year old farmer, born in North Carolia. He had real estate valued at $5,000. His 38 year old wife Louisa(?) A. Burt was born in Georgia. Also in the household was James Norman, a 20 year old farmer born in Georgia.

Lucy Ann Spear and James G. BURT appeared as head of household on a census enumerated 23 July 1860 in Mulberry Grove, Harris County, Georgia. The household was listed as Jas. G. Burt, a 60 year old farmer, born in North Carolina. He had real valued $6,400 and personal property vallued $21,230. His wife was Lucy Burt, age 47 and born in Georgia. Also in the household were Agnes Walker, 78, born Virginia and Georgia Walker, bornn Georgia. Agnes had personal property valued $2800 and Georgia valued $2200.

     James married Harriett BURT, daughter of Jesse BURT and Martha BURT, on 13 April 1829 in Putnam County, Georgia.¹

     Vivian Allene Johnston was born on 8 December 1922 in Turner, Alabama.¹

Vivian married Lemuel David WATTS, son of James Marion WATTS and Sarah Jerusha Luvenia Boyd, on 3 March 1940 in Woodstock, Bibb County, Alabama. His occupation at the time was coal miner. She was the daughter of Luther Johnston and her mother was a Harmon.^1,2

Vivian Allene Johnston died on 8 February 1993 at age 70.¹

     Roland Johnson was born in 1909.

Roland married Nettie Quilline WATTS, daughter of James Marion WATTS and Sarah Jerusha Luvenia Boyd, circa 1938.¹

Roland Johnson died in 1964.

     John Shackleford GIBSON, son of Col. Jonathan Catlett GIBSON and Mary Williams SHACKELFORD, was born circa 1837 in Virginia. He never married.

John Shackleford GIBSON appeared on a census, enumerated 30 July 1850, in the household of his mother Mary Williams GIBSON in Culpeper County, Virginia. He was 15 years old.²

John began military service on 6 December 1861 in Sperryville, Rappahannock County, Virginia, as a private in the "Sperryville Rifles", Company K of the 49th Virginia Infantry Regiment of which his older brothers Jonathan and Eustace were captain and lieutenant. He had transferred to company from Crenshaw's Battery, Virginia Light Artillery. He was elected 2nd Corporal April 3, 1862 and appointed Ordnance Sergeant November 8, 1862. He was wounded and captured at Cedar Creek. Admitted to West Buildings, General Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, October 24, 1864; sent to Fort McHenry for exchange.^3,4

     Jonathan Catlett GIBSON V, son of Col. Jonathan Catlett GIBSON and Mary Williams SHACKELFORD, was born on 28 July 1833 in Culpeper, Culpeper County, Virginia.^1,2

Jonathan Catlett GIBSON V appeared on a census, enumerated 30 July 1850, in the household of his mother Mary Williams GIBSON in Culpeper County, Virginia. He was listed as a 17 year old student.³ He was an attorney in Culpeper County, Virginia. His father owned property in Culpeper and nearby Spotsylvania and Rappahannock counties. By 1860, Gibson had settled slightly to the north in nearby Fauquier County, Virginia and farmed. He was a graduate of the University of Virgiinia in 1851 and was an attorney in New York City and Culpeper before the war. He represented Culpeper County in the Virginia General Assembly 1879-1880, 1883-1884, and 1889-1894. He also served as a U. S. Attorney.⁴

Jonathan saw military service between 1861 and 1865 in Culpeper County, Virginia, beginning as a private in the "Culpeper Minute Men", a company in the 3rd Virginia Infantry. In June 1861 he organized as captain his own company, the "Sperryville Sharpshooters", which fought with the 7th Virginia Regiment at First Manassas in July. His brother, Eustace, was quartermaster. In August the company was permanently assigned as Company K to the 49th Virginia Infantry of the Army of Northern Virginia. The regiment served in Ewell's Division, Jubal Early's Brigade of Stonewall Jackson's Corps. On 1 May 1862 he was elected Lt. Colonel. He was wounded in action at Seven Pines, Seven Days, 2nd Manassas, Antieham and Fredericksburg. On 31 Jan 1863, just before the battle of Antietam, he was elected colonel of the regiment, succeeding Col. William "Extra Billy" Smith, who became their brigadier general. He was wounded in the battle and eleven times during the war. He commanded the regiment at Gettysburg and during the Wilderness Campaign. He was finally wounded in action and disabled at Bethesda Church. Prior to the start of the war he was part of the guard that escorted John Brown to the gallows on 2 Dec 1859.

