11 February 2012, 10:04 pm
I am having a lot of difficulty finding facts on my 3rd great grandfather. All I have to work with is one news paper article from the Pontiac Press Gazette in October, 1906. To summarize the "facts" of the article: His name was Jeremiah W. Gibson born 1827 in Preston, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. (The first of 17 kids, none of whom I can prove exist). He was married in 1851 (I don't know where, or to whom). They moved to Illinois, where my 2nd great grandfather, John Andrew Gibson was born in 1856 Buenos Prarie, Boone County, ILL. (I cannot find his birth record). After awhile Jeremiah W. Gibson and family moved to Kentucky, then went "north", where Jeremiah W. enlisted. (Not sure on which side of the war or what state he enlisted.) After the war (I assume after 1865) they were living in Clarkston, MI. Sometime after, they divorced, because of an extremely volatile relationship. She had attempted to poison him both while he was serving in the war, and after. I cannot find any record of the divorce (I assume because divorces were considered shameful or because they had no assets to divide?) After the divorce, Jeremiah W. "went west and after six years' wandering, married again" - no idea to whom, when or where. His ex-wife died in 1890, allegedly in Michigan. He and his new wife were living in Petaluma, California until his wife "accidentally burned to death while lighting a fire" in April of 1906. (Can't find an obituary, because she may not have taken his last name.) He allegedly sold some property in Petaluma and "expects to end his days at the old family home in Pennsylvania". (I can't find record of the sale.) John Andrew Gibson had commit suicide by jumping in front of Pierre Marquette train June of 1906 after escaping from the Eastern Michigan Asylum. I found his death certificate, but no parental information was listed, and the informant's name on the certificate is not a relative. John Andrew Gibson was married, but after finding the marriage record, the only witnesses listed were likely friends or neighbors of his wife's. John Andrew Gibson had previously been confined to the Eastern Michigan Asylum years before his death, and in January or February of 1906 had attempted suicide in the Detroit river after escaping the hospital the first time. Without knowing the name of the ex-wife, I can't find her death certificate. I have an account on ancestry.com, utilize familysearch.org, rootsweb, US gen web, seekingmichigan.org, had an account at genealogy bank, use findagrave.com, and have searched many, many forums. I have spent hundreds of hours over the last 6+ months searching, and keep coming up empty handed. I have asked my grandmother and her brother, but they knew less than I do now, and are the oldest living relatives who would've known. I do know that back in the day, not everyone went by their first names. Unfortunately, I do not know what the "W" stands for in "Jeremiah W" if it stands for anything. Even today, I know people who simply have a capitalized letter as their middle name. I know that Pennsylvania did not mandatorily keep birth and marriage records during that time period. If there is a family bible, it is likely in the hands of one of the 16 siblings Jeremiah had, but I don't know who they are. Even with ancestry.com releasing the Pennsylvania church records, I'm not finding any solid evidence. I also know that if what the article states is true, Jeremiah was 79 years old at the time the article was written. Making it not very possible that he lived too much longer afterward (but hey, what do I know?). I do have intent to visit the Library of Michigan in the coming months, but I have concern that I won't be able to find much of anything, beyond what I know about John Andrew Gibson, because Jeremiah W. Gibson appears to have not lived in Michigan very long at all. I am not going to quit searching. I will not stop looking, until the day I die or until I find what I'm looking for (whichever comes first). I won't be sad if no one can help. I'm just wondering if anyone might be able to point me in a direction I haven't taken, or might be able to think of something I haven't? I know I've been doing this for so long and practically obsessing over it that I might be overlooking something incredibly simple. I am also wondering if this exact genealogical research is why Jeremiah W Gibson's son killed himself. (Just kidding, it was likely because of schizophrenia or some other delusional disorder). I would be incredibly grateful if anyone could help me, or even try to. I won't dismiss any answers, and I will pursue ANY potential leads 100 times over. This is literally ALL the information I have, and I'm desperate to learn more. Thank you in advance. The only information I can find on the ex-wife was census information for John Andrew Gibson, indicating that she was born in New Jersey.... Read More »
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