Biography:
Mr. John Gibson was the brother of Mr. Charles Gibson. They share a headstone in Ellsworth Cemetery, outside of Westminster, Maryland.
He was born in the 1850s, likely enslaved by a member of the Hoppe family. We first find him by name in the 1870 Census as a servant in the household of Mr. Henry Hoppe. Mr. Gibson is enumerated as being 12 years old. None of his family members are with him.
In the summer of 1878, Mr. Gibson married Ms. Mary Owens. They had at least three sons. Sometime before 1900, the couple split. Mr. Gibson apparently remarried another woman named Mary and was living with her in nearby Frederick in 1900.
He fell on hard times. Sadly, in September of 1908, he was checked into the Baltimore Alms House and was found dead in his bed the next morning.
Like his brother, his story takes an odd turn. Mr. Gibson’s body was sent to Johns Hopkins University. The funeral directors from Westminster discovered his body at the university, where it was scheduled for dissection. The officials promptly surrendered Mr. Gibson’s body to Mr. Stoner, unaware that their possession had not been properly sanctioned by the family.
Democratic Advocate
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