John S. Robson in his 1876 History of the 52nd Virginia Regiment records that "Col. J.C. Gibson, now a prominent lawyer in Culpeper, bears on his person the marks and scars of wounds, some of the most serious character, to a number almost incredible to believe that one person could receive so many and still be as active as the Colonel is." He was totally blind in his last years.^1,5,6,2

Following the war, Gibson returned to farming and the law, though his brothers Eustace and Ned moved to mountainous Giles County, Virginia and Eustace would later move to Huntington, West Virginia and serve in the West Virginia House of Delegates as well as the U.S. House of Representatives.

Jonathan married first Mary George Shackelford, daughter of Henry Shackelford and Elizabeth E. (?), on 4 January 1870 in Judge Shackleford's residence, Culpeper Courthouse, Virginia. The ceremony was preformed by Rev. George W. Peterkin. It was in her home, known as "Shackelford House" on the main street in Culpeper, that the celebrated gallant Maj. John Pelham died during the war.⁷

Jonathan Catlett GIBSON V and Mary George Shackelford appeared as head of household on a census enumerated 27 July 1870 in Catalpa township, Culpeper Courthouse, Culpeper County, Virginia. The household was listed as Jonathan C. Gibson, a 34-year-old lawyer and Georgia, his 36-year-old wife. Catalpa is located about a half mile north of Culpeper Courthouse.⁸

Jonathan Catlett GIBSON V and Mary George Shackelford appeared as head of household on a census enumerated 9 June 1880 in Culpeper County, Virginia. The household was listed as J. Catlett Gibson, a 44-year-old attorney and his 41-year-old wife, Mary G. Gibson. They had two childen: Edwin age 9 and Felix age 4. Lewis Jane was their 22-year-old cook and servant. They lived at 197 Coleman Street.⁹

Jonathan Catlett GIBSON V and Mary George Shackelford appeared as head of household on a census enumerated 14 June 1900 in Catalpa township, Culpeper Courthouse, Culpeper County, Virginia. The household was listed as J. C. Gibson, a 64-year-old lawyer and M. G. Gibson his 65-year-old wife. They had been married 30 years and had two children, one still living. Living with them were his sister-in-law, Kate Jameson, a 50-year-old widow. They had three black servants: James and Eliza Fields and Mary Green.¹⁰

Jonathan married second Florence Eastham Daniel on 30 October 1901 in Rappahannock County, Virginia. She was single and 23-years-old, the daughter of Alpheus Richards Daniel. Jonathan was a 67-year-old widower. The minister was F. G. Ribble.¹¹

Jonathan Catlett GIBSON V died on 29 January 1907 in Culpeper Courthouse, Virginia, at age 73.² He was buried in Fairview Cemetery.

     Eustace GIBSON, son of Col. Jonathan Catlett GIBSON and Mary Williams SHACKELFORD, was born on 4 October 1842 in Culpeper County, Virginia.^1,2 He attended the common schools, studed law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in 1861.²

Eustace GIBSON appeared on a census, enumerated 30 July 1850, in the household of Mary Williams GIBSON in Culpeper County, Virginia. He was nine years old.³

Eustace GIBSON appeared on a census, enumerated 16 June 1860, in the household of his mother Mary Williams SHACKELFORD in Homeland, Culpeper County, Virginia. He was recorded as Eustace Gibson, 21.

Eustace began military service on 18 June 1861 at age 18 in Giles Court House, Culpeper County, Virginia, when he enlisted as first lieutenant and quartermaster in Company K, the "Sperryville Sharpshooters," of the 49th Virginia Infantry, serving under his brother Jonathan C. Gibson who would rise to the rank of colonel of the 49th. He was later promoted to captain before retiring in 1863 on account of a severe abdominal wound from a shell explosion at Gettysburg. He miraculously recovered.^4,5,6

Eustace GIBSON was the subject of a letter written by his younger brother, Edwin. In 1867 Edwin left Culpeper to reside with Eustace and penned the following letter to his mother from Giles County. He gave her a long description of the scenery and weather before finally getting to the information she really wanted to know:

Giles C. H. March 7th 1867
My dear Mother:

I found upon my arrival here just such a little village as I expected to see from the descriptions I had heard of it before leaving home – tis a very little place in the midst of high, rugged mountains that seem to shut it out from the rest of the world.

The town is like many other little towns I have seen in Va. with only one street about three hundred yards long, and houses scatteringly built, good, bad & indifferent. At each end there is a church & on each church there is a steeple. About the center of the town is the court house which also has a steeple. And these buildings give the place an appearance distingue peculiar to most county seats. So much for the capital. The surrounding country is rather more striking. Tis much more mountainous than I expected to find it- and along some portions of the road between here & the railroad the scenery is very wild and grand. But until today we have had falling weather ever since my arrival. Last night a heavy snow fell about three inches deep. Today is warm and sunshiny, but the previous rains together with the melting snow have made the ground so soft & roads so muddy as to render walking out of the question. So for these reasons I have not seen much of the country or people.

I room with Eustace in his office, about which you and Bessie were so curious to learn. Tis a little room at the east end of the village about fifteen feet square, more or less, chock-full of furniture, and everything else pertaining to the office of a lawyer. I have seen Eustace’s sweetheart, have called upon her twice. Her name is Mattie Lackland. She is a music teacher and boards with a Dr. Easley whose house is across the street about 20 or 30 yards from this office. I do not think her very pretty. Eustace does – visits her at least once a day and generally oftener.
I shall look impatiently for letters from home. Write to me some & make Bessie do so too.
Your devoted son
Ned

“Bessie” was their sister, Elizabeth Gibson. Eustace married Miss Lackland in December 1867.⁶


Eustace married Mattie Lacklin in December 1867 in Giles County, Virginia.^7,8,6

In 1867 and 1868 Eustace was a member of the constitutional convention of Virginia. He settled in Huntington, West Virginia in 1871 and was a member of the State house of delegates in 1877 and 1878. He served as speaker of the house in 1877. He was twice elected as a Democrat to the 48th and 49th U. S. Congress from 1883 through 1887, serving as chairman on the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Justice. He ran unsuccessfully for re-election in 1886 and 1888, and again resumed the practice of law.²

Eustace GIBSON died on 10 December 1900 in Clifton Forge, Virginia, at age 58.² He was buried in Spring Hill Cemetery, Huntington, West Virginia.

     Edwin H. GIBSON, son of Col. Jonathan Catlett GIBSON and Mary Williams SHACKELFORD, was born circa 1846 in Culpeper County, Virginia.¹ Edwin H. GIBSON also went by the name of Ned.

Ned GIBSON appeared on a census, enumerated 30 July 1850, in the household of his mother Mary Williams GIBSON in Culpeper County, Virginia. He was listed as Edwd. Gibson, age 4.²

Edwin H. GIBSON appeared on a census, enumerated 16 June 1860, in the household of his mother Mary Williams SHACKELFORD in Homeland, Culpeper County, Virginia. He was recorded as Edwin Gibson, 14.

Edwin began military service on 18 June 1861 in Sperryville, Rappahannock County, Virginia, where he enlisted as 1st Sergeant in Company K, the "Sperryville Sharpshooters," of the 49th Virginia Infantry Regiment. His brother, Jonathan was captain and later Colonel of the regiment, and their brother Eustace was quartermaster and later captain of the company. He was promoted 2nd Lieuenant. November 18, 1861; elected 1st. Lieutenant April 3, 1862. Ned was serving with the 49th Virginia Infantry in 1862 when he was sent to study at the Virginia Military Institute. This was at the urgent request of his brother, Col. Jonathan C. Gibson, who must have felt he needed to get his youngest brother out of harm's way. Ned returned to service in 1864 as a member of Mosby's Rangers after Federal troops occupied much of Northern Virginia. He fought without a scratch, but died from an accident after the war.^1,3,4

In 1867 Edwin left Culpeper to reside with Eustace and penned the following letter to his mother from Giles County. He gave her a long description of the scenery and weather before finally getting to the information she really wanted to know:

Giles C. H. March 7th 1867
My dear Mother:

I found upon my arrival here just such a little village as I expected to see from the descriptions I had heard of it before leaving home – tis a very little place in the midst of high, rugged mountains that seem to shut it out from the rest of the world.

The town is like many other little towns I have seen in Va. with only one street about three hundred yards long, and houses scatteringly built, good, bad & indifferent. At each end there is a church & on each church there is a steeple. About the center of the town is the court house which also has a steeple. And these buildings give the place an appearance distingue peculiar to most county seats. So much for the capital. The surrounding country is rather more striking. Tis much more mountainous than I expected to find it- and along some portions of the road between here & the railroad the scenery is very wild and grand. But until today we have had falling weather ever since my arrival. Last night a heavy snow fell about three inches deep. Today is warm and sunshiny, but the previous rains together with the melting snow have made the ground so soft & roads so muddy as to render walking out of the question. So for these reasons I have not seen much of the country or people.

I room with Eustace in his office, about which you and Bessie were so curious to learn. Tis a little room at the east end of the village about fifteen feet square, more or less, chock-full of furniture, and everything else pertaining to the office of a lawyer. I have seen Eustace’s sweetheart, have called upon her twice. Her name is Mattie Lackland. She is a music teacher and boards with a Dr. Easley whose house is across the street about 20 or 30 yards from this office. I do not think her very pretty. Eustace does – visits her at least once a day and generally oftener.
I shall look impatiently for letters from home. Write to me some & make Bessie do so too.
Your devoted son
Ned

“Bessie” was their sister, Elizabeth Gibson. Eustace married Miss Lackland in December 1867.⁴


Edwin H. GIBSON died in August 1869 in Culpeper Courthouse, Virginia. He died from a snake bite on the family farm.⁵ He was buried in St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Cemetery, Culpeper, Virginia.⁶

     Jonathan Catlett GIBSON III, son of Jonathan Catlett GIBSON II and Susannah HARRISON, was born circa 1768 in Fauquier County, Virginia.

Jonathan Catlett GIBSON III was named an heir in the will of Thomas HARRISON dated 25 January 1774 in Fauquier County, Virginia.² He was an attorney.

Jonathan married Elizabeth Mallory circa 1788 in Virginia.¹

Jonathan Catlett GIBSON III was named executor and an heir in the will of Jonathan Catlett GIBSON II dated on 22 July 1788 in Fauquier County, Virginia.³

Jonathan Catlett GIBSON III was a member of the Masonic Lodge between 1820 and 1836 in Fairfax, Virginia.⁴

Jonathan Catlett GIBSON III died in 1849.

The following letter was written by his granddaughter Lucy Ellen GIBSON 10 October 1918:

     John GIBSON, son of Jonathan Catlett GIBSON III and Elizabeth Mallory, was born in 1784 in Virginia. He was also known as Jack.

John married Frances B. Muschett circa 1806 in Virginia. She was the daughter of James Muschett and Catherine Gallahue.¹

During the War of 1812, brothers John and Col. Jonathan Catlett GIBSON enlisted in Capt. John Linton's Troop of Cavalry in Lt. Col. Enoch Rennoe's 36th Regiment of Virginia Militia from 21 August 1814 to 7 September 1814 in Orange County, Virginia. Jonathan was a sergeant and his brother John was a lieutenant. They enlisted for a period of 12 days. Jonathan also served in Capt. Jos. R. Gilbert's Company of the 6th regiment of Virginia Militia.

According to the testimony of William Ross of Culpeper County on 11 Nov 1879 in support of Mary W. Gibson's pension claim, "In 1814 when I landed at Norfolk the first person I met was Col. J. Catlett Gibson, who came up to enquire after the 'Culpeper boys.' He was a member of Capt. Gilbert's company, from Prince William Co. Capt. Gilbert was a large, portly man, and a hatter by trade. We boys used to call him 'Old Man Time' because he couldn't keep time. Chas. Fenton Mercer was the major of our regiment. I don't remember the name of the colonel [Lt. Col. Daniel Coleman]. The commander in chief [at Norfolk] was Gen. [Moses] Porter a very wicked man who used to curse all militia men off the face of the earth. Col. Gibson and myself were both in same regt. called out for six months, but served only three months. We were stationed at Camp Nemo 3 miles of Norfolk. Were in Norfolk occasionally and often called out for pickett service at the Pleasure House on Lynnhaven Bay. Col. J. C. Gibson and myself were discharged on 11 May 1814." Note: Pleasure House was a Chesapeake bayside tavern in which Norfolk area sports, satirically referred to by a contemporary as "the Pleasure House crowd," gathered to gamble and drink. Even so, the long popular watering hole also served during the first two decades of the 19th century as a lookout and vantage point on the Chesapeake Bay from which military observers before and throughout the War of 1812 could spy on the hostile activities of the British naval forces in nearby Lynnhaven Bay and off Cape Henry.^2,3

John GIBSON built his plantation home, Fleetwood, in 1823 in near Nokesville, Prince William County, Virginia. He was an attorney.

His niece, Lucy Ellen Buckner wrote this about him in a letter 2 Oct 1918: To resume my remarks about the Gibson family, my uncle John was the head of the family as the oldest son. He had a large landed estate in Prince William Co. His residence was not a castle by any means but an old Colonial of four stories with smaller houses on each side. One side with chambers for men of the family and office for Library. On the other side kitchen and other domestic buildings. A kitchen garden and a garden where every variety of flowers were cultivated. Much of my young days were spent there. As I am a failure as a genealogist, I have become a gossip. My uncle was a very handsome man, immacuate in his dress and deportment, and I often thought he looked like a French Noble just stepped down from the canvass.

I can account for that now since he must have had some French blood. A type of men sometimes survives many generations. I forgot to say that the name of the place is "Fleetwood", being historic from the fact of its being the winter quarters of a large part of the Federal army three miles from the town of Brandy where a battle was fought. Three miles from Cedar mountain where another important battle was fought. You know Virginia was the battle ground. My uncle entertained visitors not only sometimes but all the time, the best people as well as the poorest. I dont suppose any noble in England ever enjoyed more comfort or kept a better table, all the products of the cities. He had a large number of slaves and his wife never did a "hands turn" of work in her life.⁴

On 21 September 1846 John died in Prince William County, Virginia, leaving Frances B. a widow. He was buried in Fleetwood-Gibson Cemetery, Prince William County, Virginia.

His obituary appeared 25 September 1846 in the Daily Union, published in Washington, District of Columbia. Died at Fleetwood, Prince William county, on the 21st instant, Col. John Gibson, in the 62nd year of his age-- one of the best men, and one of the ablest and firmest democrats in Virginia.

The following letter was written by his niece Lucy Ellen Gibson Buckner:

     Frances B. Muschett was born in 1786 in Virginia.

Frances married John GIBSON, son of Jonathan Catlett GIBSON III and Elizabeth Mallory, circa 1806 in Virginia. She was the daughter of James Muschett and Catherine Gallahue.¹

John died on 21 September 1846 in Prince William County, Virginia, leaving Frances B. Muschett as a widow.

Frances B. GIBSON appeared on a census, enumerated 6 July 1860 at Bristol Station, Prince William County, Virginia, the household was recorded as Frances B. Gibson, a 71-year-old widon with real estate valued $27,140 and personal estate $45,000. She was born in Virginia. Also in the household were Susan Storke, 57; Milton Fitzhugh, 22, clerk of circuit court; Mary C. Fitzhugh, 32; and John C. Fitzhugh, 3. Mary Gibson Fitzhugh was her neice.

Frances B. Muschett died in May 1873 in Fleetwood, Prince William County, Virginia. She was buried in Fleetwood-Gibson Cemetery, Prince William County, Virginia.